[TECH TASK: Tempo 90 BPM, country ballad, husky low male vocal, acoustic guitar, harmonica, fiddle fills. Storytelling style, steady rhythm. Instrumental breaks with guitar + harmonica between verses.] [Intro] Sammy found a Colt beneath the saloon floor, Dreamin’ of six guns and the outlaw’s lore. [Verse 1] Nine years old with a hat too wide, He aimed at a cactus, tall and wide. “Pray to your thorny gods, you bastard mean, I’ll shoot you down — you’ll pay for everything!” [Chorus] Son, he who draws the fastest and fires first, Is the one who walks away when gunfire bursts. God made folks both weak and stronger, Colt gave both a chance to last a little longer. [Instrumental Break – Guitar + Harmonica] [Interlude] A sudden voice cut through the desert heat, Sammy jumped — he fired in sudden fear. The bullet tore the cactus’ flank and skin, It groaned and spat a curse into the wind. “Who’s there?” he cried, heart pounding loud, “No one but you and me,” came back the sound. [Verse 2] Sammy stared at that wounded, talking spire, “Mr. Cactus, is it you that spoke, sir?” “If it is so, then tell me why,” the cactus sneered, “You didn’t say what makes you carry that gun, kid.” [Chorus] Son, he who draws the fastest and fires first, Is the one who walks away when gunfire bursts. Every bullet costs you dearly in the end, Every lesson marks the lives of men. [Instrumental Break – Guitar + Harmonica + Fiddle] [Verse 3] “Catch this silver dollar, boy,” the voice advised, “Set it on your hat — keep your aim improvised. Draw and fire before it hits the ground, That’s the little trick that keeps a gunslinger crowned.” [Bridge – Spoken] A cactus spoke, or fate in pain, Whispered crooked wisdom across the plain. Sammy swore, with eyes of fire, He’d be the fastest they’d admire — then ran home, feet afire. [Instrumental Break – Guitar Solo + Harmonica Echo] [Verse 4 – Finale] At the roots where the shadows bend and break, Lay a dying gunman, slow with every ache. Four hundred dollars heavy by his pack, And a ragged bullet had burned him in the back. [Chorus – Finale] Son, he who draws the fastest and fires first, Is the one who walks away when gunfire bursts. But the desert keeps her secrets in the sand, And every blessing comes with a curse at hand. [Outro] Sunset falls on leather boots and rust, Dust and blood and an old man’s trust. Sammy walks with coin tight in his hand, Dreamin’ of a quicker draw and how he’ll stand.
