Rebuild the Rhythm

You hear that?

That’s the sound of nails hittin’ time.

Every hammer swing got a pocket.

Every brush of paint got a rhythm.

We ain’t just buildin’ houses —

we buildin’ a groove.

(Brass punctuates with short bursts; snare begins a playful shuffle.)

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We got wood, we got hope, we got coffee strong,

Singin’ “Lord, let the rhythm carry on.”

Roof half-gone but the horn still blows,

Joy grow wild where the bayou flows.

Ain’t no blueprint for a heart like this,

So we measure it out in grace and bliss.

Laugh when it leaks, patch it in time,

Hammer that faith on the two and nine.

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Répare la maison, répare le chant,

Fix the house, fix the song.

Tant qu’on chante, on vit encore,

As long as we sing, we still belong._

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(Rebuild!) — the rhythm, not just the wall!

(Rebuild!) — the spirit of us all!

From the corner store to Canal Street’s beat,

We find our home in the sound of our feet.

Rebuild le rythme, mon Dieu,

We turn old pain into something new.

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(Jon over the groove, choir echoing him)

Paintbrush swish — (choir: swish!)

Board go up — (choir: up!)

Somebody start singin’ ‘bout mercy —

and everybody show up.

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We ain’t fixin’ what the water tore,

We makin’ it better than before.

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La musique c’est la maison,

The music is our home.

La joie notre fondation,

Joy our foundation stone.

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(Brass fanfare bursts; piano runs free-form like sunlight through clouds.)

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(Rebuild!) — sing it till you believe!

(Rebuild!) — love is what we leave!

Every hammer swing’s a hallelujah note,

Every laugh a boat that still can float.

Rebuild le rythme, oh mon frère,

Your heartbeat’s the song we share.

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You can stack bricks all day,

but if the rhythm ain’t right,

the house won’t stand.

Down here…

rhythm is the foundation.

And we ain’t just survivin’ —

we groovin’ again.

(Band rides out with a playful brass vamp, ending on a joyful tuba slide and a piano flourish.)