Guitar: Dale Crockett
Missy
© 2009 Jon Hanson
When Jimmy married Missy things seemed OK for a while But then came the abuse; rough stuff now and then One day he broke her arm and cracked a rib or two The police hauled Jimmy away; he watched his children cry They kept him at the county lockup; for lack of bail My wife and I stood by Missy what else could we do? Now Jimmy’s stuck in jail; and things are safer here Not knowing how long he’ll be there—that’s the fear It felt like we were movin’ a slave underground But that was our chance to get Missy out of town Somewhere a bartender jokes: Still beating your wife? Or I understand wife beating—just don’t condone it And then they’ll all laugh and have another beer Big tough guys telling jokes and having a little fun That was me before I saw the abuse up close I know God didn’t create woman to live in constant fear Repeat Chorus Bridge They say if you tell a tale you need to tell it tall But, son, this ain’t no tale she was my sister in law Repeat Chorus Tag This story starts in Ohio and ends in Tennessee Seven years later everyone is doin’ fine—‘cept ole Jimmy