hot air hangs like a dead man   from a white oak tree   people sitting on porches   thinking how things used to be   dark night   dark night      the neighborhood was changing   strangers moving in   a new boy fell for a local girl   when she made eyes at him      she was young and pretty   no stranger to other men   but doors were being locked at night   old lines were drawn again      CHORUS   I thought things like that   didn't matter anymore   I thought all the blood   had been shed long ago   dark night   dark night      he took her to the outskirts   and pledged his love to her   they thought it was their secret   but someone knew where they were      he held her so close   he asked about her dreams   there was a shot from a passing car   and the young girl screamed   REPEAT CHORUS