[Intro - Weeping pedal steel guitar slide over a steady 3/4 acoustic waltz strum and woodblock tick] [Verse 1 - Warm tenor vocal, acoustic guitar, dry upright bass pulse] The sun is a fire hanging low in the sky, The canyon is empty, the river is dry. My horse has gone lame and my canteen is bare, Just heat on the horizon and dust in the air. I’m walking the trail where the outlaws have gone, Chasing a ghost since the breaking of dawn. [Chorus - Lush, sweeping male harmony trio joins in full western waltz swing] And I’m dreaming of water, clear and cold! Worth more to a man than a mountain of gold. Oh, copper springs bubbling deep in the shade, Where the fever is broken, the thirst is allayed. Lead me on, western wind, give my soul sweet relief, Bring me home from this sun-baked grief. [Verse 2 - Pedal steel weaves a mournful line, brushed snare joins the waltz rhythm] The cactus stands tall like a sentinel ghost, Guarding the sand where I’ve suffered the most. My boots are cracked leather, my throat is like fire, A desert of dust is a cruel thing to tire. I thought I heard laughing down in the ravine, Just wind through the brush and a mirage unseen. [Chorus - Full majestic vocal harmony, soaring pedal steel melody] And I’m dreaming of water, clear and cold! Worth more to a man than a mountain of gold. Oh, copper springs bubbling deep in the shade, Where the fever is broken, the thirst is allayed. Lead me on, western wind, give my soul sweet relief, Bring me home from this sun-baked grief. [Bridge - Stripped back to a lonely acoustic guitar and walking bass line, spoken-sung delivery] (Tenor vocal, weary and close to the mic) Just one more ridge... Just one more bend... Let this wide desert come to an end. [Instrumental Break - Soaring pedal steel guitar solo trading sweeping melodic lines with the acoustic rhythm strum] [Chorus - Final powerful peak, full choir-like western vocal harmonies] And I’m dreaming of water, clear and cold! Worth more to a man than a mountain of gold. Oh, copper springs bubbling deep in the shade, Where the fever is broken, the thirst is allayed. [Outro - Slowing waltz tempo, fading pedal steel sigh, lone acoustic guitar strum ringing out into silence] (Tenor vocal fading on a high, sustained vibrato) Cool water... (Spoken softly): Almost home. (Acoustic chord rings out and fades to absolute stillness)
