BURN THE GRAIN

(Intro) (A slow, heavy boot-stomp on wooden floorboards. *CLANK* of heavy iron chains on every second beat. A dark, low acoustic riff creeps in, accompanied by a mournful, weeping slide guitar.) (Verse 1) Dust on the dashboard, black on the sun Spent my whole life on the barrel of a gun Radio screechin' like a dead man's croak Watchin' my empire dissolve into smoke Broke my back for a pocket full of lead Built a wooden throne just to sit among the dead Had the finest horses, the house on the hill Now I’m diggin’ my own grave just to pay the bill (Pre-Chorus) (Upright bass starts throbbing low; string bends sound unnerving and tense) Every dying sunset cuts through the dark Leaves a cold, black shadow where there used to be a spark… (Chorus) (Full band strikes hard—pounding stomps, deep acoustic chords slamming, raw vocal strain) AND THE WIND DON'T CARE FOR YOUR TIMBER AND STEEL! IT’S GONNA BREAK EVERY DREAM THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS REAL! We’re all just embers in a cold, dark room Glowin' for a second before we face our doom All that you gathered, all that you bled Won't mean a damn thing when you're buried and dead So hold to the dark, 'cause the darkness remains When the fire goes out and it burns up the grain (Verse 2) (Stomps and chains keep the steady, funeral-march beat) Old man told me in a sawdust shed "Boy, you build your heaven in the bed you tread." "You can't bank on mercy when the hammer falls down," "And you can't buy your soul back from this ghost town." He was right—ain't a bible or a coin you can keep When you're staring down the valley where the shadows sleep No Sunday supper's gonna save this soul Just the cold black dirt waitin' in the hole (Pre-Chorus) (Plucked banjos and swelling cello create a chilling, claustrophobic atmosphere) Now the Devil’s at the doorway, pullin' at the latch And I’m standing in the dry brush with a lit match… (Chorus) AND THE WIND DON'T CARE FOR YOUR TIMBER AND STEEL! IT’S GONNA BREAK EVERY DREAM THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS REAL! We’re all just embers in a cold, dark room Glowin' for a second before we face our doom All that you gathered, all that you bled Won't mean a damn thing when you're buried and dead So hold to the dark, 'cause the darkness remains When the fire goes out and it burns up the grain (Breakdown / Bridge) (Music drops out almost completely. Just a solitary banjo plucking a dissonant melody over a slow, agonizing chain rattle) (Hollow, gravelly whisper close to the mic) They'll forget my name… They'll forget my face… The earth will swallow every single trace. (A sudden, thundering slam of acoustic guitar, bass, and group gang-shouts) BUT THE REAPER DON'T COMPROMISE! THE REAPER DON'T WEAR A DISGUISE! YOU CAN'T OUTRUN THE DUST WHEN IT FILLS YOUR EYES! (Final Chorus) (Maximal Dark Country force—raw, unpolished, desperate vocal delivery, heavy stomps) 'CAUSE THE WIND DON'T CARE FOR YOUR TIMBER AND STEEL! IT’S GONNA BREAK EVERY DREAM THAT YOU THOUGHT WAS REAL! We’re all just embers in a cold, dark room Glowin' for a second before we face our doom All that you gathered, all that you bled Won't mean a damn thing when you're buried and dead So hold to the dark, 'cause the darkness remains When the fire goes out and it burns up the grain! (Outro) (Instruments decay into heavy, echoing acoustic resonance and bowing cello. The boot stomps slow down like a fading heartbeat) Ashes on the highway… carried to the sea… Ain't no mercy waitin' for a man like me. (Deep breath exhaled) Let the wind blow. (Single, heavy acoustic chord rings out and slowly dies. A final, metallic latch clicks closed) [END], [END], [END]...