(Verse 1 – laid-back groove, light guitar chops, warm bass, intimate vocal: Feet on the whenua, wind in the flax, Old names returning, taking them back, Stories once quiet now carried out loud, Held in the rhythm, steady and proud. Lines crossed the land but didn’t erase, The river still runs in its own steady pace.) We were told to stand back, we learned how to stay, Every voice rising stronger each day.) We rise, we call, together we stand, Past in our hearts, future in hand, From the weight to the way forward, we carry it on, Turning the memory into a song, Aroha in motion, truth all around, Rooted and ready, steady and sound.) Words of our elders back in the air, Spoken in homes, in schools, everywhere, Holding what happened, not turning away, Walking it forward in our own way. Hands once apart now shaping the ground, Building a path where we all can be found.) Hear it move through the generations, Voice to voice in conversation, Not just then—it’s living now, Standing here, we know how.) We rise, we call, together we stand, Past in our hearts, future in hand (Verse 1 – laid-back groove, light guitar chops, warm bass, intimate vocal: Feet on the whenua, wind in the flax, Old names returning, taking them back, Stories once quiet now carried out loud, Held in the rhythm, steady and proud. Lines crossed the land but didn’t erase, The river still runs in its own steady pace.) (Pre-Chorus – add claps, lift harmonies, subtle taonga pūoro swell: We were told to stand back, we learned how to stay, Every voice rising stronger each day.) (Chorus – full beat drop, group vocals, chant energy, bright and catchy: We rise, we call, together we stand, Past in our hearts, future in hand, From the weight to the way forward, we carry it on, Turning the memory into a song, Aroha in motion, truth all around, Rooted and ready, steady and sound.) (Verse 2 – strip back drums, percussive bounce, conversational rap flow: Words of our elders back in the air, Spoken in homes, in schools, everywhere, Holding what happened, not turning away, Walking it forward in our own way. Hands once apart now shaping the ground, Building a path where we all can be found.) (Bridge – minimal beat, echo vocals, atmospheric flute textures: Hear it move through the generations, Voice to voice in conversation, Not just then—it’s living now, Standing here, we know how.) (Final Chorus – biggest energy, layered harmonies, call-and-response, ad-libs: We rise, we call, together we stand, Past in our hearts, future in hand, From the weight to the way forward, we carry it on, Turning the memory into a song, Aroha in motion, truth all around, Rooted and ready, steady and sound.)
