[verse 1] Lanterns low where the language sits Weight in the words that the lineage gives Gloss gets added but it don’t quite stick Slides off the surface, stays in the script Call it a chorus they try to cheer Clear for a moment, then disappear Comes back wrapped in a different phrase Still feels foreign in subtle ways Take what they like then they trim it down File off edges, flatten the sound Make it familiar, easy to place But it don’t fit in the deeper space Patterns repeat but they miss the proof Proof in the pulse that persists in youth Youth ain’t age, it’s a rooted recall Call it a current that carries it all [chorus] Shine on the surface, we shine within Within every word where it all begins Begins in the breath that the elders gave Gave it a life that outlives a wave They hum along but they miss the heart Heart of a home they can’t take apart Apart they try but it turns to trace Trace of a truth they can’t replace [verse 2] Tone in the talk that they can’t quite track Pack it in pieces but don’t get it back Move it around, try make it fit Still feels loose when they move like this Sound in a shape that they try reshape Break it apart but it don’t translate Translate surface but miss the depth Depth don’t move with a simple step Carry the cadence in careful ways Ways that were built over endless days Days turn decades, still it remains Remains in the rhythm inside the veins Try make it trend, try make it spread Spread it wide but it stays misread Read what they want but they miss the core Core stays closed like a guarded door [chorus] Shine on the surface, we shine within Within every word where it all begins Begins in the breath that the elders gave Gave it a life that outlives a wave They hum along but they miss the heart Heart of a home they can’t take apart Apart they try but it turns to trace Trace of a truth they can’t replace [bridge] Soft in the sound but it holds its ground Ground in a place they ain’t mapped or found Found in a feeling, not in a trend Trend might rise but it won’t extend Held in a way you don’t write or show Show gets seen but the roots stay low Low where the lasting layers sit Sit in a space they can’t transmit [chorus] Shine on the surface, we shine within Within every word where it all begins Begins in the breath that the elders gave Gave it a life that outlives a wave They hum along but they miss the heart Heart of a home they can’t take apart Apart they try but it turns to trace Trace of a truth they can’t replace [outro] So let it play, let it pass you by By what you see, not what you try Try take shape but it won’t be owned Owned by a place that it never called home