Chapter 1: There and Back

Southwestern Western, narrative ballad, Anglo-frontier country

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[INTRO — 4 BARS]
[BOUNCING FRONTIER GUITAR — HARMONICA ANSWER]

[VERSE 1]
Professor Gideon Grey came rolling
Into Greenvale late one day,
With a wagon painted crimson
And more claims than he could say.
He cured the gout and melancholia,
Pulled a tooth for half a dime,
And sold a tonic strong enough
To take the varnish off of pine.

[VERSE 2]
He dealt in charms and cheap illusions,
Read your fortune, guessed your card,
Made a silver dollar vanish—
Getting it back was twice as hard.
He'd cure a cough or lance a blister,
Set a finger, stitch a cut;
And before he pulled a molar
Passed a bottle of his gut.

[SHORT INSTRUMENTAL — JAUNTY FIDDLE + GUITAR]

[VERSE 3]
Now Greenvale knew that Grey was crooked,
But they gathered just the same,
For some tricks were made of mirrors—
And some earned the fellow fame.
He stood a playing card edge-on,
Then paced ten strides across the ground;
His old cap-and-ball Colt flashed—
Two halves came fluttering down.

[INSTRUMENTAL STOP — REVOLVER CRACK]
[2 BEATS SILENCE]
[CROWD REACTION — INSTRUMENTS RETURN]

[CHORUS]
Professor Grey sold marvels,
Professor Grey sold lies,
He'd bottle up salvation
Right before a fellow's eyes.
But some things Grey could truly do,
Though truth paid rather poor—
And lies had kept him eating
Since the year of sixty-four.

[VERSE 4]
Then Torren de Robledo
Stepped alone out of the crowd,
A Serrano dressed in black and silver,
Neither boastful, drunk, nor loud.
He watched the card halves on the dirt,
Then studied Gideon Grey;
The Professor tipped his hat to Torren—
And wished he'd gone away.

[DROP FIDDLE — CORRIDO GUITAR ENTERS]
[ACCORDION LOW IN MIX]

[VERSE 5 — DIALOGUE CLEARLY ATTRIBUTED]
Torren told him, "Grey the Thunder,
At long last the trail is found.
The sons of Sierra del Oro
Mean to take their mountain ground."
Gideon smiled and answered Torren,
"Then may fortune guide you well."
Torren said, "That's why I've found you.
You're the man who called down hell."

[1 BAR INSTRUMENTAL HOLD]

[VERSE 6]
Grey remembered one small firework
And a storm ten years before,
When lightning struck behind his wagon
And the crowd demanded more.
He had raised his hands toward heaven,
Claimed he'd summoned up the flame—
And somewhere through the years the story
Had grown taller than his name.

[CHORUS — CORRIDO INFLUENCE STRONGER]
Professor Grey sold marvels,
Professor Grey sold lies,
He'd bottle up salvation
Right before a fellow's eyes.
But every tale he'd planted
Had been watered through the years—
And now one stood before him
Wearing pistols at his ears.

[VERSE 7 — DIALOGUE]
Gideon asked him, "What's the trouble?"
Torren said, "Old Cinder's breath.
Lead won't mark the bastard's armor.
We require something else for death."
Gideon rubbed his chin and answered,
"That requires a special art."
Torren laid a purse before him—
Grey could hear the gold inside.

[BRIEF STOP]

[VERSE 8]
Now Gideon Grey had learned two lessons
In the years he'd worked the West:
Never turn away good money,
And know when lies have met their test.
He took the purse and shook on payment,
Then watched Torren cross the square;
For the first time in his profession,
Grey regretted being there.

[BRIDGE — MUSIC FALLS BACK]
He had powders, cards and mirrors,
He had whiskey fit to burn,
He could split a card at ten good paces—
But a dragon was a turn.
If Grey meant to keep his money,
And his hide attached as well,
He would need somebody clever
Who could sneak where dragons dwell.

[FINAL VERSE — GREENVALE THEME RETURNS]
There was one small farm in Greenvale
Where the hedgerows climbed the hill,
And a quiet Hearthfolk farmer
Liked his suppers hot and still.
Gideon looked toward that chimney,
Then he smiled and touched his hat—

[INSTRUMENTAL STOP]

For he knew just where to find
The finest sneak who wasn't that.

