[Intro] [A driving piano honky-tonk stride bass kicks off with dynamic punch on beat one followed by tight rhythmic staccato phrasing and sharp attack on consonant-heavy lyrics from the vocalist with an ascending glissando flourish] Ooh, yeah, a-ha, listen close to the sound of the dusty floorboards. [Nasal resonance placement] tellin' a story of a secret kept inside. [Verse 1] [The shuffle groove backbeat settles in while the piano plays bright chords and the vocalist uses rhythmic staccato phrasing for the narrative] I spent ninety days straight out in the blazing heat Pouring sweat and laying asphalt just to make ends meet When the old man paid me out, he said, Son, you earned your keep [sharp attack on consonant-heavy lyrics] Then he handed me a piece of paper that nearly made me weep [breathy end-of-phrase release] It wasn't no stack of twenties, or a check that might go bad [staccato phrasing] It was the strangest piece of currency that I had ever had [tight vibrato on sustained pitch]. [Chorus] [Full ensemble including strings and synthesizer provides a bright country backdrop as the vocalist hits the high notes with chest-to-head voice transitions] It was a high-denomination, crisp one-thousand-dollar bill [bright vowel modification] With the face looking solemn, grey, and still [energetic pitch scooping] Valid legal tender from a bygone, forgotten day [syllabic separation] A fortune in my pocket, but it scared me half to death [tight vibrato] Wondering where a working man could hide a prize like that [nasal resonance placement]. [Verse 2] [The upright walking bass provides a steady pulse while the vocalist maintains a crisp diction and rhythmic staccato phrasing throughout] Now, a thousand bucks in cash will make a poor man's mind go wild [sharp attack on consonant-heavy lyrics] I drove straight home to my cabin, shaking like a child [head voice flip in upper register] I thought about the floorboards right beside the kitchen sink But a clever thief would pry 'em up before a man could blink [syllabic separation] I looked inside the freezer, in an old ice cream container [nasal resonance placement] But a burglar checking there for gold would be a real no-brainer [bright vowel modification] The mattress? Too cliché. Inside the clock? Too plain. Every corner of my house was driving me insane [breathy end-of-phrase release]. [Chorus] [Full ensemble including strings and synthesizer provides a bright country backdrop as the vocalist hits the high notes with chest-to-head voice transitions] It was a high-denomination, crisp one-thousand-dollar bill [bright vowel modification] With the face looking solemn, grey, and still [energetic pitch scooping] Valid legal tender from a bygone, forgotten day [syllabic separation] A fortune in my pocket, but it scared me half to death [tight vibrato] Wondering where a working man could hide a prize like that [nasal resonance placement]. [Verse 3] [Staccato piano chords support the vocals as the story tension builds with sharp rhythmic delivery and precise diction] Then I saw it on the nightstand, sitting in the quiet dark [sharp attack on consonant-heavy lyrics] The answer to my prayers, a perfect place to leave my mark [energetic pitch scooping] I picked up that thousand dollars, and I smiled with relief [tight vibrato on sustained pitch] 'Cause I found a spot that's perfectly protected from a thief [syllabic separation]. [Verse 4] [The tempo feels light and playful as the instrumentation builds up a rhythmic swing for the final realization] I walked across the floor with a [pitch scoop] confidence in my stride Knowing that the hidden spot was surely locked inside The dusty pages waiting there for someone just like me To tuck away a fortune in the place where it should be [breathy end-of-phrase release]. [Outro] [Slow and acoustic with a delicate piano melody, the vocalist utilizes chest-to-head voice transitions and breathy end-of-phrase releases with lingering vibrato] Yeah, I slid old paper money right into Page seventy-three [breathy] Of my granddaddy’s old leather Bible, as safe as it could be [nasal resonance placement] 'Cause a thief might ransack everything, from the kitchen to the bed [staccato phrasing] But a burglar in a poor man's house [sharp attack on consonant-heavy lyrics] Will never open up the Book that he ain't never read [ascending glissando flourish] Yeah, it's a mighty fine bookmark [tight vibrato] And it rests in perfect peace [breathy end-of-phrase release, fading out]. [hard stop]
