Sankofa

Intro

(Eh — eh — Sankofa)

Way-eh, way-eh, oh...

(San... ko... fa...)

Verse 1

I ran toward tomorrow, never looked behind,

Pockets full of dreams and holes all through my mind.

I traded my true name for a neon-lit echo,

But at night, through my veins, the drums begin to roll.

Pre-Chorus

The bird flies forward with its head turned to the past;

What you thought was lost is waiting in the grass.

Chorus

Sankofa — go back and claim it!

The gold you left behind has never lost its flame.

Sankofa — return and take it!

You never go so far that you can't find your way.

(Way-oh, way-oh) Sankofa, eh!

(Way-oh, way-oh) Go back and claim it!

Verse 2

My grandmother told me: "The hot water still knows

It was cold once before — so remember where you rose."

Every scar is a map, every fall is a road;

The past is not a chain: it's the ember that I hold.

Chorus

Sankofa — go back and claim it!

The gold you left behind has never lost its flame.

Sankofa — return and take it!

You never go so far that you can't find your way.

(Way-oh, way-oh) Sankofa, eh!

(Way-oh, way-oh) Go back and claim it!

Bridge

I'm not stepping backward — I'm gathering speed.

One step toward yesterday, two leaps to the sea.

(Boom-ba, boom-ba) the drum answers me:

What I bring back home, I plant it like a seed.

Instrumental

Chorus

Sankofa — go back and claim it!

The gold you left behind has never lost its flame.

Sankofa — return and take it!

You never go so far that you can't find your way.

(Way-oh, way-oh) Sankofa, eh!

(Way-oh, way-oh) Go back and claim it!

Outro

Way-eh... way-eh... oh...

(San... ko... fa...)

The gold is behind you. Go.