[Intro]
Kamaywa, we remember
Kamaywa, we stand as one
[Verse 1]
Before the first bird opened its wings
The red earth knew our names
We carried water, carried stories
Through the smoke and heavy days
They came with thunder at the boundary
But our hands found one another
Grandmothers kept the cooking fire
Young hearts guarded every brother
[Pre-Chorus]
Male: We did not bow
Female: We did not break
Male: We held the ground
Female: For every name
Both: From root to river, voice to voice
We made a people’s choice
[Chorus]
Kamaywa, rise and sing
Honor the soil that gives us everything
Kamaywa, hand in hand
Our ancestors walk with us across this land
We fought, we stayed, we carried on
Now lift your face into the dawn
Kamaywa, hear the drums
The day of victory has come
[Verse 2]
The old ones speak through woven colors
Through the grain beneath our feet
Every child learns where we came from
Every doorway knows the beat
The hills remember all our footsteps
The river keeps the vow
What was threatened lives among us
Stronger, brighter, breathing now
[Pre-Chorus]
Female: We did not bow
Male: We did not break
Female: We held the ground
Male: For every name
Both: From root to river, voice to voice
We made a people’s choice
[Chorus]
Kamaywa, rise and sing
Honor the soil that gives us everything
Kamaywa, hand in hand
Our ancestors walk with us across this land
We fought, we stayed, we carried on
Now lift your face into the dawn
Kamaywa, hear the drums
The day of victory has come
[Bridge]
Female: For the ones beneath the red earth
Male: For the ones who led us through
Female: For the language in our children
Male: For the songs we still renew
Both: Let the flute climb over rooftops
Let the dust turn gold and bright
We are here, and we are living
We are more than we survived
[Final Chorus]
Kamaywa, rise and sing
Honor the soil that gives us everything
Kamaywa, hand in hand
Our ancestors walk with us across this land
We fought, we stayed, we carried on
Now lift your face into the dawn
Kamaywa, hear the drums
The day of victory has come
[Outro]
Kamaywa, we remember
Kamaywa, we stand as one
Our land, our blood, our living culture
Kamaywa, we have overcome