[Laid-back gravelly male outback vocal, mid-tempo campfire country folk, 92 BPM, no shouting] [Cold Open Monologue: acapella, clean spoken word, low gravelly outback male voice, intimate whisper] "There’s a particular kind of peace you only find out here. When the sun drops below the ridges and the night country takes over. You just sit back in the canvas chair, look up at the Southern Cross. And listen to the steady old hiss of that kerosene light." [Intro: rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming at 92 BPM enters quietly, soft campfire crackle ambiance, 4 bars instrumental] [Verse 1: intimate, low conversational baritone, quiet raspy vocal, sung calmly] The hiss of the mantle cuts through the dark Down where the paperbarks grow A steady white hiss, a bright silver spark Setting the campsite aglow The water runs deep where the platypus dives Cooling the dust of the day Under the gaze of the Southern Cross skies Washing our worries away [Chorus: laid-back raspy baritone, calm tone, quiet delivery, raw and unpolished] Oh, that steady white hiss is a bridge through the years To the sweetest of memories I hold It whispers away all my modern-day fears And turns this dark river to gold Yeah, the hum of the lantern is pulling me back To a simpler, beautiful time [Verse 2: quiet, conversational spoken-singing, relaxed weathered voice, intimate] In small canvas chairs right round the hot coals With the lantern hung up in the tent Grandpop and Mum quietly watching the coals While the rest of us argued and spent The night telling tales of the fish we had caught And the monsters that got clean away With jaffles in irons right out of the flame We talked till it was time to bid goodbye to the day [Bridge: low gravelly murmur, calm weathered voice, near-spoken delivery, very quiet] The years ripple by like the Queensland stream And the marquee is packed far away But whenever I close up my eyes and I dream I am back in that sweet yesterday [Chorus Reprise: laid-back raspy baritone, calm tone, quiet delivery, raw and unpolished] Oh, that steady white hiss is a bridge through the years To the sweetest of memories I hold It whispers away all my modern-day fears And turns this dark river to gold Yeah, the hum of the lantern is pulling me back To a simpler, beautiful time [Outro: quiet whispered gravel, low calm voice, fading campfire ambiance, slow fade out] Two brothers, a sister, Mum, Auntie, and Dad The best damn times we ever had Grandpop watching the fire glow And the river rolling slow
