Returning To The Scene

"Returning To The Scene"

Music & Lyrics by Scott Cooley.

In broad daylight, the sight went unseen

I guess I got away with it, and now my hands are clean

But I want you back, and you'll never know

So I'm returning to the scene

Acting casual, that I can do

Although my heart is racing, no one has a clue

I committed a crime, but you will never know

Now I've got another chance I don't intend to blow

I stole your heart, now I'm returning to the scene

I'll never confess, but I'm as guilty as can be

Standing by and wondering why, I know that I'll walk free

For the last time, I'm returning to the scene

Acting surprised, I can fake it with the best

Deep down inside I know I must be blessed

I committed a crime, but what you don't know won't hurt

Gotta keep it to myself or get my just desserts

I stole your heart, now I'm returning to the scene

I'll never confess, but I'm as guilty as can be

Standing by and wondering why, I know that I'll walk free

For the last time, I'm returning to the scene

I've learned my lesson, to never misbehave

I was gonna love and leave you, now I'm ready to be brave

For the rest of my life I'm gonna treat you like a queen

I'm back, as if nothing happened, returning to the scene

I stole your heart, now I'm returning to the scene

I'll never confess, but I'm as guilty as can be

Standing by and wondering why, I know that I'll walk free

For the last time, I'm returning to the scene

It's hard to say why a man will stray

But now I'm ready to love you 'till my dyin' day

I'm not gonna let myself feel bad about it now

Time to start a new chapter, and renew my vow

I killed the past, now I'm returning to the scene

I'll never confess, but I'm as guilty as can be

To stand beside the perfect crime, murder in the first degree

Just for one last time, I'm returning to the scene

Returning To The Scene is a song I wrote based on a name of a band, believe it or not. I worked with a guy once who told me he was one of several drummers named Dave (he became known as "Classic Dave") who was in a punk rock band in the Flint, Michigan area called The Guilty Bystanders. I later found live footage of them as reunited old guys online, and realized I had seen them in their heyday back in my foggy misspent youth. I just thought that was one of the coolest names for a band ever, and of course it was also cool they went through a bunch of different drummers, all of whom had the first name Dave. Very Spinal Tap. I wouldn't have been that cool to just write a song called Guilty Bystander because I liked the band name, so I turned it into a story of a guy who just committed the crime, whose involvement went unnoticed, he briefly leaves, then returns to the scene of the crime (as a guilty bystander) - only I turned it into a love song and the crime was a relationship-related crime. He didn't commit it directly against the girl though, even though a witholding of the truth to her might've been wrong. The casual listener will think the song is about guy cheating on girl and then wanting her back, or maybe even cheating on girl, getting back together with girl, then going back for more with the girl he cheated with - all incorrect. He could've done terrible things to her, or he could've just left, but what he did was mental - not mental abuse - but rather his crime was against himself. He contemplated cheating on her, got close, was ready to leave her, then changed his mind. He's not going to tell her, but the crime was lust and not being true to himself.