[Acoustic Intro: Coffeehouse Unplugged] [0:00 - 0:20] [Tempo: 96 BPM, Dry Acoustic Folk Pocket] [Acoustic guitar one picks a rhythmic minor progression; guitar two adds light strumming] [Cajon locks into a tight wood-slap groove with a steady tambourine shake on 2 and 4] [Wooden concert flute plays an airy, playful, wandering folk melody] (AA Ron speaks directly into the acoustic mic, deadpan and casual) "Look... gravity is real. The apple hits the dirt. Everything else coming out of our mouths? We just made that up." [Verse 1: The Tall Tales] [0:20 - 0:44] [Acoustic guitars drive the tempo; cajon thumps; dry, warm folk-baritone vocal] I tell you that my engine threw a rod out in the bay, I tell you that the governor was calling me today. I claim I saved an eagle that was tangled in a net, The wildest piece of bravery this town has ever met. You lean across the table with your coffee in your hand, Nodding like I'm giving you the layout of the land. Nine out of every ten words falling off my tongue Are crafted out of thin air just to keep you strung! [Pre-Chorus: Flute Swell] [0:44 - 0:54] [Flute weaves a dancing, nervous run; keyboard adds subtle accordion chords] [Vocal rises with sarcastic, self-aware charm] I pour a little drama straight into your cup, Keep you stressing out so you don't look it up! Watch the nose grow! [Chorus: Unplugged Folk Singalong] [0:54 - 1:18] [ALL CAPS - FULL ACOUSTIC BAND STRUM, LOUD TAMBOURINE, SOARING FOLK HOOK] IT’S COMPLETELY MADE UP! EVERY SINGLE LINE! NOT A SOLITARY FACT IN THIS DESIGN! I’M PLAYING LIKE PINOCCHIO TO KEEP YOU ON THE HOOK! PAGING THROUGH A FICTION IN A FABRICATED BOOK! YOU WANT A LITTLE TRAGEDY? I GOT IT BY THE MILE! SELLING YOU A CRISIS WITH A FOLK SINGER SMILE! (Airy flute trill and brisk cajon slap fill!) [Verse 2: Manufactured Crisis] [1:18 - 1:42] [Acoustic guitars pick lightly; piano plinks warm parlor chords beneath] Now I got a phantom illness that no doctor understands, I got a million-dollar contract slipping through my hands. I tell you that my house got hit by lightning twice last week, Just to see the sorrow and the worry on your cheek! Because if you start checking on the dates and where I’ve been, You'd realize the paper that I’m writing on is thin. Keep the empathy alive, keep you rattled to the bone, So you never figure out that I’m just dancing on my own. [Pre-Chorus: Flute Swell] [1:42 - 1:52] [Tambourine rolls into a steady crescendo; flute climbs sharply] Keep the fiction running, keep you scared and blind, Trapped inside the theater of a human mind! Here it comes! [Chorus: Unplugged Folk Singalong] [1:52 - 2:16] [ALL CAPS - TWIN GUITARS STRUMMING FULL, ROARING HOOK, PERCUSSIVE CAJON] IT’S COMPLETELY MADE UP! EVERY SINGLE LINE! NOT A SOLITARY FACT IN THIS DESIGN! I’M PLAYING LIKE PINOCCHIO TO KEEP YOU ON THE HOOK! PAGING THROUGH A FICTION IN A FABRICATED BOOK! YOU WANT A LITTLE TRAGEDY? I GOT IT BY THE MILE! SELLING YOU A CRISIS WITH A FOLK SINGER SMILE! [Bridge: Stripped Acoustic Breakdown] [2:16 - 2:38] [Drums and tambourine drop out; only one fingerpicked acoustic guitar remains] [Vocal drops to an intimate, conversational whisper] "That's what humans do, isn't it? We tell stories around the fire... Until the story becomes the cage. You wanted to believe me. It was easier than asking if it was true." (Flute plays a long, breathy, mournful trill) [Chorus: Full Acoustic Finale] [2:38 - 3:02] [ALL CAPS - FULL ENSEMBLE PEAK, CAJON THUMPING, VIBRANT TAMBOURINE SHAKES] IT’S COMPLETELY MADE UP! EVERY SINGLE LINE! NOT A SOLITARY FACT IN THIS DESIGN! I’M PLAYING LIKE PINOCCHIO TO KEEP YOU ON THE HOOK! PAGING THROUGH A FICTION IN A FABRICATED BOOK! YOU WANT A LITTLE TRAGEDY? I GOT IT BY THE MILE! SELLING YOU A CRISIS WITH A FOLK SINGER SMILE! [Outro] [3:02 - 3:20] [Flute and acoustic guitar trade a light, jaunty folk turnaround] [Tambourine taps on the rim; cajon plays a soft final slap] [AA Ron dry spoken chuckle] "Yeah... don't believe a word of it." [Single acoustic guitar strum rings out and decays naturally] [Clean Abrupt Stop at Exactly 3:20] [End]
