Shootin' it Straight - Small Talk (Free Access)

That’s just small-town talk, like they always do. That’s how it goes around here, where your business is spread all across the county. Every corner knows a little something they ain’t telling. Those hills haven’t spilled the beans yet, but they will.

That’s just the county line curve on Highway 89 spilling its guts about some old boy on a cycle, pushing it through just a few over what that black and white sign says is allowed. Don’t pay any attention to that little cut through the river on Black Lick. You can’t believe all it'll tell you about what happened.

That grassy bank over the lake now? It never lies, so don’t ask, if you’d prefer not to know.

That’s just small-town talk.

Those black marks and that bent sign on 421 might swear to you they saw it all take place, but just roll your eyes and walk on. I assure you, they didn’t catch half. The holler on 290 will weave some tall tale about launching a KX and a four-wheeler into the pond. I’ll just ignore them and hope they stop talking.

The hills on Moore’s Creek might whisper beneath the wind about an old man named Blue Mouse with a Stevens shotgun and a flannel shirt, roaming the hills and getting his fill of squirrels. You can mark that one down because he still does, no matter what a stone says.

That river snaking along the valley floor, looking like a snake’s path, will chuckle as it tells everyone about fools caught in storms, bent on getting a few more miles and a few more bass in.

That’s just small-town talk.

That old church building will humbly tell you about the souls that found the path inside. It’ll show you tear-stained pews where it saw grandmothers change the course of loved ones. That back parking lot of the old high school will talk to you through the cracked pavement.

It’ll tell you stories of Marlboros, bluegrass, old Chevy trucks, and cut classes. Most are true, but that old parking lot will change the names to protect the innocent.

That stretch of House’s will play up the fact it once was a great drag strip hosting some fierce races. It'll all be true—right up until that part about Alvin Webb and some young guy he let off the hook.

That’s just small-town talk.

You can’t believe it all, and some, you can be thankful it never tells. It’s seen more than its share, and it’s been there for us all.

This dirt has kept our secrets, our heartbreak, our celebrations, and all our memories.

Pick a spot and just listen carefully.

It’ll tell you all you need to know.