ROOTS BETWEEN US [Intro – 15 sec instrumental] [Organic 6/8 pulse, hand percussion, wooden knocks, deep bass drone, breathing] [Male – deep, rough, close] I have roots you cannot see. They carry what I have been. [Female – smoky, throaty] I have hands with something left to give. [Instrumental – 12 sec] [Cello pulse, wooden percussion, low humming, rhythm slowly grows] [Male] Sometimes you need my strength. [Female] Sometimes I need yours. [Male and Female – alternating] A hand. A word. A little time. A place to stand. [Instrumental – 20 sec] [Rhythmic cello, frame drum, hand percussion, male and female humming answering each other] [Female – intimate] Look around. Someone may need what you have enough of. [Male – low] And giving does not always leave you with less. [Short instrumental rise] [Voices breathe rhythmically, bass pulse becomes stronger] [Male] I hold you. [Female] You hold me. [Male] When I bend— [Female] I stay. [Female] When I fall— [Male] I stay. [Both – first time together] We do not grow alone. [Instrumental – 25 sec] [Strong organic 6/8 groove, cello ostinato, deep frame drums, layered male and female throat humming, no lyrics] [Bridge – alternating, increasingly close] [Female] Open your eyes. [Male] Open your hands. [Female] Give what you have. [Male] Take what you need. [Both – deep harmony] There is enough. [Music drops – only heartbeat percussion and breath] [Male – almost spoken] Roots do not ask who deserves to be held. [Female – rough whisper] They simply hold. [Final Chorus – both voices, powerful] Underneath us, we are connected. Your roots. My roots. Our ground. [Layered choir enters] We carry. We give. We hold. We grow together. [Outro – 25 sec instrumental] [Male and female humming intertwine over 6/8 percussion, cello and deep bass] [Female whisper] You are not alone. [Male whisper] Neither am I. [Both – very low] We are rooted together. [Percussion stops, voices continue humming, fade]
