THE LAST HONKY-TONK [INTRO — 60 BPM, CINEMATIC] [WIND, GEIGER, GENERATOR] [MELLOTRON STRINGS, PEDAL STEEL, INDUSTRIAL DRONE] [DEEP MALE NARRATOR — SPOKEN] A hundred years since the last war. The cities turned to rust. The highways disappeared beneath A century of dust. But out beyond the deadlands, Where the old interstate ran black, One neon sign kept flickering... And the music kept coming back. [MELLOTRON CHOIR, BASS DROP] [VERSE 1 — 92 BPM, INDUSTRIAL COUNTRY] Six droids upon the bandstand, Underneath a battered screen. Playing songs from long-dead singers In a world they'd never seen. Above them hung a banner, Faded letters, cracked and torn. TSCMS across the top, From the days before the storm. The bartender had a metal arm, The whiskey glowed at night. And cyborg cowboys watched the show Beneath the neon light. [VERSE 2 — ARCHIVAL VIDEO MONTAGE] [SIX TSCMS ARTISTS ON SCREEN] Jenna Alexander brought a little more magic, From a world before the fall. Lady Red ain't here to behave, And her picture filled the wall. Candy Colored Coffins had The dead girls dancing still. Chef Juan's black water knew his name Beyond the poisoned hills. Matt Spencer should have been a pirate, Sailing seas of desert sand. And Jim B said we all got masks, In the ruins of the land. [OUTLAW / GRUNGE BREAK] [DISTORTED TELECASTER, DRUMS, PEDAL STEEL] Six voices from a vanished world, Six songs that still survived. Their faces danced across the screen, Their music kept alive. [PRE-CHORUS — 7/8, MELLOTRON CHOIR] [GLITCH SYNTHS, BRASS BUILD] [CHORUS — 128 BPM, EDM DROP] At the LAST HONKY-TONK! Where the dead stars shine! We got radioactive bourbon And a hundred-proof good time! At the LAST HONKY-TONK! Where the neon never dies! Raise a glass to the world we lost Beneath those poisoned skies! [TELECASTER / BANJO / SYNTH RIFF] [VERSE 3 — 70 BPM, NEAR SILENCE] [DOORS CREAK, DESERT WIND] A figure stood against the doorway, Bent beneath a hundred years. His coat was dust and weather, His eyes had seen too many tears. He carried one old battered case, Its leather split and worn. He looked like he'd been walking Since before the world was torn. Two stickers clung upon the lid, Their colours nearly gone. One read TSCMS, The other Roger Burns Band. He laid the case upon a table, Snapped the rusty catches free. And lifted out a Telecaster Scarred by history. It might have once been painted red, But the years had worn it through. Just bare old wood and battle scars, And a faded patch or two. [ONE DRY TELECASTER NOTE] [DROID — SPOKEN] "INSTRUMENT IDENTIFIED." "ARKIVE MATCH DETECTED." "ROGER BURNS BAND." [STRANGER — SPOKEN] "Well, I'll be damned." [LOOKS AT ANCIENT SCREEN] "You're still playing our stuff?" [VERSE 4 — 76 BPM, SPARSE HONKY-TONK] The droid said, "Name your selection. We know every song that's played." The stranger said, "That's mighty fine, But can you play one never made?" He picked a little twelve-bar phrase, And let the last note hang. The bass machine replied too soon, The drummer missed a bang. He shook his head and tried again, Then waited for the sound. The bass came in a little late, And the rhythm came around. [TELE CALL, BASS RESPONSE] [MELLOTRON FLUTE, BRUSHED DRUMS] [BRIDGE — 5/4, PROGRESSIVE ROCK] [TELE / BANJO / MELLOTRON] [DROID — SPOKEN] "UNAUTHORIZED VARIATION." "EMOTIONAL RESPONSE DETECTED." [STRANGER — SPOKEN] "That's called listening, son." [DROID] "LISTENING PROTOCOL UPDATED." [STRANGER] "Well, don't just listen to me. Listen to each other." [INSTRUMENTAL CONVERSATION] [TELECASTER, BANJO, BASS, DRUMS, MELLOTRON] [7/8 → 5/4 → 4/4, CHOIR BUILD] [VERSE 5 — 112 BPM, COUNTRY-ROCK] The drummer found a backbeat That no machine had planned. The fiddle bent a blue note, And the steel began to cry. The stranger grinned and nodded, As the music filled the room. The cyborgs left their barstools, And the drones began to move. The ancient screen was flickering, Then found another show. Six musicians on a bandstand From a hundred years ago. [SCREEN — ROGER BURNS BAND ARCHIVE] [DROID — SPOKEN] "ROGER BURNS BAND." "OPENING PERFORMANCE PROTOCOL FOUND." [STRANGER — QUIETLY] "Now there's a song I know." [MELLOTRON CHOIR, INDUSTRIAL BUILD] [HARD STOP — SILENCE] [STRANGER — ROARING] "OH, HELL YEAH!" [DROID BAND — SHOUTING] "HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY! YEAH!" [FINALE — 144 BPM, SYMPHONIC EDM] [MELLOTRON CHOIR, BRASS, INDUSTRIAL SYNTHS] [TELECASTER, BANJO, PEDAL STEEL] [FINAL CHORUS — ALL VOICES] At the LAST HONKY-TONK! Let the wasteland hear us play! We got six-string resurrection And a brand-new kind of day! At the LAST HONKY-TONK! Let the neon light the sky! The world can burn to ashes, But the music doesn't die! [INSTRUMENTAL FINALE] [7/8 TELECASTER RIFF, MELLOTRON CHOIR] [5/4 COUNTERPOINT → 4/4 EDM DROP] [RAW TELE SOLO, DROID ANSWERS] [ALL INSTRUMENTS — FINAL HIT] [SILENCE] [DROID — SPOKEN] "REQUEST NEXT SONG." [STRANGER] "Now you're getting it." [LAST TELECASTER STRING BEND]
