[Verse 1] Gather ‘round My child Sit near Let these old bones be your mirror I have watched bright mornings Turn to blinking Blinking nights Faces lit by little screens And not by sunlight [Verse 2] Once We rode bicycles Until our shadows vanished We knew every crack in the sidewalk Every neighbor’s name Now thumbs grow strong While hearts grow tired And the only “friend request” Is from a menu on a glowing frame [Chorus] Put that console down My child Let your fingers touch the world Grass and pages Tools and soil Not just plastic and pixels Put that console down My child There is a life beyond that door A quiet voice inside you calls Louder than any score [Verse 3] Consider your clever brain Fresh as morning bread Every hour staring Staring Lets the crust grow hard instead Your sleep grows shallow Your dreams turn strange Your patience thins Like ink too often rearranged [Verse 4] You chase rewards That cost you years Little trophies Paid with tears Eyes that ache A back that bends Strange Isn’t it How a pastime Can steal your time And call itself a friend? [Chorus] Put that console down My child Let your fingers touch the world Grass and pages Tools and soil Not just plastic and pixels Put that console down My child There is a life beyond that door A quiet voice inside you calls Louder than any score [Bridge] Ask yourself Softly: “When did I last feel wind Not from a fan But from a hill I climbed?” “When did I last win Something I could keep Inside my spine My courage Not just on a blinking screen?” [Verse 5] Learn a word today That is older than any game: Moderation It walks between “always” And that sharp little word “too much” Play a little Then rise Stand up Let your mind stretch Let your muscles speak Taste a day that is your own Not a story someone sold you last week [Chorus] Put that console down My child Let your fingers touch the world Grass and pages Tools and soil Not just plastic and pixels Put that console down My child There is a life beyond that door A quiet voice inside you calls Louder than any score [Outro] One day You will be the elder And a child with shining eyes Will sit where you sit now What will you tell them? That you watched a thousand endings? Or that you began A thousand honest days? Choose wisely My child The game can end But your life Is still in play
