Rider Before The Storm

[Verse 1]
Sun hanging low
Painted red on the sand
Leather creaks slow
Reins loose in his hand
Dust in his teeth
Days since he slept right
Heat on his back
Something wrong with the light
[Chorus]
He keeps riding
Riding into the dark
Feels the sky pull tight like a scar
Wind starting up
Like it knows his name
Rider before the storm
Caught between the thirst and the rain
[Verse 2]
Horizon goes gray
Like smoke from a gun
Far thunder rolls
But there’s nowhere to run
Hat brim pulled down
Eyes narrowed and dry
The first cold drop
Cuts a line through the grime
[Chorus]
He keeps riding
Riding into the dark
Feels the sky pull tight like a scar
Wind starting up
Like it knows his name
Rider before the storm
Caught between the thirst and the rain
[Bridge]
What waits ahead?
Town
Trouble
Or truth?
He only knows
He’s got miles left to prove
Lightning throws
His shadow ten feet tall
For a heartbeat
He looks like he could crawl out of it all (oh)
[Chorus]
He keeps riding
Riding into the dark
Feels the sky pull tight like a scar
Wind shouting now
Like it owns his name
Rider before the storm
Caught between the thirst and the rain
[Outro]
One road
One man
Whole sky coming down
He leans in the saddle
And lets the storm crown him now

Dusty Americana ballad with male vocals, twangy telecaster and brushed snare. Verse 1 sparse with dry vocal and subtle tremolo guitar; chorus lifts with wide reverb, gentle organ pad, and stacked harmonies on the hook. Bridge adds a rolling tom pattern and grittier guitar swells, then drop back to voice and single guitar for the final chorus, lingering on the last chord.