[Intro — Distant fiddle and hand drums] One shore calls, Another answers. [Verse 1] On the north shore played a fiddler where the pine trees touched the lake, On the south shore played a drummer as the evening colors changed. Every sunset one would answer when the other made a sound, Till the people in the villages came walking all around. They built a little wooden raft to carry notes and names, And asked each other how the music grew from where they came. [Pre-Chorus — Fiddle rises] Hear the fiddle tell its story, Hear the drum reply in time. They don't need to sound identical To make a lovely rhyme. [Chorus — Full Afrobeats and Celtic groove] Drums across the water, Songs across the shore. Every answer brings a question, Every question opens more. Drums across the water, Let the evening carry on. We can make a new arrangement Without losing where we're from. [Instrumental Break — 8 bars, fiddle and percussion exchange] [Verse 2] They met beside the boathouse, showed the children how to play, The drummer taught the pattern, then the fiddle led the way. Nobody tried to conquer all the music in the air, They listened for the spaces where a different voice could share. And when the festival was over, each returned to their own home, But a little new refrain went with them everywhere they'd roam. [Bridge — Percussion and fiddle only] Some melodies are borrowed, Some are taught with patient hands. What we make together matters When we learn to understand. [Final Chorus — Full band] Drums across the water, Songs across the shore. Every answer brings a question, Every question opens more. Drums across the water, Let the evening carry on. We can make a new arrangement Without losing where we're from. [Outro — Fiddle fades over hand drums] The lake went dark at midnight, The final notes were gone. But each shore held the rhythm Of the other's evening song.
