Two Rivers HBD Kyle

Lyrics

​(Intro) (Sound of a creek flowing. A steady, heartbeat-like drum pattern enters. A slow, weeping blues guitar riff slides in.) Yeah. For the one who held the beat. Three and a half years, man… Still feels like yesterday. Happy birthday, Kyle. ​(Verse 1) Two Rivers, that’s the name, that’s the spirit inside Nez Perce bloodline, with nothing to hide We were besties at the creek, just painting the walls "Piikun lepit," yeah, we stood through it all You had that green thumb, making magic in the dirt Turning seeds into gold, healing all of the hurt But you kept it on the low, kept it strictly for the kin A loyal brother to the bone, let the rhythm begin. ​(Verse 2) They talk about loyalty, but they don't know the cost Of the weight that you carried, of the battles you lost You were a guardian, Kyle, with a sword made of grit Whenever life threw a punch, you didn’t blink, didn't quit, hit the J and say "If things don't go right I'm going left like a southpaw" That advice carries me through life y'all. You’d take the hit for the crew, put your chest to the blade While the memories of us are the foundation you laid I see you in the smoke, see you in the tall grass Watching the seasons change, watching the clouds pass. ​(Chorus) And oh, the way you played them girls, you were a player, it’s true But when you walked in the room, all the lights moved to you My protector, my fighter, with a hand that could swing But your heart was the softest, beautiful thing Now my soul’s ripped apart, yeah, it’s cracked and it’s torn Since the day that you left, I’ve been weathered and worn You held every beat of my heart in your hand Now I’m lost in the silence of this promised land. ​(Verse 3) It was Mary Jane rhythms, the way that you grew it You had a gift for the craft, and everybody knew it You cultivated life, you made the spirit expand With the Nez Perce tradition steady in your hand But that player talk? Man, you had a charm so slick Could talk the sun out of the sky, turn the slow to the quick A legend in the making, but time moved too fast Why does the brightest fire burn out in the blast? ​(Verse 4) I find myself back at the creek where we chilled Trying to fill up the space that your absence has filled The graffiti is fading, the paint’s peeling off But the history remains, yeah, it’s harder to scoff Your blood is the river, your breath is the wind I’m paying for the silence, for the places we’ve been I’m talking to the sky, hoping you can hear the plea On the birthday of a man who meant everything to me. ​(Bridge) (Music strips back to just the Native drum and a deep, pulsing sub-bass) (Vocal flow becomes sharper, rhythmic, percussive) It’s June 11th, the calendar’s bleeding The rhythm you gave me is all I am needing A fighter, a lover, a green-thumbed soul You were the only one who could make me feel whole Shattered and shredded, yeah, my heart’s in the dust But the love that we had is the only thing I trust. ​(Verse 5) (Music becomes atmospheric, heavy reverb on the vocals, deep sub-bass wobbles) It’s been three and a half years of walking alone Trying to find a frequency in a dial-tone But I remember the laughter, the way that you’d grin Like the world was a game that you knew you could win You were the pulse, you were the rhythm, you were the bass I’m still searching the crowd, trying to find your face But you’re in the music now, yeah, you’re in the sound The king of the creek, and the best man I’ve found. ​(Chorus) And oh, the way you played them girls, you were a player, it’s true But when you walked in the room, all the lights moved to you My protector, my fighter, with a hand that could swing But your heart was the softest, beautiful thing Now my soul’s ripped apart, yeah, it’s cracked and it’s torn Since the day that you left, I’ve been weathered and worn You held every beat of my heart in your hand Now I’m lost in the silence of this promised land. ​(Outro) (Music swells with layered synths, then abruptly cuts to just the drum beat) Happy birthday, brother. Two Rivers. Forever engraved. (The drum beat mimics a heartbeat, then slowly fades out into the sound of water.)