DISC 2 — THE OUTBACK WALL 1. Brick One — Southern Years (Full song + spoken opening — ~5:42) Instrumental prompt for intro: Soft hazy Floyd‑style opening; faint old‑radio static, sparse clean guitar, slow low bass hum; builds gently into full rhythm; no loud drums at first. [0:00‑0:52 — Intro + spoken opening over quiet guitar] Spoken opening: “Back when I was young, down south, things weren’t always easy. You don’t set out to build a barrier — you just start tucking things away, one small hurt at a time. Before you know it, there’s a wall going up around you, and you can’t quite remember when the first brick went down.” [0:52‑1:24 — Verse 1] First brick laid when the world felt cold and sharp First shadow fell where the dark got its start Didn’t know I was building something tall and wide Just tried to keep the hurt locked deep inside Days went by, the layers started to grow I kept my thoughts where no‑one else could go Some things hurt too much to speak out loud So I built the wall up, stone by cloud‑grey cloud [1:24‑1:44 — Pre‑Chorus] Every word unspoken, every glance turned away Every quiet moment I chose not to stay I told myself it’s shelter, told myself it’s safe But the shadow kept growing behind the gate [1:44‑2:20 — Chorus] Brick by brick, line by line Shutting out the noise, shutting in the mind Didn’t know how high it grew until I looked around Saw the wall rising all across the ground Brick by brick, stone by stone Shutting out the light, making dark its own [2:20‑2:52 — Verse 2] Tried to walk among the crowd but kept my guard held tight Kept my real self hidden from the day and from the night Some days I wondered what I was building it all for But the hurt kept coming, so I added one more Heard the world outside go rushing past my gate While I stood waiting inside my own straight state I kept my distance, kept my eyes down low Let the quiet grow where the cold winds blow [2:52‑3:12 — Pre‑Chorus] Every word unspoken, every glance turned away Every quiet moment I chose not to stay I told myself it’s shelter, told myself it’s safe But the shadow kept growing behind the gate [3:12‑3:48 — Chorus] Brick by brick, line by line Shutting out the noise, shutting in the mind Didn’t know how high it grew until I looked around Saw the wall rising all across the ground Brick by brick, stone by stone Shutting out the light, making dark its own [3:48‑4:32 — Bridge] I thought the wall would keep the storm outside Thought the high stone face would turn the tide But the storm don’t care for a wall of stone It just blows right through to the heart alone All the days I locked myself away All the chances that slipped into the grey I built a shield but I built a cage too Trapped inside where the shadows grew [4:32‑5:10 — Final Chorus (louder, heavier build)] Brick by brick, line by line Shutting out the noise, shutting in the mind Didn’t know how high it grew until I looked around Saw the wall rising all across the ground Brick by brick, stone by stone Shutting out the light, making dark its own [5:10‑5:42 — Outro; guitar fades, soft echo: “First brick… first stone…”]
