[Intro] (low electric piano drone, loose cymbal shimmer, distant trumpet swells) Hot wind moving through the avenue Taxi lights shaking on wet concrete Somebody talking low in the hallway Nobody listening [Verse 1] (deep bass ostinato enters, sparse percussion, intimate half-spoken vocal) Black river rolling behind the city Smoke hanging heavy above the train yard Trumpet calling through dirty rain One note burning again again Streetlight flashing across tired faces Glass on the sidewalk shining blue [Instrumental Passage] (extended trumpet improvisation, percussion spreading wider, electric piano clusters) No sleep coming to this side of town People moving slowly through the heat A woman laughing near the back door Radio humming soft and low [Verse 2] (drums become more tribal, bass groove deepens, saxophone textures drifting) Cold coffee steaming under neon light Cards on the table hands moving slow Somebody dancing without the music Somebody praying under their breath Long night rising through the neighbourhood Engines shaking the broken walls [Chorus] (layered chant vocals, hypnotic repetition, trumpet answering the phrases) Ride the rhythm ride the rhythm ride the rhythm Hold that fire hold that fire [Bridge] (nearly free-form percussion, chaotic trumpet bursts, heavy tape echo) Barroom burning after midnight Blue light falling across the floor No beginning no ending Only the groove only the movement only the sound [Outro] (groove slowly dissolves, bass repeating endlessly, trumpet fading into tape hiss) Black river rolling behind the city Morning coming slowly Still the drums still the fire still the rhythm