Set Your Heart Upon the Water

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[Intro — instrumental]
Sparse fingerpicked acoustic guitar.
Distant room noise, low organ.
Slow and uneasy, like something approaching.

[Verse 1]
To the average person
Here’s all that I can say
Set your heart upon the water
And get ready to paddle away

Keep your eyes upon the distance
Keep your hands against the tide
There’s something moving toward us
From the other side

[Pre-Chorus]
And the old men tell their stories
Of the storms that they survived
But this water keeps on rising
Higher every night

[Chorus]
There’s a tsunami of a lifetime coming
Rolling underneath the sky
Nothing that our elders have seen
Can tell us how to survive

There ain’t no good advice to give you
No map that’s gonna get it right
Set your heart upon the water
And paddle for your life

[Verse 2]
We inherited their highways
Their houses and their names
All the rules they learned to live by
In a world that stayed the same

But the shoreline will keep on changing
Until all landmarks disappear
If Yesterday can tell you something
Pride brought you here

[Pre-Chorus]
So listen to your elders
But don’t ask them for a chart
When the compass starts spinning
You navigate by heart

[Chorus]
There’s a tsunami of a lifetime coming
Rolling underneath the sky
Nothing that our elders have seen
Can tell us how to survive

There ain’t no good advice to give you
No perfect place to hide
Set your heart upon the water
And paddle for your life

[Bridge — music drops almost completely]
Maybe every place is over
Maybe every road has changed
Maybe what we call tomorrow
Won’t remember yesterday

So when somebody asks me
“Which way am I supposed to go?”
I’ll tell them what I know—

[Final Chorus — full band]
There’s a tsunami of a lifetime coming
You can hear it in the night
Nothing that our elders have seen
Could ever make us ready for this ride

There ain’t no good advice to give you
Except hold on to what is right
Set your heart upon the water
And paddle for your life

[Outro — stripped back]
Set your heart upon the water…
Paddle for your life.

2033/7500

[Intro — instrumental] Sparse fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Distant room noise, low organ. Slow and uneasy, like something approaching. [Verse 1] To the average person Here’s all that I can say Set your heart upon the water And get ready to paddle away Keep your eyes upon the distance Keep your hands against the tide There’s something moving toward us From the other side [Pre-Chorus] And the old men tell their stories Of the storms that they survived But this water keeps on rising Higher every night [Chorus] There’s a tsunami of a lifetime coming Rolling underneath the sky Nothing that our elders have seen Can tell us how to survive There ain’t no good advice to give you No map that’s gonna get it right Set your heart upon the water And paddle for your life [Verse 2] We inherited their highways Their houses and their names All the rules they learned to live by In a world that stayed the same But the shoreline will keep on changing Until all landmarks disappear If Yesterday can tell you something Pride brought you here [Pre-Chorus] So listen to your elders But don’t ask them for a chart When the compass starts spinning You navigate by heart [Chorus] There’s a tsunami of a lifetime coming Rolling underneath the sky Nothing that our elders have seen Can tell us how to survive There ain’t no good advice to give you No perfect place to hide Set your heart upon the water And paddle for your life [Bridge — music drops almost completely] Maybe every place is over Maybe every road has changed Maybe what we call tomorrow Won’t remember yesterday So when somebody asks me “Which way am I supposed to go?” I’ll tell them what I know— [Final Chorus — full band] There’s a tsunami of a lifetime coming You can hear it in the night Nothing that our elders have seen Could ever make us ready for this ride There ain’t no good advice to give you Except hold on to what is right Set your heart upon the water And paddle for your life [Outro — stripped back] Set your heart upon the water… Paddle for your life.

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