The Jumpy Red Panda by Eilidhschy - Zona

The Jumpy Red Panda by Eilidhschy - Zona

Lyrics

[INTRO – soft felt piano, distant airy erhu harmonics, sparse space]

I’m a red panda…

don’t say it too loud

I move like I’m borrowed

from the trees and the cloud

I’m a red panda…

I think that’s my name

but I forget it sometimes

when I’m trying to be tame

…I think

[VERSE 1 – light piano ostinato, guzheng plucks echo phrases, intimate close vocal]

Soft step—don’t step on the morning light

The leaves all turn when I pass by twice

I blink too slow, they notice me

Like I’m a secret they’re meant to see

Twig bends… I say “that’s just the wind”

Nope—wait—it does it again

I count my breath, one, two, three

But the air keeps copying me

[VERSE 2 – slightly fuller strings pad, erhu doubles vocal line subtly]

Tail tucked tight in a nervous loop

I try to act like I know what to do

But every branch feels like a test

And I forget what I just guessed

Up high, I almost try to be

The brave version inside of me

But then a bird goes “hey!” so I

Just vanish into my eyes

[CHORUS – warm strings, erhu lead vocal echoes, guzheng sparkles, gentle pulse]

Tiptoe—don’t know… where I go

Flicker-flutter through bamboo light

I might be here… I might be gone

Soft little blur in the morning night

Tiptoe—don’t know… where I go (oh no)

Leaves all whisper but they don’t tell why

I’m just a heartbeat under the sky

Trying to hide in the way I fly

[BRIDGE – stripped piano, distant wind texture, erhu slightly playful bends]

I thought I was hidden, out of sight

But the leaves all shook when I passed by

So I froze… then I waved back by mistake

Now even the wind is watching me wake

I tried to be quiet, I really did

But my tail said “nope” and it twitched

And suddenly everything looked my way…

So I panicked politely… and stayed

[FINAL CHORUS – fuller but still soft, strings bloom slightly, erhu more fluid, vocal more open]

Tiptoe—don’t know… where I go

But maybe I don’t have to know

Flicker-flutter through bamboo light

I’m still scared… but it feels alright

Tiptoe—don’t know… where I go (oh no)

But I’m not disappearing slow

Leaves still whisper, but I hear them now

And I don’t feel quite so small somehow

[OUTRO – solo piano, fading erhu harmonic, breathy space]

I’m a red panda…

still figuring out

how to be here

without backing out