I Don't Bend Down

Intro
(Thumping bass drum beat, low growling bassline, heavy acoustic strum, sharp harmonica fill)
​[Verse 1]
(Chugging rhythm, muted electric guitar accents)
Two hundred miles of broken gray line
Leaving the county and its rules behind
No turn signal when I hit the turnpike
Just a pocket full of silver and a heavy-tread bike
They can keep their paper and their rubber stamps
I belong out where the fog turns damp
​[Chorus]
(Full band kicks in, driving snare, gritty slide guitar)
I don't bend down to a banker's ink
I don't care much what the deputies think
Life’s too short for a tether and chain
I’d rather take the beatings of the open rain
Yeah, I take the beatings of the open rain
​[Verse 2]
(Driven bass line, sharp harmonica bends between lines)
Worked six months on a diesel rig crew
Saved up a stack, did what I had to do
Paid off my debts in a thick paper roll
Walked out the door with my sanity whole
They called it foolish, said I’d crash and burn
Got a whole lot of highway left to learn
​[Chorus]
(Full band, aggressive slide guitar response)
I don't bend down to a banker's ink
I don't care much what the deputies think
Life’s too short for a tether and chain
I’d rather take the beatings of the open rain
Yeah, I take the beatings of the open rain
​[Guitar & Harmonica Solo]
(8-bar fiery trade-off between gritty slide electric guitar and screaming bluesy harmonica)
​[Bridge]
(Tempo drops to heavy kick drum and bass, dark organ chord)
Let the law keep its fences high
I’ll take my chances under open sky
No master to answer, no ledger to clear
Nothing to hold and nothing to fear
​[Chorus]
(Maximum intensity, dual vocals on key lines, soaring slide guitar)
I don't bend down to a banker's ink
I don't care much what the deputies think
Life’s too short for a tether and chain
I’d rather take the beatings of the open rain
Yeah, I take the beatings of the open rain
​[Outro]
(Driving rhythm slowly builds then abruptly cuts to acoustic guitar and harmonica lead-out)
Beatings of the rain...
Tether and chain...
(Final sharp snare hit and muted electric guitar bend)