[Style: Johnny Cash style | Country Ballad | Deep baritone vocals | Acoustic guitar rhythm | Upright bass | Minimal percussion (snare brushes, kick) | Harmonica accents | Slow tempo] (Verse 1) I built a fire out of sagebrush wood, Watched the sparks drift into the sky. The desert speaks in a lonesome tongue, And the wind rolls a ghostly sigh. [Instrumentation: steady acoustic strumming, upright bass plucking, soft brush snare] (Chorus) Moon over Nevada, shining cold and wide, Guiding a drifter with no place to hide. The night holds my secrets, the sand takes my pride, Moon over Nevada, you’re the only light. [Prompt: add harmonica fills between vocal lines] (Verse 2) My horse lies quiet, breathing slow, He’s the only friend I’ve ever known. The towns are far, the trails are long, And I walk this path on my own. [Instrumentation: subtle harmonica melody, keep percussion soft] (Chorus) Moon over Nevada, shining cold and wide, Guiding a drifter with no place to hide. The night holds my secrets, the sand takes my pride, Moon over Nevada, you’re the only light. (Bridge – spoken, Cash-style) I’ve buried love, I’ve buried hate, I’ve buried dreams beneath this gate of stars. And when my fire burns to ash, I’ll be riding on, wherever shadows are. [Prompt: spoken word delivery, deep voice, minimal guitar backing, slow bass pulse] (Chorus – final) Moon over Nevada, shining cold and wide, Take me through darkness, across the divide. The night holds my secrets, the sand takes my pride, Moon over Nevada… you’re the only light. [Outro: fade with harmonica and acoustic guitar strumming]
