Shama

Intro

Oh-oh, hey-ya, uh-huh, yeah

Guitar hum, a raspy laugh, light the night — alright

Verse

Shama wakes with a smile and a cigarette grin

Eighty-one candles, and a pack of old records in

Sagittarius flame in a denim coat, free spin

Hands that once held a mic now cup a tiny green wind

He rolls a memory up, passes it slow (pass it)

Says, "Life kept the chorus, I kept the show" (I kept it)

Scarred knuckles, gold ring catching the sun

He says, "Weird is a compass — follow it, son"

Chorus

Shama, Shama, burn it down and lift me up, yeah

Shama, Shama, bong in hand and a coffee cup, oh

Shama, Shama, rock 'n' roll Buddha, laugh it out loud

Shama, Shama, ride that comet — feel the crowd, feel the crowd

Shama, Shama, Shama, Shama

Verse

He speaks in vinyl metaphors, teeth like a grin

Talks about the road where the lost guitars begin

Sagittarius eyes, always aiming past the map

Always traded silver for a story on a napkin scrap

Neighbors wave, say he's part preacher, part jam

He answers with a riff, and a soft, crooked slam

He knows the chords that settle morning into peace

Knows when to let the jangly chaos simply cease

Chorus

Shama, Shama, burn it down and lift me up, yeah

Shama, Shama, bong in hand and a coffee cup, oh

Shama, Shama, rock 'n' roll Buddha, laugh it out loud

Shama, Shama, ride that comet — feel the crowd, feel the crowd

Shama, Shama, Shama, Shama

Verse

Midnight porch, he hums a hymn with a crooked smile

Tells a kid to keep the beat, not the file

Plays a broken amp until the moon learns his name

Says, "Enlightenment's a jam, not a frame"

Pass the weed, pass the story, pass the lighter slow

He teaches patience with a two-chord solo

Eighty-one and reckless like a calendar torn

Wearing kindness like a jacket from a long-ago tour

Bridge

Oh, (oh) he moves like a rumor you want to trust

Uh-huh, he gathers the lost and turns them to dust

Yeah, yeah, chant it, baby, sing it down the lane

Shama's on the highway where the lessons sound like rain

Chorus

Shama, Shama, burn it down and lift me up, yeah

Shama, Shama, bong in hand and a coffee cup, oh

Shama, Shama, rock 'n' roll Buddha, laugh it out loud

Shama, Shama, ride that comet — feel the crowd, feel the crowd

Shama, Shama, Shama, Shama