[Intro: Slow, melancholic blues guitar and warm Fender Rhodes groove] [Vocal: Low, gravelly Australian baritone, deeply expressive soul vibrato] [Verse 1: Dark Soul / Blues Groove] [Slow drum pulse, warm bass, smoky vintage atmosphere] Eight years old watching dust down the Bellarine track You traded two boys for a bus and never looked back Said the black dog had ya, said the road was your cure Just easy excuses to keep your conscience pure Left us in the shadow of a cruel tongue Paying for the damage while we were young [Pre-Chorus: Heavy Sludge Metal build-up] [Bass overdrives into massive fuzz, drums hit hard, clean vocals pushing to raw grit] Two thousand kays north to sit at your plate Gagging on the dinner, drowning in the weight You sang to the room like an idol in gold While we paid the price for the lies you told [Chorus: Crushing Sludge Metal & Soul Explosion] [Massive down-tuned 8-string riff, heavy half-time drums, soaring soulful belting doubled with harsh guttural screams] YOU BUILT A LIFE ON THE CRACKS YOU LEFT! Preacher on a stage, calling it a gift! Where was the father when the house went black?! Now you want the glory, but you can’t give back! Calling me a leech from your northern sun— YOU SURVIVED NOTHING THAT YOU BEGUN! [Verse 2: Sudden drop to quiet blues groove] [Vintage electric piano, soft rim-shots, intimate soul vocal] Ten years gone, thought my skin had turned to stone Drove past the netted hills, walked into your home Looking down your nose at the scars I wear Asking why I don't match the silver in your hair Got your brand-new kids and your easy applause Preaching on duty while you broke all your laws [Pre-Chorus: Heavy Sludge build-up] [Vocal: Distorted telephone filter, lo-fi radio vocal] Tell me I'm broken, tell me I'm late Tell me to carry your hollow weight [Filter cuts off completely: Full chest voice with raw, tearing grit] You didn't lay the road I’m standing upon So who the hell are you to judge what I’ve done? [Chorus: Crushing Sludge Metal & Soul Explosion] [Wall of heavy fuzz guitars, crashing cymbals, passionate soul belting and harsh screams] YOU BUILT A LIFE ON THE CRACKS YOU LEFT! Preacher on a stage, calling it a gift! Where was the father when the house went black?! Now you want the glory, but you can’t give back! Calling me a leech from your northern sun— YOU SURVIVED NOTHING THAT YOU BEGUN! [Bridge: Massive Doom / Sludge Breakdown] [Ultra-heavy down-tuned chugs, cavernous half-time drums] [Vocal: Distorted megaphone / stage PA filter vocal] You're not a father! You're just a bloke with a microphone! [Sudden space, filter cuts off instantly, lone clean Rhodes chord, spoken softly and close] You can be a grandfather... ...but to me, you're just cold. [Guitar Solo: Heavy Blues-Metal Duel] [Starts with a crying, expressive blues bend, erupts into heavy sustained fuzz and roaring feedback] [Final Chorus: Maximum Fury / Dual Vocal Climax] [Full crushing wall of sound, deep gutturals battling high soulful belts] THE DOOR IS SHUT! THE TETHER BROKE! Keep your hollow stage, keep your smoke! I am not the debt that you never paid! Burn down the altar that you made! JUST A STRANGER WITH MY NAME! [Outro: Slow Blues Fade Out] [Heavy distortion cuts out completely, leaving slow Rhodes chords and weeping slide guitar] [Whispered] Nothing left for you here. Just ice. [Fade to silence] [End]
