Imagination can take you way off-road sometimes. Who knows where this one came from? But it was a fun ride. Sometimes you dream up a tune with a definite mood, and the story almost writes itself. You have to work out the rhythmic phrasing, and maybe throw in a couple of rhymes, but it is sometimes surprising how quickly an idea can come together... like it was sleeping in your soul and just needed a nudge.

Lyrics

Dark Shoulders Words & music JRRothrock 6/3/2008

I-35 from Tulsa… Central Time 3 A.M...
The white lines fade into the distance. Hypnotically, I follow them.
I’ll be in Dallas by daybreak. That’s when "the deal" goes down.
My lifestyle hangs in the balance. Grab my money and get out of town.

Up ahead, in the distance… a figure comes into sight…
… a-walking along the shoulder… all alone in the dead of the night!
There were no cars that were stranded. No “on” or "off" exit ramps…
No motorcycles were crippled. No underpass for hobos and tramps.
A grey shadow comes into focus… with legs like I’ve never seen.
Long hair that shines in the headlights… like something out of a dream!
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So, I pulled up quite slowly… but was ready to peel away.
Was this a lady in danger? Or would I be the victim today?!
She had the face of an angel… but eyes with a darker story to tell.
Was this a present from Heaven? Or an express ticket to Hell?!
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So, I pulled off on the shoulder. She hopped in without saying a word.
Was it the constant beat of the highway, or my pounding heartbeat that I heard?
She reached right over the console… and flipped the radio on.
... Sat back and breathed so deeply. She closed her eyes and was gone!
We drove for nearly an hour… but soon I felt her looking at me…
… so, I turned my head for a moment… and was stunned at what I would see!
... yeah... yeah... yeah...
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Her beauty was m-mesmerizing… a vision, nonpareil.
I was overcome by attraction! Yeah, you could say that I was "under her spell".
There were no words necessary. The temperature was rising with time.
As I lay my hand on the shifter… she placed her hand over mine!
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She stayed in the car in the morning. I had the deal done before it was dawn.
Threw my money into the trunk space. She hit the gas and was gone!!!!!
I couldn’t believe what had happened… how my whole life’s plan had been blown…
…when she left me there on the roadside… and standing there, all alone...
...no... no... no... no...

It was a cold, cold shoulder...
... it was a cold, cold shoulder...
Dark shoulder...
... dark shoulder...
... dark shoulder...
... dark shoulder.......