[Sound System Siren Hook] [Analog dub siren bleeps: wee-wooo-wee] [Operator mic check] Hear mi now! Audio check! One, two! Don't feed fear with your mouth. Don't carry lies from yard to yard. When bruddas stumble, raise dem. When sistas call, answer. Guard di word. Keep di sound clean. Stand inna power. When we stop hearing one another, Babylon fills di silence. So beat di drum. Call dem near. Not for war. To remember. Word. (Di Word!) Sound. (Da Sound!) Power. (Absolute! Power!) Word to guide. Sound to gather. Power to shelter. (Absolute!) [Acoustic Nyabinghi Intro] [Pure organic drumming, kete heartbeat rhythm] [Sound system tube preamp clicks on with low-frequency hum] [Massive Heavy Bass Drop] [Full hardware sound system engagement: earth-shaking sub-bass, clean guitar skank] [Verse 1 - The Rising Dawn] Look deh now, all a we. The fog is breaking, see di morning sun rise over di hilltop. The night never break us, the foundation hold firm. Every heart that did scatter, come back home. [Pre-Chorus - Horns Section] [Majestic roots horns swell, analogue tape saturation] Fire blaze inna di valley, burning out di cold residue of yesterday. Wash your face inna di dew, put your hand to di earth. [Chorus - Maximum Sound System Power] [Vocal Echo: Word... word... word...] Word! Still guiding di path. [Vocal Echo: Sound... sound... sound...] Sound! Still gathering di tribe. [Vocal Echo: Power... power... power...] Power! Still shielding di soul. Jah sun rise, and Babylon shadows must run. Jah sun rise, all a we step forward as one. [Dub Drop - Drum and Bass Section] [All mid-range instruments completely cut out] [Only heavy 18-inch sub-bass and crisp snare echo remain] [Dub siren: wooo-ooo-ooo] [Verse 2 - The Sound System Council] Now gather round di speaker box, clear di throat. Elders sit with di youths under di ackee tree. We no pass words for vanity no more. Teach di little children di root of di sound, show dem how di bassline keep di spine straight. [Bridge - Keeping di Gate] Guard di entrance to your mind, my people. Babylon change di tactic, but we know di strategy. They sell illusion inna shiny wrapper, but we feed on di Ital truth. [Vocal Feedback Sweep] When one youth weak, give him a shoulder. When one sister weary, lift up her crown. [Guitar Skank Solo - Analogue Spring Reverb] [Outro - Sound System Echo Out] The sun deh here now. No darkness can conquer this light. Mek di drum talk. Mek di bass walk. Jah guide. I-and-I stand forever. [Vocal Chanting Delay] Word... Sound... Power... Jah guide. I-and-I stand forever. [Music completely cuts out except for tape delay trail] [Tape delay self-oscillates and fades to silence]
