The Wreck on Vainglory Hill

donny grew up wanting a motorbike all his life
when he bought one secondhand the old man who sold it to him gave him this advice
he said i know that you’re invincible cause you’re only twenty two
sure that no one else out there can ride this thing as good as you
but listen to me close because i’ve ridden her for years
she’s a flirty feisty gal who runs on gas and love and fear
donny said come on give me the keys
cause there ain’t nobody that can ride this thing like me

donny's momma said son i just know you’re gonna break your neck
that motorbike of yours is as mean as a blacksnake and it’s as fast as heck
donny says it ain’t as fast as heck you know it’s fast as hell
but don’t you worry momma cause you know i ride it well
when i go out on my dates i give the bored young girls a thrill
i race them up and down around the top of vainglory hill
when i'm pulling on the throttle they could never disagree
that there ain’t nobody who can ride that thing like me

eighty miles an hour coming down that hill one night
he hit a patch of gravel and his rear wheel lost its bite
he looked down at his hands and saw his knuckles glowing white
not a normal shade of pale but a few shades extra bright
then they were shining from his hands like eight radiant headlights
that were beaming out so strong they drowned out everything in sight

when donny came to he was a half mile down the road
he was staring at his hands but they had lost their spooky glow
he started to run back to see what happened with the wreck
the headlight was still on the wheel was turning by itself
the engine was just purring so he pulled it back upright
and saw a body twisted up and melted leather on his pipes
he sped off laughing making double speed
he said there ain’t nobody who can ride this thing like me

the ambulance came to haul donny’s body away
but the police never found that motorcycle
that night or in the light of day
the papers ran their stories speculating someone
had come by right after the crash, they took the bike and run
they cursed the human condition on the editorial page
said that there were no samaritans left in the world these days
but donny’s riding for eternity
he says there ain’t nobody who can ride this thing like me