BrooksLooks@ Back of Beyond

Slow Western Ballad – Key of G – 6/8 or slow 3/4 time  (Intro – soft fingerpicked G – Em – C – D – G) [Verse 1]
G Em
beaten up by life itself,
C G
it’s finally run me down
G Em
time to get a cowboy fix,
C D G
leave this one-horse town

G Em
the chaparral is calling me,
C G Em
to find myself, redirect—
C G
heading out to the back of beyond,
Am D G
in perfect silence, resurrect

[Chorus]
Em C
feel like I’m falling,
G D G
i drive on and on and on
C G
way out here,
Am D G
to the back of beyond.

[Verse 2]
G Em
through diamondbacks, coyote packs,
C G
ocotillo, prickly pear
G Em
here I’ll savor stillness,
C D G
every sunrise, heaven’s glare

G Em
under the cottonwoods,
C G Em
i reset, regroup, reprise,
C G
taking first deep breaths
Am D G
of rare fresh air beneath open skies

[Verse 3]
G Em
i fire up the Farmall,
C G
leave my troubles far behind
G Em
out on the purple sage,
C D G
an Arizona state of mind

G Em
tell ’em anything you want to,
C G Em
tell ’em I absconded—
C G
to the great wide open,
Am D G
i drove on and on and on

to the back of beyond

[Chorus – variation]
Em C
i’ll fire up the Farmall,
G D G
leave my troubles far behind
C G
i’ll savor perfect stillness,
Am D G
in the morning sun I find
Em C
heaven can’t compare,
G D G
re
C G
i’m never leaving here
Am D G
till the end of my time

[Bridge – spoken or softly sung]
Em C

G D G
softened by the years—
Em C
in the quietness I hear them,
G D G
their sadness crystal clear

Em C
they fought for their freedom,
G D Em
knew a soul’s fiercest thirst,
C G
safe once in Cochise’ stronghold,
Am D G
where they walked the land first.

[Verse 4]
G Em
i love it way out here,
C G
borrowed land, still untamed.
G Em
i know its wild fragrance,
C D G
before the monsoon rain.

G Em
these days I spend out here,
C G Em
no longer dreams at all.
C G
sanity reappears,
Am D G
in the balance of the call.

[Outro / Refrain]
Em C
across the far horizon,
G D G
my heart rides in its sway.
C G
it’s the back country that holds me,
Am D G
in its wild western way

Em C
helps me carry on and on,
G D G
to return again and again,
C G
to the back of beyond—
Am D G
where silence is a friend

(Instrumental outro – G – Em – C – D – G … fade with soft steel or fiddle)

© 2025 Brooks Bradbury | BrooksLooks