THE FERRYMAN TOOK TO DRINKING

Dark Outlaw Country, Gothic Americana, Southern Hard Rock

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BLACKBROOK FORGE

(Intro — Black water, slow oar strokes, distant chains | Low weathered outlaw vocal | Sparse dirty piano, bowed bass, dark acoustic guitar)

Down where daylight never follows,
Past the last breath of the damned,
Charon worked the River Styx
With an oar in either hand.

Never questioned, never faltered,
Never stopped to curse his fate—
Till a skeleton named Silas Graves
Showed up a little late.

(Verse 1 — Outlaw-country groove enters | Brushed drums, dirty acoustic, low bass)

Charon looked him up and down,
Said, “Graves, I need a hand.
Get these souls across the river,
Just make sure they understand.”

Silas tipped his hat and grinned,
Took a swallow, said, “All right.”
Charon should've known right then
He'd made a poor choice for the night.

(Pre-Chorus — Slide guitar creeps in)

First soul came without his coin,
Silas sent him back again.
Charon said, “The bastard's dead!”
Silas said—

“Then he's got time, my friend.”

(Chorus — Full Southern hard rock eruption | Heavy drums, slide guitar, gang backing vocals)

(Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath)

That's how the ferryman took to drinking,
On the black banks of the Styx.
Ten thousand years among the dead,
And Graves broke him before six.

(Verse 2 — Rowdier outlaw blues | Honky-tonk piano joins)

Two souls fought about the seating,
One complained the boat was cold.
Silas started taking wagers,
Charon felt himself grow old.

Someone asked, “How long's the crossing?”
Silas said, “Depends who rows.”
Charon slowly turned around—

“Graves... nobody fucking knows.”

Silas shrugged and passed the bottle.
“Sounds like you could use a drink.”

Charon stared across eternity...

Then stared down at the drink.

(Pre-Chorus — Instruments briefly drop)

One more soul came down the shoreline.
Charon didn't say a thing.

He took the bottle from old Silas—

And drank like Hell had learned to sing.

(Chorus — Bigger, rougher)

(Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath)

That's how the ferryman took to drinking,
On the black banks of the Styx.
Ten thousand years among the dead,
And Graves broke him before six.

(Verse 3 — Driving outlaw-country rhythm | Dirty fiddle and slide guitar trading phrases)

By midnight Charon quit complaining,
By one he'd found another glass.
By two he wasn't counting passengers,
Just waving every bastard past.

Silas leaned against the railing,
Like he'd worked there all his life.
Charon took another swallow,
Said, “Graves, you ain't doing this right.”

Silas watched the black water rolling,
Then looked back with that same old grin.

“Ain't lost the boat yet, Charon.”

Charon drank again.

(Chorus — Full Southern hard rock eruption | Heavy drums, slide guitar, gang backing vocals)

(Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath)

That's how the ferryman took to drinking,
On the black banks of the Styx.
Ten thousand years among the dead,
And Graves broke him before six.

(Bridge — Dark half-time stomp | Charon spoken in a deep exhausted voice)

“Graves.”

(Silas, calm)

“Charon.”

“You're never helping me again.”

“Fair enough.”

“Give me the bottle.”

(Beat)

“Now who's asking for help?”

(Explosive instrumental — Dirty fiddle, slide guitar, pounding piano, heavy drums)

(Final Chorus — Full band at maximum weight | Heavy Southern guitars, pounding drums, dirty fiddle, slide guitar | No sung lead chorus)

(Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, slow, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath)

That's how the ferryman took to drinking,
On the black banks of the Styx.
Ten thousand years among the dead,
And Graves broke him before six.

(Outro — Music falls back to oar strokes and dirty piano | Black water moving beneath the boat)

(Charon, exhausted)

“One crossing, Graves.
That's all I asked.”

(Silas, completely unbothered)

“And we got most of 'em across.”

(Charon)

“Most?”

