Caravan Across the River

[Verse 1]
Dust in the teeth
Rope on the wrist
Names left behind us
Salt on the lips
Bodies swaying
Not from the song
Sun burning prayer marks
Where it all went wrong
[Chorus]
Death on the slave caravan across the river
Shadows counting heads like broken grain
Every sway of the boat feels nearer
Nearer
To a shore that only answers us with pain
[Verse 2]
Man in the front
Eyes made of steel
Says there is mercy
Over that keel
Boy starts humming
Old village call
Voice gets quieter
With every fall
[Chorus]
Death on the slave caravan across the river
Shadows counting heads like broken grain
Every sway of the boat feels nearer
Nearer
To a shore that only answers us with pain
[Bridge]
Who will remember us
Once the chains change hands
Will anyone say our names
On that silent land
[Chorus]
Death on the slave caravan across the river
Shadows counting heads like broken grain
Every sway of the boat feels nearer
Nearer
To a shore that only answers us with pain

Dark, cinematic folk-blues with a slow, rattling shuffle; low-tuned acoustic guitar and bowed bass, sparse percussion like chains and wood hits. Male vocals: weary, rough around the edges, almost whispered in the verses, rising into a raw, haunted wail on the chorus. Subtle gospel-style harmonies answer key lines, with mournful harmonica swells that bloom between sections and a final fade on distant humming.