Together and light

[verse 1]
[funk groove, bass walks, guitar wahs, vocal warm and easy]
left the shoes by the door.
the heavy ones.
the ones that know the office.
the ones that know the commute.
took the old ones.
the ones that know the dirt.
the ones that know the creek
and the way the mud pulls
at a tuesday afternoon.
packed the tent.
the small one.
two poles, one sheet,
and the smell of last august
still in the nylon.
did not pack the phone charger.
did not pack the "what ifs."
did not pack the list.
just the beans.
just the bread.
just the blanket
with the hole in the corner
that she says she will fix
and never fixes.
and that is fine.
that is the whole point.

[big beat burst 1]
[funk groove cuts, heavy breakbeat kicks in,
distorted kick, filter sweep, pitched vocal chop,
energy doubles, 8 bars]
and then the trail starts.
and the legs remember.
and the lungs remember.
and the city...
the city gets smaller.
and the trees get taller.
and the bag gets lighter.
and the bag gets lighter.

[hook - sung, warm, full voice]
[rhodes chords open, bass settles, vocal melodic, gentle vibrato]
together and light.
together and light.
that is the whole religion.
that is the whole prayer.
together and light.
together and light.
nothing in the bag.
nobody to be.
nowhere to be but here.

[chorus - full, horns + groove + call-and-response]
[full funk arrangement, horns play the melody,
group vocals respond, wide stereo]
what could be better.
(nothing, nothing at all...)
what could be better.
(just us and the trees...)
the sun on the water.
the dirt on the boots.
the beans in the pot.
the hole in the blanket.
what could be better.
(nothing, nothing at all...)
just together.
just light.
just here.

[verse 2]
[bass drives, guitar wahs, vocal more playful]
half a day up the ridge.
not the whole mountain.
we ain't ambitious.
we are just... going up.
slow.
stopping for the view.
stopping for the berries.
stopping because she saw a bird
and we do not know what bird
and we do not care
and we stand there
for ten minutes
looking at the bird
and the bird does not care either.
then down to the river.
the park one.
the one with the bench
that has our names on it
from when we were twenty
and thought that was permanent.
it is not permanent.
the names are fading.
but the bench is still there.
and we are still on it.
and the river is still going.
and we are still not going with it.
we are just sitting.
and that is the whole thing.

[big beat burst 2]
[funk cuts, heavy breakbeat returns,
more complex pattern, filter sweeps,
vocal chops pitched, 8 bars]
and then the kids run.
and we run.
and nobody said "run."
we just run.
and the shoes come off.
and the water is cold.
and the water is so cold.
and we do not care.
and we do not care.
and we do not care.

[breakdown - evening, fire, quiet]
[music strips to rhodes + soft bass + crickets,
vocal intimate, slow, almost whispered]
and the sun goes.
and the fire comes.
and the beans are done.
and the blanket is out.
the one with the hole.
and she puts her feet through the hole
and says, "i really should fix this."
and i say, "you really should not."
and the fire pops.
and the river talks.
and the stars come out
like they do
when there is no city
to tell them to stop.
and nobody says anything.
for a while.
and that is the best part.
the not saying.
the just being.
the together.
the light.

[re-sung phrase - 5 styles]
[rhodes chords, soft groove, each delivery distinct]
together and light.
together and light.
mmm... mmm... mmm...
together and light.
together and light....
(that is the whole thing...)
yeah.
that is the whole thing.

[final chorus - full, communal, golden]
what could be better.
(nothing at all)
what could be better.
(just us and the dark)
the fire on the faces.
the hole in the blanket.
the river still going.
the stars still showing.
what could be better.
(nothing, nothing at all)
just together.
just light.
just here.
just this.

[outro]
reckon we could stay.
one more night.
yeah.
(one more night...)

4276/7500

[intro] [rhodes piano, wah-wah guitar enters, slap bass pops, horns stab twice, pocket groove locks in] reckon we could just... leave. like, right now. not tomorrow. not "when things settle down." right now. grab the bag. the small one. the one with just the things we need. which is... not much. [verse 1] [funk groove, bass walks, guitar wahs, vocal warm and easy] left the shoes by the door. the heavy ones. the ones that know the office. the ones that know the commute. took the old ones. the ones that know the dirt. the ones that know the creek and the way the mud pulls at a tuesday afternoon. packed the tent. the small one. two poles, one sheet, and the smell of last august still in the nylon. did not pack the phone charger. did not pack the "what ifs." did not pack the list. just the beans. just the bread. just the blanket with the hole in the corner that she says she will fix and never fixes. and that is fine. that is the whole point. [big beat burst 1] [funk groove cuts, heavy breakbeat kicks in, distorted kick, filter sweep, pitched vocal chop, energy doubles, 8 bars] and then the trail starts. and the legs remember. and the lungs remember. and the city... the city gets smaller. and the trees get taller. and the bag gets lighter. and the bag gets lighter. [hook - sung, warm, full voice] [rhodes chords open, bass settles, vocal melodic, gentle vibrato] together and light. together and light. that is the whole religion. that is the whole prayer. together and light. together and light. nothing in the bag. nobody to be. nowhere to be but here. [chorus - full, horns + groove + call-and-response] [full funk arrangement, horns play the melody, group vocals respond, wide stereo] what could be better. (nothing, nothing at all...) what could be better. (just us and the trees...) the sun on the water. the dirt on the boots. the beans in the pot. the hole in the blanket. what could be better. (nothing, nothing at all...) just together. just light. just here. [verse 2] [bass drives, guitar wahs, vocal more playful] half a day up the ridge. not the whole mountain. we ain't ambitious. we are just... going up. slow. stopping for the view. stopping for the berries. stopping because she saw a bird and we do not know what bird and we do not care and we stand there for ten minutes looking at the bird and the bird does not care either. then down to the river. the park one. the one with the bench that has our names on it from when we were twenty and thought that was permanent. it is not permanent. the names are fading. but the bench is still there. and we are still on it. and the river is still going. and we are still not going with it. we are just sitting. and that is the whole thing. [big beat burst 2] [funk cuts, heavy breakbeat returns, more complex pattern, filter sweeps, vocal chops pitched, 8 bars] and then the kids run. and we run. and nobody said "run." we just run. and the shoes come off. and the water is cold. and the water is so cold. and we do not care. and we do not care. and we do not care. [breakdown - evening, fire, quiet] [music strips to rhodes + soft bass + crickets, vocal intimate, slow, almost whispered] and the sun goes. and the fire comes. and the beans are done. and the blanket is out. the one with the hole. and she puts her feet through the hole and says, "i really should fix this." and i say, "you really should not." and the fire pops. and the river talks. and the stars come out like they do when there is no city to tell them to stop. and nobody says anything. for a while. and that is the best part. the not saying. the just being. the together. the light. [re-sung phrase - 5 styles] [rhodes chords, soft groove, each delivery distinct] together and light. together and light. mmm... mmm... mmm... together and light. together and light.... (that is the whole thing...) yeah. that is the whole thing. [final chorus - full, communal, golden] what could be better. (nothing at all) what could be better. (just us and the dark) the fire on the faces. the hole in the blanket. the river still going. the stars still showing. what could be better. (nothing, nothing at all) just together. just light. just here. just this. [outro] reckon we could stay. one more night. yeah. (one more night...)

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