They Get the Local Girl Hooked First

They get the local girl

Hooked first

Before they move on

To the girls

From outside

They start with the townie

And that’s their practice

I used to think of them

Like coyotes

Around the fence

Shoot one

And they all scatter

But the leader

Always stays behind

To look you in the eyes

Before he runs

He wants to let you know

That you didn’t scare him away

That you should be the one

Who’s scared

I didn’t want her

Working at that bar

Because I knew

All kinds go there

And all kinds mean bad kinds

And she was too trusting of people

Even when she didn’t have

Any reason to be

But she was a damn good bartender

And the tips were good

Micah needed surgery

On his arm

From when he got hurt

Playing little league

And there’s just so many places

You can make good money around here

So I told her she could work there

If she wanted

But I was going to drop her off

And pick her up every night

That was our agreement

All’s I was thinking about

Was her getting kidnapped

Never crossed my mind

That they’d be hanging with her

Out back behind the bar

On breaks

Getting her to try this and that

Telling her it would help keep her awake

One night she gets in the car

And she’s just about a zombie

I ask her what the hell’s going on

And she tells me she don’t feel well

But that one of the waitresses

Had a cold and she might’ve caught it

Now, I’m pretty good

At being a bullshit detector

But my girl never got in trouble

In her whole life

And I didn’t see any reason
Why she’d be getting in some

All of a sudden

But then when things change...

They don’t tell you

How quick it goes

And I had my own job

Down at Harbor Mill

And doing overnights

At Saw Steel when I could get the shifts

Wasn’t until I came home one night

And Micah said, ‘Mommy’s sick’

That I knew how bad it was

See, she was a local girl

And they didn’t want to try out

Anything on the spring breakers first

Because if a spring breaker

Winds up dead

You have a problem on your hands

So you start with the ones

Nobody’s going to care about

Now my girl’s in and out

Of meetings

And church

And therapy

And all that bullshit

But she’s alive

She just ain’t the same

Some nights

I sit out by the bar

And when I see the guys come out

I turn on my hi-beams

And if I’m really cocked that night

I’ll even honk my horn at ‘em

I got a Sprinfield XD

Right next to me

In the passenger seat

And all I want

Is for one of ‘em

To come up to the window

And try to start something

But they don’t bother

I’m just the kook

With the junkie daughter

With all the marbles gone

They go to their cars

And they drive off

But one always stays behind

Just a little bit longer

Looks down right

Into my headlights

And stands there

Letting me know

He’ll leave

When he’s good

And ready