Runnin' Out of Road

Title: Runnin' Out of Road
Style: 1979 Heartland rock, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers style, jangle-rock, jangly Rickenbacker 12-string chime, Mike Campbell melodic guitar hooks, dry punchy drums, laid-back southern drawl lead vocal, high sweet harmonies, Hammond B3 organ swells, 122 BPM straight 4/4
Tempo: 122 BPM
Key: E Major (classic open chord progression: E, A, B, C#m)
Vocal Register: Mid-range Tenor (conversational, nasal Floridian drawl, easy melodic delivery peaking at F#4 to G#4 on the chorus hooks)

[Instrumental Intro: Ringing Rickenbacker 12-string open-chord riff, warm Hammond organ underneath, Stan Lynch steady snare-and-kick pocket, melodic guitar hook answers each phrase]
Chords: | E | A | C#m | B | (x2)

[Verse 1 - Lead Vocal: Conversational, cool, slightly drawling]
Chords: | E | A | C#m | B | (x2)
Sun’s going down behind the billboard sign
Spitting out sparks on the county line
She packed her bag in the backseat floor
Didn't say a word when she shut that door
Left a little note on the kitchen sink
Said you got a lot more time to think

[Pre-Chorus: Rhythmic strumming tightens, bass drives on eighth notes]
Chords: | F#m | A | F#m | B |
Radio’s playing that same old song
Telling you where it all went wrong
And the breeze gets cool through the open glass...

[Chorus - Lead Vocal: Melodic lift, bright high harmony on top]
Chords: | E | A | C#m | B | (x2)
Now you're runnin' out of road, runnin' out of time
Lookin' for a reason just to cross that line
You can put the pedal down and try to let it go
Yeah, but baby, you're just runnin' out of road!
Runnin' out of road...

[Verse 2 - Lead Vocal: Casual swagger, Mike Campbell style guitar fills between lines]
Chords: | E | A | C#m | B | (x2)
Diner sign buzzes with a neon spark
Couple kids laughing in the gravel park
I poured my coffee, looked at my keys
Nothing out here but a southern breeze
You run so fast just to beat the rain
Till you find out you're racing the same old pain

[Pre-Chorus: Chords climb, organ swell]
Chords: | F#m | A | F#m | B |
Radio’s playing that same old song
Telling you where it all went wrong
And the night rolls in like a velvet sheet...

[Chorus - Lead Vocal & High Harmony]
Chords: | E | A | C#m | B | (x2)
Now you're runnin' out of road, runnin' out of time
Lookin' for a reason just to cross that line
You can put the pedal down and try to let it go
Yeah, but baby, you're just runnin' out of road!
Yeah, runnin' out of road...

[Guitar Solo: Mike Campbell style, melodic, clean tube-overdrive bite, sweet bends and repeating hook rather than shredding]
Chords: 
| A | E | B | C#m |
| A | E | B | B   |

[Bridge: Dynamic drop, acoustic guitar strum and pulsing bass]
Chords: | C#m | A | E | B | (x2)
There's an open stretch where the highway clears
Wiping away all the wasted years
Ain't no crime when you wanna be free
Long as you leave a little room for me
(Lead ad-lib drawl): Yeah, just a little room...
[Snare buildup]

[Chorus - Maximum Chime and Harmony]
Chords: | E | A | C#m | B | (x2)
Now you're runnin' out of road, runnin' out of time
Lookin' for a reason just to cross that line
You can put the pedal down and try to let it go
Yeah, but baby, you're just runnin' out of road!

[Outro: Rickenbacker 12-string hook weaves with lead guitar fills, repeating vocal mantra, fade out]
Chords (Repeat to Fade):
||: E | A | C#m | B :||
Yeah, you're runnin' out of road...
(Voice): Just a long stretch of blacktop, baby...
Keep on rollin'
Out of road...
(Fade out)