[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