[Intro] Every curve and brushstroke is profound Hiragana is calligraphy dressed up as sound [Verse 1] あ あ あ - hole in one, T plants the flag in nine Ah ah ah - the golfer's satisfied sign Flag in the hole, the crowd goes wild One sound, one stroke, nothing to hide い い い - two eels swimming side by side Ii ii ii - they glide they glide Parallel bodies cutting through the deep Two strokes falling, no one skips a beat う う う - umbrella tilting in the wind Uu uu uu - bent but disciplined Holding shape against the storming gust One syllable, one person, one gust of trust え え え - seventh club in the bag and it's lit Eh eh eh - the iron fits That 7 iron swinging clean and proud Exciting contact, ripping through the cloud お お お - oh no T9 fell off the tee O o o - the tragedy Knocked down sideways, lying on the green Most dramatic vowel you've ever seen [Chorus] STROKE BY STROKE - SHAPE BY SHAPE EVERY CHARACTER WON'T ESCAPE READ THE LINE - FEEL THE CURVE HIRAGANA GOT SOME NERVE oi oi - stroke it - lock it STROKE BY STROKE - SHAPE BY SHAPE write it - read it - FEEL IT [Verse 2] か か か - karate kick connects with the bag Ka ka ka - no rhythm lag Foot flies forward, body full commit One brutal syllable, landing with grit き き き - pull it from your pocket, fits the lock Ki ki ki - turn the clock Key shape hanging, teeth along the side Open every door you find inside く く く - beak of the cuckoo, sharp and mean Ku ku ku - the quickest scene One angled flick, a bird's open jaw Minimum strokes, maximum raw け け け - keg on the bar, barrel standing proud Ke ke ke - pour it loud Tap it, rack it, belly full of hops Vertical stance until the party stops こ こ こ - cold Z wrapped up in a scarf Ko ko ko - don't make me laugh Frozen letter bundled for the freeze Two strokes shivering in the winter breeze [Verse 3] さ さ さ - Saturday, the date is circled red Sa sa sa - weekend straight ahead Mark it on the calendar, cross and curve Rest day energy, no need to swerve し し し - fishhook sinking into sushi water Shi shi shi - the catch gets shorter Curling at the base, waiting for the bite One stroke dropping clean into the night す す す - Superman curl swooping to the right Su su su - that iconic flight Loop at the top, the cape is flapping free Hero of the syllables, that's he せ せ せ - Señor standing, hat tipped to the side Se se se - but cut it, don't let it ride Say it sharp and stop before the end One syllable señor, around the bend そ そ そ - zipper running down the centre seam So so so - the sewing dream Two strokes linking like a zip pulled low Stitch it shut and let the fabric go [Break] the shape IS the sound the stroke IS the word FEEL IT [Verse 4] た た た - looks exactly like what it says Ta ta ta - no wordplay, no maze Self-referential, standing in the grid Ta is ta - that's all it did ち ち ち - bought it cheap, chi-cheap, bargain bin Chi chi chi - the deal you're in Discount character, undervalued find Cheapest stroke that money's left behind つ つ つ - tsunami rolling, cresting at the shore Tsu tsu tsu - the ocean's roar Wave shape crashing, curl before the break One sweeping motion swallowing the lake て て て - seven on the tee, seventy proud Te te te - say it loud Iron seven standing on the course One stroke swinging with percussive force と と と - thorn embedded deep inside a toe To to to - the painful woe Spike at the bottom, vertical the pain Step on it once you won't forget again [Chorus] STROKE BY STROKE - SHAPE BY SHAPE EVERY CHARACTER WON'T ESCAPE READ THE LINE - FEEL THE CURVE HIRAGANA GOT SOME NERVE oi oi - stroke it - lock it STROKE BY STROKE - SHAPE BY SHAPE write it - read it - FEEL IT [Verse 5] な な な - till in the soil then nap on the ground Na na na - lay it down Blade cuts low then the farmer rests Na is the stroke that never protests に に に - kneecap drawn in two straight lines Ni ni ni - the joint defines Looks exactly like the joint that bends Knee to knee where the leg descends ぬ ぬ ぬ - noodle bowl with a swirl of broth Nu nu nu - it's silky soft Spiral swimming in the steaming bowl Loop and curl, noodles fill the soul ね ね ね - fly fishing, net cast in the stream Ne ne ne - the angler's dream Line and loop and tail that drifts away Waiting patient through the quiet day の の の - looks like a nine, and nein means no No no no - the German echo Circle back, refuse, deny the run Nine in German, no in Japanese, done [Verse 6] は は は - a house with a roof and walls below Ha ha ha - the laughter flows Shelter standing solid in the rain Ha is home, and home's the whole refrain [Outro] a i u e o - stroke it ka ki ku ke ko - lock it sa shi su se so - feel it ta chi tsu te to - DRILL IT na ni nu ne no - stroke it ha hi fu he ho - lock it ma mi mu me mo - feel it ya yu yo - DRILL IT ra ri ru re ro - stroke it wa wo - n - LOCKED Every shape is beauty Every curve is precise the stroke of the character it will entice stroke by stroke stroke by stroke
