The Sheriff of Shadows

[Intro - 8 bars of slide guitar to set the mood]

[Verse 1]
I met a man in a mirror crack, 
Said he knew my past by heart. 
He wore a badge made of broken clocks, 
And claimed he could read my scars. 

[Prechorus]
He said, “Boy, you’re haunted by choices you made 
In dreams you don’t recall. 
But I’ve got a map of your midnight mind— 
It’s scribbled on confession halls.” 

[Solo - Slide guitar—slow, eerie, with bends that mimic the Sheriff’s creeping presence]

[Chorus]
So I tipped my hat to the Sheriff of Shadows, 
Paid him in secrets and sighs. 
He rides a horse named Déjà Vu 
And arrests thoughts that lie. 
He’s got cuffs for your conscience, 
And boots full of blame— 
But he’ll let you go easy 
If you forget your name. 

[Solo - Fingerpicked acoustic guitar with subtle dobro accents—reflective, slightly dissonant]

[Verse 2]
He told me shame’s just a ghost in drag, 
Wearing ambition’s clothes. 
And guilt’s a preacher with a crooked smile 
Selling half-priced souls. 

[Prechorus]
He said, “Truth ain’t clean, it’s just well-dressed;
It wears a tie made of tangled facts,
And dreams are debts unpaid. 
You want peace? Try amnesia— 
It’s cheaper than being brave.” 

[Bridge]
Now I hear him whistling through my vents, 
Smells like old regret and cheap sin. 
He’s got a warrant for my better self, 
But I won’t let him in.

[Solo - Harmonica layered with a low slide guitar—ghostly and unresolved]

[Chorus]
So I tipped my hat to the Sheriff of Shadows, 
Paid him in secrets and sighs. 
He rides a horse named Déjà Vu 
And arrests thoughts that lie. 
He’s got cuffs for your conscience, 
And boots full of blame— 
But he’ll let you go easy 
If you forget your name. 

[Outro]
If he’s tailing the trail of your regrets, 
Don’t stall, don’t spark the shame. 
Just hum this hymn and roll on past— 
He only arrests those who claim the blame.

[8 bars of slide guitar slowly fading away]

-- Pradeep K (Prady)


Style:
Country ballad. Vocals low, gravelly baritone. Fingerpicked acoustic guitar with harmonica. Brushed drums. Parapsychological undertones and satirical bite.