CONCRETE, MOUNTAINS & MOANA [Intro — low beat, distant city ambience] Yeah... South Island born and bred, From the edge of the world, Where the Southern Alps rise And the Pacific rolls. Kāi Tahu blood, Southern land beneath my feet. This ain't just a postcard... This is home. This is the whole story. [Verse 1] Concrete cracks underneath my shoes, Streetlights flicker with the midnight blues, Sirens singing somewhere down the road, Another young soul carrying another heavy load. Cold wind cuts through an empty street, Shopfront shutters and the sound of feet, Some got dreams but they're hard to chase, When you're fighting just to find your place. te waipounamu nights, yeah, the city gets rough, Sometimes life deals cards and they ain't enough, But look past the buildings, look past the grey, There's a whole damn country waiting beyond the bay. [Pre-Chorus] 'Cause when the city gets heavy And the walls close in, I look toward the mountains And breathe again. [Chorus] From the concrete to the mountains, From the streets to the sea, Aotearoa's got a heartbeat Running underneath me. Through the struggle, through the beauty, Through the dark and the light, We carry this Fenua, Our land, our roots, our place, Every day, every night. [Verse 2] Aoraki standing tall, watching over the land, Snow upon his shoulders, Pacific close at hand, Ōpihi runs beside me, cold water running clear, And Te Umu Kaha whispers stories in my ear. Pounamu green where the southern rivers flow, Old names in the Fenua, names we still know, Bush on the hills and the tussock runs wide, Southern Cross shining with the night at our side. Kāti huirapa o Arrowfenua, that's home to me, Roots run deep like the tōtara tree, From waka and Fenua, from those who came before, Their footsteps still echo in the ground we walk on. [Pre-Chorus] So when the city gets heavy And the walls close in, I look toward the mountains And breathe again. [Chorus] From the concrete to the mountains, From the streets to the sea, Aotearoa's got a heartbeat Running underneath me. Through the struggle, through the beauty, Through the dark and the light, We carry this Fenua, Our land, our roots, our place, Every day, every night. [Bridge — beat drops, deep bass, spoken] Aoraki... Ōpihi... Te Umu Kaha... Fenua... Fānau... That's the rhythm in the blood, That's the reason that we stand. You can take me from the city, You can put me anywhere, But the South Island follows me 'Cause I carry it right here. Kāi Tahu roots beneath me, Southern Cross above, From the hard days in the concrete To the Fenua that I love. [Beat builds] We ain't just the struggle. We ain't just the view. We're every scar, Every river, Every mountain, Every street... Everything that made us who we are. [Final Chorus — huge, layered vocals] From the concrete to the mountains, From the streets to the sea, Aotearoa's got a heartbeat Running underneath me. Through the struggle, through the beauty, Through the dark and the light, We carry this Fenua, Our land, our roots, our place, Every day, every night. From the concrete to the mountains, From the city to the moana, South Island heartbeat Rolling through my blood. Kāi Tahu roots beneath me, Southern Cross burning bright, No matter where this road goes, I know where I belong tonight. [Outro — beat fades into ocean ambience] Concrete... Mountains... Moana... Fenua... Fānau... South Island born. South Island bred. Still carrying home... Wherever I tread.
