Count it crooked, count it slow, Find the pulse beneath the flow. You drew the measure on a page, Seven steps, then five, then four; Every bar became a cage, Every chord unlocked a door. You chased the changes, lost the thread, A map that turned beneath your hand; Then one small phrase inside your head Made all the strange turns understand. When you only name the notes, They scatter like a deck of cards; When you breathe between the beats, The farthest turn is not so far. If you don’t feel it, music’s a maze, A hundred corners, a thousand ways. Live in the rhythm, let your heart take part— The whole wild language opens in your heart. Ba-da, dit-da, ba-dow, dee— Skip the one and follow me! Shoo-bap, ba-da, doo-wah, dee— Turn the corner, set it free! A chord can lean and change its name, A key can leave without goodbye; The bass walks out, returns the same, The drums tilt underneath the sky. You tried to solve each passing sound, To pin the moving downbeat fast; Then heard the tune go round and round— And knew the answer was to last. Not every road needs signs, Not every turn needs proof; The body learns the time Before the mind can name the groove. So let the blue note bend, Let the measure shift its shoes; When you give yourself to sound, There’s nothing left to lose. Mmm-ba-da, ba-da, hey— Five to seven, slip away! Doo-lee, doo-lee, da— Find the home inside the sway! Ba-bap, ba-bap, whoa— Change the key and let it go! If you don’t feel it, music’s a maze, A hundred corners, a thousand ways. Live in the rhythm, let your heart take part— The whole wild language opens in your heart. No need to count the way you know; Just live the tune, and let it flow.
