Guarded Barstools

[Verse 1 - Male]
Neon on the bottles
But my glass still feels half cold
Thumb runnin’ that old label
Like I’m tryin’ to smooth out what she wrote
Bartender knows my story
Keeps my secrets, keeps ‘em poured
Got my hat pulled low, heart on hold
Boots nailed to this floor
[Verse 2 - Female]
I walk in, boots click, room slows
But you stare straight through your drink
See that armor in your shoulders
See a man too scared to blink
I slide up one barstool
Say, “That seat taken, cowboy?”
You shrug like you got nothin’ left
But I can hear the quiet noise
[Chorus - Both]
You’re guarded, but I get it
You’re breakin’, but you won’t admit it
Got a past that you still carry
Like a hundred pounds of stone
But I ain’t here to fix you
Just sippin’ while I sit here with you
If you’re stranded in this heartache alone at this bar
I can be a soft place for your hard scars
[Verse 3 - Male Rap]
Yeah
Said you saw it in my posture, pain in my posture (uh)
Ring mark pale on my finger, ghost of a promise
Two-step tracks on the floor where we used to dance
Now it’s one man, one stool, one last chance
To feel nothin’
Till you laughed low, little southern thunder
You said, “Hurt like that can tear you under”
I smirked, “Guess I’m livin’ proof”
You said, “Or it frees you, if you tell the truth”
[Pre-Chorus - Female]
So I asked about her name
You just traced your whiskey glass
But your eyes said, “Stay right there”
So I did, we let the minutes pass
[Chorus - Both]
You’re guarded, but I get it
You’re breakin’, but you won’t admit it
Got a past that you still carry
Like a hundred pounds of stone
But I ain’t here to fix you
Just sippin’ while I sit here with you
If you’re stranded in this heartache alone at this bar
I can be a soft place for your hard scars
[Bridge - Duet]
[low male vocal register]
I said, “I don’t need another angel leavin’”
[female vocals softer]
She said, “Boy, calm down, I ain’t even
Ask you for forever, just your honest 3 a.m.
You can keep your walls up
I’ll just lean on them”
[male rap, half-sung]
Told you I’m a little too broke for love
You said, “Broke things still can hold enough
Room for a sunrise, room for a start”
You tapped my chest light
Said, “I can hear your heart”
[Chorus - Both]
[Chorus]
[Outro - Both]
Male:
Neon’s goin’ dim now
But I ain’t leavin’ like I came
You took the edge off all that sorrow
Just by sayin’ my first name
Female:
Maybe this is just one night
Or maybe it’s a brand-new road
But I’ll remember how your hurt eyes
Finally let a little hope show
Both:
Two strangers on barstools
Trading stories over old scars
You were guarded, I was patient
Now your heart’s leanin’ up against my heart

rap, Modern country-rap duet with male and female vocals trading verses over twangy acoustic, dusty dobro, and a warm, swung groove. Verses ride a half-time beat with sparse kick and snare, then choruses bloom with big harmonies, organ pads, and singalong claps. Rap sections stay melodic and conversational, tucked into the pocket; hook lands wide and anthemic with call-and-response ad-libs., country, sad, beautiful