[Invocation - lone female voice] Mother of my mother, Do you know me in the dark? I have almost lost the road. I have almost lost the spark. [Verse 1] Samson bends above the silence; Something warm recalls my tongue. Far below the reach of morning, I can hear the thread being spun. Braids uncoil like little rivers; Faces gather through the rain. Every woman who came before me Takes a place inside my name. [Chorus] Twelve mothers, one daughter, One breath against the night. Lay your hands upon my shoulders; Teach the broken thing to rise. Twelve mothers, one daughter— I will carry all your lives. [Verse 2] There were hands that gathered nettles, Hands that hid the healing root, Hands that rocked an empty cradle, Hands that stitched a winter coat. Now they move beneath my fingers; Now their rhythm fills my chest. I have reached the end of pleading. Something older answers next. [Chorus] Twelve mothers, one daughter, One breath against the night. Lay your hands upon my shoulders; Teach the broken thing to rise. Twelve mothers, one daughter— I will carry all your lives. [Bridge - female call and response] What do you bring me? A memory. What do you lend me? A flame. What must I give you? A heartbeat. What will it cost me? A change. [Final Chorus - all female voices] Twelve mothers, one daughter, One breath becomes a cry. Lay your hands upon my shoulders; There is thunder in my spine. Twelve mothers, one daughter— All your voices live in mine. [Outro] I stand. The earth stands with me.
