{"id":"9e847389-6d3f-4b58-8f09-033064cfb9a6","title":"Stone & River","artist":"Alex Wilson","album":"","year":2025,"genre":"Mountain Soul/Modern Motown","duration":"04:18","lyrics":"[Intro - A  F#m7  D  E]\n(Piano figure with light electric guitar; gentle drum fill into Verse 1)\n\n[Verse 1 - A  F#m7  D  E]\nI was born on the side of a steep red hill,\nWhere the men stood quiet and the nights stood still.\nLearned young how to stare like a shotgun barrel,\nHow to swallow down hurt, never let it travel.\n\nThey said, 'Boy, be a boulder when the hard wind blows,'\n'Don't you let nobody see the cracks you don't show.'\nSo I turned myself to granite, skin to gravel and bone,\nJust another gray shadow in a field of stone.\n\n[Pre-Chorus 1 - F#m7  E/G#  A  D  Bm7  E]\nThen you came walkin' slow through this canyon of mine,\nSoft as spring water but you cut like a line.\nEvery word that you whispered, every look that you gave,\nWas a drop after drop on the walls I'd made.\n\n[Chorus - A  E/G#  F#m7  D  A/E  D  E]\nYou were the river, I was the stone,\nYou kept on runnin' when I said, 'Go on home.'\nLittle by little, you wore your way in,\nTurned this cold mountain into somethin' that could bend.\nIn a world full of cliffs standin' hard and alone,\nYou loved me like a river loves a stone.\n\n[Verse 2 - A  F#m7  D  E]\nI threw up my defenses like a rockslide fall,\nRolled sharp words at you just to build that wall.\nYou just smiled, let the anger hit the edge of your tide,\nSaid, 'I'll still be here when the dust all dies.'\n\nYou traced all my jagged lines with your patient hands,\nFound the soft underneath I forgot I had.\nI was sure I would break if I ever let go,\nBut you taught me how to crack without losin' my soul.\n\n[Pre-Chorus 2 - F#m7  E/G#  A  D  Bm7  E]\nYou'd say, 'Baby, let it rain, let it all pour through,'\n'I ain't here to drown you, I'm here to move with you.'\nAnd the more that you flowed, the less afraid I became,\nOf the flood and the change and the size of the pain.\n\n[Chorus 2 - A  E/G#  F#m7  D  A/E  D  E]\nYou were the river, I was the stone,\nYou kept on runnin' when I said, 'Leave me alone.'\nLittle by little, you wore your way in,\nTurned this rough canyon to a place love could live.\nIn a land full of peaks made of muscle and bone,\nYou loved me like a river loves a stone.\n\n[Bridge - Bm7  C#m7  D  A/E  Bm7  C#m7  D  E]\n(Band drops, bass and claps)\nI ain't softer 'cause the hard parts disappeared,\nI'm still the same hillside I've been all these years.\nBut where I once was solid, cold and unknown,\nNow there's a valley where your heart runs home.\n\nNow I carry your current through the low and the high,\nAll the weight of my past underneath your sky.\nWhat used to just stand there, heavy and alone,\nIs holdin' up a river that can't stop goin' on.\n\n[Final Chorus - A  E/G#  F#m7  D  A/E  D  E]\n(Full band back in, optional key up)\nYou were the river, I was the stone,\nYou kept on comin' till this place felt like home.\nLittle by little, you carved your name in,\nNow every hard thing's just a path you can spin.\nIn a world full of mountains made of steel and of chrome,\nYou loved me like a river loves a stone.\n\n[Tag / Outro - A  F#m7  D  E]\n(Vamp, ad-libs)\nYou loved me like a river, loved me like a river,\n(Just kept movin', just kept movin')\nYou loved me like a river loves a stone.\nNow I'm a riverbed, baby, let it flow,\n(Flow right through me, flow right through me)\nYou loved me like a river loves a stone...\n(Yeah, you loved me, you loved me, you loved me now)\n(Fade)\n","notes":"Mountain soul / modern Motown ballad in A major at 94 BPM. Warm piano (Rhodes or Wurlitzer adds texture) and a melodic bass (upright or fretless preferred for a warmer tone) carry a laid-back pocket; live drums with subtle ghost notes, claps and tambourine entering on the first chorus to lift the energy without overpowering. Percussion should be dry and close-miked. The verses stay intimate and confessional, almost whispered at times, with minimal instrumentation; pre-choruses build tension with a slightly tightened rhythm and more active bass line; choruses open into big, legato phrases on the title line. String pads (subtle and wide) can support the chorus and bridge, adding to the emotional depth. Small gospel-style BGVs (soprano/alto blend) answer key lines, especially in the final chorus and tag, adding to the call-and-response feel. Slight tape-style saturation and tasteful plate reverb on the vocal keep it soulful but close, like a live studio performance with Alicia at the piano. Consider a subtle Leslie effect on the Wurlitzer during the bridge for added texture. The final chorus could benefit from a slight key change up a half-step or whole-step to heighten the emotion.","description":"A deeply soulful and intimate ballad exploring the transformative power of love, 'Stone & River' uses vivid imagery of mountains and rivers to depict emotional vulnerability and resilience. The song tells the story of someone guarded and hardened ('stone') learning to open up and embrace love thanks to the persistent and gentle influence of another ('river'). With influences ranging from mountain soul to modern Motown, this track blends organic instrumentation with subtle modern production techniques to create a warm and powerful listening experience.","image_url":"https://v3b.fal.media/files/b/kangaroo/DoPS0lNuSa6yIHyylsJQ9.jpg","audio_url":"","created_at":"2025-11-27T19:02:17.922+00:00"}