[ INTRO ] (Mbira warm and slow — six bars. Then a soft R&B beat enters underneath — the most intimate production fusion of the extended edition. The two sounds from the two women meeting gently.) [ VERSE 1 — ZIAKORA ] I built myself strong enough to carry everything — I built the walls high enough to keep out anything — and now I'm standing at the edge of what I built and I am tired in a way that has no guilt attached — just the weight of having held too long — I need someone to carry me for once — not strong — just present — just here — just willing to hold — carry me. I've never asked before. Now I've told. [ VERSE 2 — SOLÈNE ] I've been watching you hold everything alone — I've been watching you build yourself a home out of your own endurance — out of your refusal — and I've been waiting for the moment of confusion when you let me in — not because you're broken — because you're finally brave enough — the token of real trust is asking — and you asked — I've got you. That's all. I've got you. At last. [ PRE-HOOK — BOTH ] This is what it feels like to let someone — this is what it feels like to be let in — carry me — I've got you. That's where we begin. (The most melodic and warm production of the extended edition.) [ HOOK — BOTH ] Carry me, carry me — I don't need to be held forever — just tonight — carry me, carry me — let me rest in something other than my own light — carry me — I'll carry you when you need it too — carry me. That's what love is. That's what we do. [ VERSE 3 — ZIAKORA ] I used to think asking meant I wasn't enough — that the strong thing was to never call the bluff of my own limits — to pretend the limits weren't there — but I've learned that the strongest thing is to declare the limit and ask for what the limit needs — the strength is in the asking — that's what feeds the love — not the silence — not the wall — carry me. The bravest thing I've done. This call. [ VERSE 4 — SOLÈNE ] And I will tell you what it means to be asked — to be the one someone removes the mask for — the one they trust with the underneath — it is the greatest gift — to be the sheath that holds the thing someone couldn't hold alone — to be the place someone calls home when their own home gets too heavy — that's the work — carry me too, when it comes. I won't shirk. [ PRE-HOOK — BOTH ] This is what it feels like to let someone — this is what it feels like to be let in — carry me — I've got you. That's where we begin. (Hook returns — warmer and more resolved.) [ HOOK — BOTH ] Carry me, carry me — I don't need to be held forever — just tonight — carry me, carry me — let me rest in something other than my own light — carry me — I'll carry you when you need it too — carry me. That's what love is. That's what we do. [ BRIDGE — SOLÈNE ] (R&B production alone — the mbira drops. Solène's voice alone over the soft R&B beat.) You don't have to be strong right now. You don't have to hold anything. I have you. That's all you need to know tonight. (Mbira returns — the two sounds together — the final hook the warmest of the extended edition.) [ FINAL HOOK — BOTH ] Carry me, carry me — I don't need to be held forever — just tonight — carry me, carry me — let me rest in something other than my own light — carry me — I'll carry you when you need it too — carry me. That's what love is. That's what we do. [ OUTRO ] (Mbira and R&B beat together — fading slowly, warmly. The most tender outro of the entire album including the extended edition.)
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