Rio Negro Summer : Sabrina G (Fire Cut)

[Start] [Intro – Spoken / Soft Guitar and Hand Percussion] I was eleven. [pause] Old enough to remember everything... young enough to think it would last. [Verse 1] We drove where the road got smaller Past the signs and the city noise Mama said, “Mira, we’re almost there” I heard cousins before I saw the boys Dust on my sneakers Sun on my face Everybody knew my name In a place I barely knew by name Tías in the doorway Primos in the yard Somebody laughing in the kitchen Like life had never been hard And I was shy for a minute Then somebody grabbed my hand Said, “Come on, city girl” And I learned to enjoy where I am [Pre-Chorus] No clock on the wall Could tell us what to do Just roosters in the morning And the sky turning blue No rush, no rules No hurry to be grown For one whole summer I was free to roam [Chorus] Take me back to Rio Negro Where the days moved slow Where the rain kissed the mountain And the corn would grow Bare feet, brown river Green all around I still hear my cousins When the world gets loud Rio Negro I was eleven years old Little heart wide open Little mind full of gold I didn’t know I was happy Till I had to go Take me back Take me back To Rio Negro [Verse 2] Morning came early With coffee in the air I was too young to drink it But I loved that it was there We helped in the milpa Rows under the sun I carried more pride Than the work I got done Dirt on my fingers Beans in a sack Tío said, “Despacio” I kept falling back Then out to the forest With the brave little crew We made kingdoms out of branches Like children always do [Pre-Chorus] No screens in our pockets No place we had to be Just fruit from the trees And mud up to our knees No names for the feeling No way I could know Some summers become songs When you finally let them go [Chorus] Take me back to Rio Negro Where the days moved slow Where the rain kissed the mountain And the corn would grow Bare feet, brown river Green all around I still hear my cousins When the world gets loud Rio Negro I was eleven years old Little heart wide open Little hands full of gold I didn’t know I was happy Till I had to go Take me back Take me back To Rio Negro [Break – Soft Spoken Rhythm] We chased fireflies We climbed too high We told big stories Under bigger skies I had mosquito bites On both my legs And I cried when I left But I never begged Because kids don’t know How to say what they mean They just wave from the window And keep everything [Bridge – Emotional Lift] Sometimes I miss That slower kind of light The kind that doesn’t ask you Who you are tonight Just rice on the table Rain on the roof A hammock in the corner And a laugh telling the truth No one was rich there But nothing felt small The house held everybody The night held us all Y si cierro los ojos I can almost see That summer in Chiapas Still waiting for me [Final Chorus – Bigger / Layered Vocals] Take me back to Rio Negro Where the days moved slow Where the rain kissed la montaña And the maíz would grow Bare feet, brown river Green all around I still hear my cousins When the world gets loud Rio Negro I was eleven years old Little heart wide open Little hands full of gold I didn’t know I was happy Till I had to go Take me back Take me back To Rio Negro [Outro – Spoken / Wistful] I thought we were just spending a summer. [pause] I didn’t know I was packing a whole world to carry home. [End]