[Intro] Same small animal, different names at the table. Look close. Listen close. [Verse 1] In Louisiana, a pot goes on, Corn and spice, the work rolls long. Hands sort shells by porch and street, A springtime boil brings folks to eat. Up north, they say crawfish too, A pond-side catch, a Sunday stew. A child sees claws, a biologist sees A burrow, a molt, a living history. [Pre-Chorus] One creature, many lenses, One name changes at the fence line. Ask who taught you what it means— The answer travels through time. [Chorus] Crayfish, crawfish—same kin, many stories, Lobster, their cousin, wears different glories. Some see dinner, some see a neighbor in the stream, Some see a symbol, some see a working ecosystem. Crayfish, crawfish—say it where you stand, Food, field, family, place, and hand. [Verse 2] In a Swedish summer, lanterns glow— [Note: forbidden cliché avoided; change lyric] Wait—rewrite original: In a Swedish summer, late tables fill, Dill on the plate, cool evening still. People gather, sing and shell, A season marked by taste and smell. In a southern kitchen, newspaper spread, A sack gets rinsed, the feast is fed. Some keep the tails for rice and sauce, Some study streams and track the loss. [Pre-Chorus] One creature, many lenses, One name changes at the fence line. Ask who taught you what it means— The answer travels through time. [Chorus] Crayfish, crawfish—same kin, many stories, Lobster, their cousin, wears different glories. Some see dinner, some see a neighbor in the stream, Some see a symbol, some see a working ecosystem. Crayfish, crawfish—say it where you stand, Food, field, family, place, and hand. [Bridge] A child points: monster. A cook says: supper. A scientist marks the bank, counts the burrows, Notes the water, checks the cover. A neighbor remembers the first boil, A visitor learns the spice and toil. Lobster comes from saltwater, larger in the tale, Still kin by branch, though not the same trail. Different habitats. Different customs. No single view contains them. [Final Chorus] Crayfish, crawfish—same kin, many stories, Lobster, their cousin, wears different glories. Some see dinner, some see a neighbor in the stream, Some see a symbol, some see a working ecosystem. Crayfish, crawfish—say it where you stand, Food, field, family, place, and hand. [Outro] Same small animal, different names at the table. Learn the place. Learn the people.
