(Upright piano opens, soft tide‑wash fades in) Verse 1 It’s half‑past six when the sun dips low Down at the old bay pub where the breezes blow The servo bloke locks up his shop for the day Farmers roll in down the bitumen way There’s an old piano sittin’ back by the wall Where the salt‑air breeze drifts through the hall I pull up the stool and I run my hands down the keys And the whole room settles in like the tide on the seas Verse 2 There’s Tom the cane‑cutter, worn boots and hat Spent forty years where the tall cane grows fat He sits by the bar with a cold long‑neck glass Talks ‘bout the seasons, the wet and the dry that pass Then there’s young Lila, waitin’ tables quick Dreams of the coast and the songs she’ll pick And the old fisherman out from the bay Says “Son, play us something to chase the day away!” Pre‑Chorus Oh the piano hums where the salt winds roam Every note’s a tale of this Queensland home Some are for joy and some are for pain Some for the sun and some for the rain Chorus It’s the piano by the bay — playin’ ‘til the stars come out! Every soul in the room got a story to shout! Red‑dirt days and the ocean’s hum — That’s the song where our Queensland hearts come from! It’s the piano by the bay — playin’ ‘til the stars come out! Every soul in the room got a story to shout! Red‑dirt days and the ocean’s hum — That’s the song where our Queensland hearts come from! Verse 3 There’s the bloke who drove up from the inland plain Chased a good job, got caught in the rain Sits quiet in the corner, starin’ out at the sea Wonderin’ where all his old dreams might be But when the piano rings out loud and clear He lifts up his head and he leans in near ‘Cause we all got a place where our memories stay Down at the bay pub at the end of the day Pre‑Chorus Oh the piano hums where the salt winds roam Every note’s a tale of this Queensland home Some are for joy and some are for pain Some for the sun and some for the rain Chorus It’s the piano by the bay — playin’ ‘til the stars come out! Every soul in the room got a story to shout! Red‑dirt days and the ocean’s hum — That’s the song where our Queensland hearts come from! It’s the piano by the bay — playin’ ‘til the stars come out! Every soul in the room got a story to shout! Red‑dirt days and the ocean’s hum — That’s the song where our Queensland hearts come from! Bridge Some folks come in and some folks go Like the tide that’s ebbin’ and flowin’ so But the piano stays right there by the wall Waitin’ to catch every tale we call Final Chorus (softer then swells, faint crowd hum) It’s the piano by the bay — playin’ ‘til the stars come out! Every soul in the room got a story to shout! Red‑dirt days and the ocean’s hum — That’s the song where our Queensland hearts come from! (Fade: piano + soft tide sound)
