About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
SIDE BY SIDE lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
Read the lyric sheet
Intro
Old maps burn in modern fire Borders shift like barbed-wire choirs Screen flickers, I lean and see Two voices echo through history 808s like boots on bricks Smoke and static in the mix Ukraine, Russia, side by side— I press play on the televised tide
Verse 1
[Ukraine:] Yo, we were roots before the crowns Kievan dawns, sacred grounds [Russia:] But I held the reins when time marched on, Empire built, you tagged along [Ukraine:] Tagged along? You choked my name Called it union, felt like chains [Russia:] Wasn’t it I who kept you fed? While wolves circled, I broke the bread [Ukraine:] Holodomor—don’t twist the tale Fields died under Kremlin hail [Russia:] War’s a beast, and truths divide But didn’t I bleed when Nazis arrived? [Ukraine:] We both did, true, but after that— I asked for breath, you took it back [Russia:] I saw the West flash dollar signs And watched you redraw old lines [Ukraine:] Lines I own, blood I spill Not yours to guard or cage at will [Russia:] Still feels like family torn in war One left home, slammed the door
Chorus
I watch the screen, can’t look away Two voices fight in yesterday Borders flicker, flags arise But I see brothers in each other's eyes Torn apart by books and guns The past still walks, it never runs Their pain scrolls past, too real to fake A loop of love we let heartbreak
Verse 2
[Ukraine:] You sent tanks, I raised my voice I didn’t leave, I made a choice [Russia:] I feared your doors swung far too wide And NATO knocked, I stayed outside [Ukraine:] Freedom don’t mean I shut my eyes I carved this dream, no alibis [Russia:] But we danced through wars, through frost and flame And now you speak like I’m to blame [Ukraine:] You ghosted truth in friendly tones But whispered threats through telephone [Russia:] Your idols turned to those I fought What brotherhood have your textbooks taught? [Ukraine:] One that sees, one that breathes One that prays beneath the siege [Russia:] You call it breath, I hear retreat From language, past, and Moscow's beat [Ukraine:] I ain't your shadow, not your page I’m the pen, I’m the stage [Russia:] Then why does it sting when you walk away? Why does my sky lose color each day?
Bridge
Newsfeed cracked, another reel Same two voices, same old steel History’s lens don’t zoom in clean Just two sons fighting what’s unseen
Verse 3
[Russia:] I don’t hate you, I just fear The silence when you disappear [Ukraine:] And I don’t hate, but I must live Not just survive in what you give [Russia:] You wore my songs, my myths, my name Now you erase me in your flame [Ukraine:] Your songs were gifts, but not your leash I built my voice, I found my peace [Russia:] I miss the winters when we sang Now it's just air raids and bangs [Ukraine:] Me too… but pain don’t lie And peace won’t come from battle cries [Russia:] Will you remember when we laughed? [Ukraine:] I never forgot... but I can’t go back
Bridge 2
They're more than borders, more than war They're ghosts from every age before Their love sounds like a distant song One sung in grief that plays too long
Chorus
I watch the screen, can’t look away Two voices fight in yesterday Torn by pride, by pain, by time Still mirror each other in every line No villain here, no saint declared Just stories told, then undeclared A loop of blood, of blame, of cries Still… I see brothers in their eyes
Outro
[Ukraine:] Let me breathe… [Russia:] I never meant harm… [Outsider:] Still they reach through fire and arms [Ukraine:] I must be free… [Russia:] But you’re my scar… [Outsider:] History whispers who we are
Inside the recording
Old maps burn in modern fire Borders shift like barbed-wire choirs
I watch the screen, can’t look away Two voices fight in yesterday
I watch the screen, can’t look away Two voices fight in yesterday
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.