(Two glasses clink)

(Silas takes a drink)

“Probably.”

(Oar strikes the water once | Piano fades into silence)

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THE FERRYMAN TOOK TO DRINKING BLACKBROOK FORGE (Intro — Black water, slow oar strokes, distant chains | Low weathered outlaw vocal | Sparse dirty piano, bowed bass, dark acoustic guitar) Down where daylight never follows, Past the last breath of the damned, Charon worked the River Styx With an oar in either hand. Never questioned, never faltered, Never stopped to curse his fate— Till a skeleton named Silas Graves Showed up a little late. (Verse 1 — Outlaw-country groove enters | Brushed drums, dirty acoustic, low bass) Charon looked him up and down, Said, “Graves, I need a hand. Get these souls across the river, Just make sure they understand.” Silas tipped his hat and grinned, Took a swallow, said, “All right.” Charon should've known right then He'd made a poor choice for the night. (Pre-Chorus — Slide guitar creeps in) First soul came without his coin, Silas sent him back again. Charon said, “The bastard's dead!” Silas said— “Then he's got time, my friend.” (Chorus — Full Southern hard rock eruption | Heavy drums, slide guitar, gang backing vocals) (Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath) That's how the ferryman took to drinking, On the black banks of the Styx. Ten thousand years among the dead, And Graves broke him before six. (Verse 2 — Rowdier outlaw blues | Honky-tonk piano joins) Two souls fought about the seating, One complained the boat was cold. Silas started taking wagers, Charon felt himself grow old. Someone asked, “How long's the crossing?” Silas said, “Depends who rows.” Charon slowly turned around— “Graves... nobody fucking knows.” Silas shrugged and passed the bottle. “Sounds like you could use a drink.” Charon stared across eternity... Then stared down at the drink. (Pre-Chorus — Instruments briefly drop) One more soul came down the shoreline. Charon didn't say a thing. He took the bottle from old Silas— And drank like Hell had learned to sing. (Chorus — Bigger, rougher) (Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath) That's how the ferryman took to drinking, On the black banks of the Styx. Ten thousand years among the dead, And Graves broke him before six. (Verse 3 — Driving outlaw-country rhythm | Dirty fiddle and slide guitar trading phrases) By midnight Charon quit complaining, By one he'd found another glass. By two he wasn't counting passengers, Just waving every bastard past. Silas leaned against the railing, Like he'd worked there all his life. Charon took another swallow, Said, “Graves, you ain't doing this right.” Silas watched the black water rolling, Then looked back with that same old grin. “Ain't lost the boat yet, Charon.” Charon drank again. (Chorus — Full Southern hard rock eruption | Heavy drums, slide guitar, gang backing vocals) (Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath) That's how the ferryman took to drinking, On the black banks of the Styx. Ten thousand years among the dead, And Graves broke him before six. (Bridge — Dark half-time stomp | Charon spoken in a deep exhausted voice) “Graves.” (Silas, calm) “Charon.” “You're never helping me again.” “Fair enough.” “Give me the bottle.” (Beat) “Now who's asking for help?” (Explosive instrumental — Dirty fiddle, slide guitar, pounding piano, heavy drums) (Final Chorus — Full band at maximum weight | Heavy Southern guitars, pounding drums, dirty fiddle, slide guitar | No sung lead chorus) (Weathered gravelly male voice — spoken storytelling, slow, calm and deliberate, NOT sung or belted | Full instrumentals continue separately underneath) That's how the ferryman took to drinking, On the black banks of the Styx. Ten thousand years among the dead, And Graves broke him before six. (Outro — Music falls back to oar strokes and dirty piano | Black water moving beneath the boat) (Charon, exhausted) “One crossing, Graves. That's all I asked.” (Silas, completely unbothered) “And we got most of 'em across.” (Charon) “Most?” (Two glasses clink) (Silas takes a drink) “Probably.” (Oar strikes the water once | Piano fades into silence)

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