Salt the Wound, Sugar the Bullets

[Intro (Bass + Guitar only)]

[Four bars of walking bass — slow, round tone. Guitar plays single, clean upstrokes on the off-beat. No drums yet.]

[Aimee (spoken, soft):]
"Come here, sugar.
I got somethin' for ya."

[(Bass walks down. Drums enter with a rim-click and a brush on snare.)]

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[Verse 1]

[(Sung low, almost a whisper — think Amy Winehouse meets horror movie)]

First I take your hand
Tell you it'll be okay
Then I take your other hand
Just to hear what you might say

You got a pretty neck
Shame what I'm about to do
But don't you worry, darling
I'll make a wishbone out of you

[(Horns enter — soft, far away, like a distant funeral)]

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[Chorus]

[(Full band, but still restrained — horns breathe, drums barely move)]

Salt the wound
Sugar the bullet
One makes you flinch
The other makes you pull it

I'll kiss your forehead
While you disappear
Salt the wound, my darling
And whisper sweet nothin's in your ear

[(Dusty organ swell on "ear" — then drop back to verse)]

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[Verse 2]

[(Slightly louder, but still controlled)]

I kept your dog tags
They taste like regret
I sewed your smile onto my jacket
Haven't washed it yet

You asked if I believe in God
I said "sure, I got three"
They live inside my buzz axe
And they all agree on me

[(Horns play a single, low, wavering note — held for four bars)]

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[Chorus (Repeat)]

[Same arrangement. Aimee adds a tiny laugh at the end of "pull it."]

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[Bridge (Full stop — just voice and a single organ note)]

[(A capella, but with deep reverb)]

[Aimee:]
"They're gonna find your bones
Pickin' at 'em with a stick
And they're gonna say 'poor bastard'
Then they're gonna make a wish and lick."

[(Silence. Two seconds.)]

[Dusted Dollies (whispered, harmonized):]
"Salt. Sugar. Salt. Sugar."

[(Full band crashes back in — but slower, heavier)]

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[Horn Solo (8 bars)]

[Trombone only. Low, mournful, slightly off-key. Sounds like it's crying.
Guitar plays one chord every two bars.
Aimee hums along, a minor third above.]

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[Chorus (Once — stripped down)]

[No organ. No Dollies. Just bass, drums, and Aimee's voice cracking on "disappear."]

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[Outro (Fade to dust)]

[(Aimee, spoken over a single repeating bass note)]

"You know what the best part is?"

[(Bass stops.)]

[Aimee (barely audible):]
"You'll thank me for it."

[(Horns play one final, soft chord — then decay for six seconds.)]

[(Distant sound of a match striking. Then nothing.)]

Rocksteady, Slow Ska, female