[FINAL CHORD — BAND HIT — CLEAN STOP]
[NO VOCAL OUTRO — NO WHISPER — NO FADE]

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[CHAPTER 1 — WESTERN STORY BALLAD — 104 BPM — A MINOR] [LOW MALE BARITONE NARRATOR — DRY, WRY, CLEAR DICTION] [ACOUSTIC GUITAR — WALKING BASS — BRUSHED SNARE] [LIGHT SPANISH GUITAR FILLS] [NO WHISPERED VOCALS — ALL LINES FULL VOICE] [INTRO — 4 BARS] [BOUNCING FRONTIER GUITAR — HARMONICA ANSWER] [VERSE 1] Professor Gideon Grey came rolling Into Greenvale late one day, With a wagon painted crimson And more claims than he could say. He cured the gout and melancholia, Pulled a tooth for half a dime, And sold a tonic strong enough To take the varnish off of pine. [VERSE 2] He dealt in charms and cheap illusions, Read your fortune, guessed your card, Made a silver dollar vanish— Getting it back was twice as hard. He'd cure a cough or lance a blister, Set a finger, stitch a cut; And before he pulled a molar Passed a bottle of his gut. [SHORT INSTRUMENTAL — JAUNTY FIDDLE + GUITAR] [VERSE 3] Now Greenvale knew that Grey was crooked, But they gathered just the same, For some tricks were made of mirrors— And some earned the fellow fame. He stood a playing card edge-on, Then paced ten strides across the ground; His old cap-and-ball Colt flashed— Two halves came fluttering down. [INSTRUMENTAL STOP — REVOLVER CRACK] [2 BEATS SILENCE] [CROWD REACTION — INSTRUMENTS RETURN] [CHORUS] Professor Grey sold marvels, Professor Grey sold lies, He'd bottle up salvation Right before a fellow's eyes. But some things Grey could truly do, Though truth paid rather poor— And lies had kept him eating Since the year of sixty-four. [VERSE 4] Then Torren de Robledo Stepped alone out of the crowd, A Serrano dressed in black and silver, Neither boastful, drunk, nor loud. He watched the card halves on the dirt, Then studied Gideon Grey; The Professor tipped his hat to Torren— And wished he'd gone away. [DROP FIDDLE — CORRIDO GUITAR ENTERS] [ACCORDION LOW IN MIX] [VERSE 5 — DIALOGUE CLEARLY ATTRIBUTED] Torren told him, "Grey the Thunder, At long last the trail is found. The sons of Sierra del Oro Mean to take their mountain ground." Gideon smiled and answered Torren, "Then may fortune guide you well." Torren said, "That's why I've found you. You're the man who called down hell." [1 BAR INSTRUMENTAL HOLD] [VERSE 6] Grey remembered one small firework And a storm ten years before, When lightning struck behind his wagon And the crowd demanded more. He had raised his hands toward heaven, Claimed he'd summoned up the flame— And somewhere through the years the story Had grown taller than his name. [CHORUS — CORRIDO INFLUENCE STRONGER] Professor Grey sold marvels, Professor Grey sold lies, He'd bottle up salvation Right before a fellow's eyes. But every tale he'd planted Had been watered through the years— And now one stood before him Wearing pistols at his ears. [VERSE 7 — DIALOGUE] Gideon asked him, "What's the trouble?" Torren said, "Old Cinder's breath. Lead won't mark the bastard's armor. We require something else for death." Gideon rubbed his chin and answered, "That requires a special art." Torren laid a purse before him— Grey could hear the gold inside. [BRIEF STOP] [VERSE 8] Now Gideon Grey had learned two lessons In the years he'd worked the West: Never turn away good money, And know when lies have met their test. He took the purse and shook on payment, Then watched Torren cross the square; For the first time in his profession, Grey regretted being there. [BRIDGE — MUSIC FALLS BACK] He had powders, cards and mirrors, He had whiskey fit to burn, He could split a card at ten good paces— But a dragon was a turn. If Grey meant to keep his money, And his hide attached as well, He would need somebody clever Who could sneak where dragons dwell. [FINAL VERSE — GREENVALE THEME RETURNS] There was one small farm in Greenvale Where the hedgerows climbed the hill, And a quiet Hearthfolk farmer Liked his suppers hot and still. Gideon looked toward that chimney, Then he smiled and touched his hat— [INSTRUMENTAL STOP] For he knew just where to find The finest sneak who wasn't that. [FINAL CHORD — BAND HIT — CLEAN STOP] [NO VOCAL OUTRO — NO WHISPER — NO FADE]

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