Oleander

Mary worked at the liquor store
Stacking her bottles since before I was born Her old skin sad on her yellow bones
Oh selling moonshine, 'till the men go home
In Mary's town, there ain't much to do
Slow as molasses, the days seep through
The bitter church, the general store
A couple sun-dried sinners with a heavy pour
Ooooo
The people knew Tom Baker's name
A violent creature, he made his fame
On the backs of the women that he pinned down Like a hungry dog, Tom made his rounds
And every time Tom came in
The thirsty hound made Mary's skin crawl
She knew what he'd done
To the girls in town, another one and done
Ooooo
The bottle's barely empty The sentence paid in full
One thick night in the summertime
Choking on thoughts in her sweaty mind
She hatched a plan, by the oleander
Avenge is sweet for the old bystander
A dozen drops, no one would know
Then silently, old Tom would grow
Stiff, cold
And buried in the yard where the old dogs go
The bottle's barely empty Sentence paid in full Innocent is Mary
So the gavel rules