hot air hangs like a dead man   from a white oak tree   people sitting on porches   thinking how things used to be   dark night   it's a dark night   dark night   it's a 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 windows were being locked at night   old lines were drawn again      (Chorus)      I thought these things   didn't matter anymore   I thought all that blood   had been shed long ago   dark night   it's a 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   when a bullet from a passing car   made the young girl scream      i thought these things   didn't happen anymore   i thought all that blood    had been shed long ago      dark night   it's a dark night   dark night   it's a dark night