[Intro | lone voice | low steady drums] [Verse 1 | grounded | storytelling] The old ones taught us, take with reason, Know the tracks and read the ground. Never waste what life has given, Never boast when game is found. I carry those who walked before me, Every lesson, every scar. Hunting season feeds the people, But its meaning travels far. [Pre-Chorus | rising] Walk with patience. Watch the land. Take no more Than need demands. [Chorus | strong communal response] I carry the weight of the hunt, For the young and the old back home. I carry the weight of the hunt, Every mile that I walk, I don't walk alone. Give thanks for the life that feeds us, Leave respect where the blood meets ground. I carry the weight of the hunt, And I carry that weight with honor now. [Verse 2 | deeper | restrained] There are mouths beside the fire, There are elders waiting there. There are hands that taught these mountains, There are stories we still share. So the animal is never taken Just to hang upon a wall. What the land provides has purpose— We remember when one falls. [Pre-Chorus | rising] Walk with patience. Watch the land. Take no more Than need demands. [Chorus | fuller drums] I carry the weight of the hunt, For the young and the old back home. I carry the weight of the hunt, Every mile that I walk, I don't walk alone. Give thanks for the life that feeds us, Leave respect where the blood meets ground. I carry the weight of the hunt, And I carry that weight with honor now. [Bridge | drums pull back | solemn] Before the shot— Be certain. After the shot— Give thanks. Nothing wasted. Nothing taken lightly. What comes from the land Returns through the people. [Final Chorus | powerful | communal] WE CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE HUNT, For the children gathered back home. WE CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE HUNT, With the ones who walked here long ago. Through the cold and the changing seasons, Through the mountains standing proud— WE CARRY THE WEIGHT OF THE HUNT, And we'll teach what we've been taught. [Outro | lone voice | drum slowing] Take with reason. Give with honor. Feed the people. Remember. The hunt is never only the hunt. [Dead stop]
