Basically, with this one I wanted to write a noir song, with symbolism and the like. Musically, we just rocked it, so to speak; but later, when I toured about solo, I slowed the song down and it worked bare bones, as well.
lyrics
Stolen Gun
It was a quiet neighborhood, magnolias in a row
Broken toys were scattered across the yard she used to mow
She could hear her husband whisper softly in her ear
But the sweet part of his voice went sour every year
One day at the grocery store, she met a fella shopping
She wasn’t drawn to his looks, it was the style that he was copping
Pretty soon they got to talking about nothing much at all
On the ride to the coffee shop, she began to fall
The next thing that she knew, she was lying in his bed
Hmmm...
The blood kept on beating, she began to sweat
Quietly she told him what the fortuneteller said
Like a film star from the forties, he shrugged his shoulders once
Blew smoke rings to the ceiling a couple times for fun
She dressed and left her lover with a strange look on his face
Wiped the lipstick from her mouth, should kisses leave a trace
She spent the night turning, the willow didn’t weep
The stars didn’t shine, the vines didn’t creep
And her husband rose to catch the bus to catch the train again
His footsteps disappeared like a childhood friend
So, she rifled through the dresser, following the fates
In search of her confessor
She found it in a heartbeat, held it in her hand
Put bullets in the chamber and stroked it like a man
A stolen gun...
She’d never known riches or the strength to hate
Sitting in the hallway she began a lonely wait
Seemed she was always waiting, paying someone else’s price
She called her lover on the phone and it rang a hundred times
A fever shook her body, she sank into a freeze
Dropped the gun into a suitcase and took off for the Keys
By the time her husband’s footsteps made their return
She was in another state and the casserole was burned
Some of us are blind, others look into the distance
For what we leave behind
Crossing bridges on the highway while the sun was setting slow
She opened up the window, threw the gun into the gentle water’s flow
A stolen gun...
credits
from Make Me Believe,
released January 1, 1999
K.K. Falkner - vocals
Doug Hoekstra - vocals, acoustic guitars
Pat Meusel - bass, electric guitar
Rick Schell - drums, percussion
Engineered by Robb Earls, Sound Vortex, Nashville TN
Doug Hoekstra’s singular musical persona sets sympathetic narratives against understated vocals, memorable melodies, and
subtle but unexpected arrangement turns. His albums have earned Nashville Music Award and Independent Music Award nominations, a bevy of top 10 list appearances, and a reputation as a “songwriter’s songwriter” (CMJ Music Monthly). "The Day Deserved" due out Spring 2021...more
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