Dark Country Music | Cleve Tucker — Ashes Behind Me

A man leaves the ashes behind him on a wet two-lane road in the rural South. He sings in a deep gravel baritone over fingerpicked acoustic guitar, dirty slide guitar, warm upright bass, brushed drums and a low Hammond organ pad, with sparse verses opening into a wide chorus on dusty tape. The road runs on, and the ashes remain behind him. #clevetucker #southerngothic #slowcountry #countryblues Lyrics: [Intro] There is smoke in the rear view And a cold dawn on my skin [Verse 1] I wore those old bad habits Like a coat I could not shed Kept a bottle by the bedside Kept dark angels in my head Every promise turned to ashes Every road led back around Till I heard mercy calling From the hard and holy ground [Pre-Chorus] So I struck one match in the midnight Watched that crooked kingdom glow [Chorus] I am burning bridges behind me Let the black smoke take my name If redemption has a doorway I will walk through all the pain No more chains around my heartbeat No more running from the truth I am burning bridges behind me Lord, make something new [Verse 2] I left the poison at the county line Left my shadow at the bar Told the devil he could keep the keys To every place I went too far There is blood beneath forgiveness There is thunder in the rain But a man can rise from ruin When he quits defending chains [Bridge] If I stumble, let me stumble Toward the light and not the flame Let these scars become a witness I was lost, but not forsaken [Chorus] I am burning bridges behind me Let the black smoke take my name If redemption has a doorway I will walk through all the pain No more chains around my heartbeat No more running from the truth I am burning bridges behind me Lord, make something new