John Hiatt

Wood Chipper

John Hiatt


Well, I'm from the Midwest
I know enough to cut a path
Around a wood chipper

And be careful
Of any conversation
A man starts by callin' you skipper

'Cause there ain't no ocean 'round here
Though a lotta little lakes where you could disappear
I wonder what the fish are bitin' on today, Jimmy

She told me not
To follow her down here
Said he was crazy about her

I guess I didn't know
What that meant
Just knew I couldn't do without her

Then I seen 'em through the window sash
He had a Forty four pistol and a bag of cash
And she was foldin' some kinda pretty note paper into her breast pocket

What some people won’t do, to break up a happy home
What some people won’t do, to break up a happy home

Well, I got the picture
A temporary love shack
In the middle of no place

They were plannin'
On usin' that cash
To get away bold-faced

Now how long did they think they could stay
The troopers and the Marshall's surely on their way
I ran through the yard and I banged my knee on his wood chipper

I was screamin' like a baby
She appeared at the window
He opened the door

And when I looked up
He said: Skipper
What're you doin’ here for

One bullet to the head
Before I hit the ground I was dead
I guess I'm tellin' you this before you go fishin' now, Jimmy

What some people won't do, break up a happy home
What some people won’t do, break up a happy home
What some people won’t do, to break up a happy home
What some people won’t do, to break up a happy home

Never found my body
But they killed 'em in a shoot out
Five miles down the road

They found that note paper
In her breast pocket
Thought it was somethin' written in code

But it was part of a letter set
I'd got her for Christmas ten years ago I'd bet
She used to just use the paper for her grocery list
(And it read)

Eggs
Hamburger meat
Bread
Funyuns
Orange drink
Toilet paper
Tidy Bowl
Pickles
Little Debbie Snack Cakes

What some people won't do, break up a happy home
What some people won't do, to break up a happy home
What some people won't do, to break up a happy home
What some people won't do, break up a happy home