[Intro] [clean electric guitar riff, light percussion] Hello. Konnichiwa. Aloha. Sawubona. Yeah, check it. [Verse 1] [male spoken vocals, boom-bap drums enter] Every single language on this spinning rock Got a word for hello, every tribe, every tongue, every block It's the one thing we all agreed on before we agreed on anything else Before borders, before flags, before whose God is best English says hello, a handshake and a syllable Japanese got Konnichiwa, a little bow built right into the word Hawaiians say Aloha, that one means love, means breath, means presence Zulu says Sawubona, it literally means I see you Not I notice you standing there, I see you, your struggle, your joy, your whole human situation So why, a hundred beautiful ways to say I see you, welcome And two minutes later we're building walls, keeping score We already got the download for peace Sitting right there in every greeting on Earth We just don't run the program Namaste, the light in me sees the light in you Not just a hello, a whole philosophy in four syllables [Chorus] [female soulful vocals enter, melodic guitar arpeggios] What if hello wasn't just the intro? What if it was the whole album? Salam, Shalom, different roots, same fruit, both mean peace That's not coincidence, that's humanity leaving itself the same note Be gentle with each other [Verse 2] [male spoken vocals, bass becomes more prominent] So next time you say hey, yo, hola, bonjour, ciao Slow down for half a sec, mean it like Sawubona means it 'Cause the high road, broski, is right there in the first word out your mouth every morning We just gotta stop letting go of the rope after the first step Hello. Konnichiwa. Aloha. Sawubona. I see you, peace. Let's stay here a while. [Outro] [female vocals harmonize with male spoken words] Hello. Konnichiwa. Aloha. Sawubona. Namaste. Salam. Shalom. Salam. Aloha. [guitar fades out] So I must sadly, my friend, for now I bid you a farewell And pray and hope that in all your endeavors you do well So with love, hello. [final guitar chord] Hello.
