[Verse 1] Cobblestones singing under neon rain, The bakery's cinnamon, the harbor's salty refrain. They met at midnight by the old tram line — You dropped your sketch, I swore the town rewound time. We laughed at the thunder, two strangers, one grin, Carved a crooked star on the bench where we'd begin. [Pre-Chorus ] We plant our voices, we plant our names (driving guitar riff) We shout across alleys, we carve out frames. Guitars grind, your heartbeat keeps the tempo tight — A pulse beneath the streetlamp, cutting through the night. [Chorus ] City of Love — we're rooted, we’re free, Friendship tree — sing with me! (Hey!) Roots down deep, hands up high, Friendship tree — you keep us alive. [Verse 2] Lanterns like low moons swing from braided limbs, Kids chalk their futures, lovers press their hymns. The city smells of rain and roasted bean and firewood smoke, A busker threads a chorus through an open-window joke. They built a ritual: every Friday evening, songs and toast, Names circled in chalk, a paper boat for the one who misses most. [Pre-Chorus ] We plant our stories, we plant our scars (guitar pushes) We shout our promises under a hundred stars. Syncopated feet on the plaza, syncopated breath — We carve the days, we carve the debts, we carve the rest. [Chorus ] City of Love — we're rooted, we’re free, Friendship tree — sing with me! (Oh!) Roots down deep, hands up high, Friendship tree — you keep us alive. [Bridge — Emotional Peak] Storm came roaring, glass like teeth, the river tried to climb, One night the lightning drew a line between your street and mine. You packed a suitcase of goodbyes, a ticket, a trembling vow, I watched you from the doorway, whispered, "Come back somehow." Branches split, the crowd held breath — we thought the tree might fall, But every broken limb became a ladder for us all. (Quiet: single guitar arpeggio — stepping back into roar) [Verse 3] Years like postcards, stamps of joy, postcards worn with rain, You wrote from far-off cities, I replied with stamped refrain. When your letter said "I'm coming home," the bell in me ran wild, We met where we once met, older, holding hands like boys and child. We re-hung lanterns, mended bark with stories, tape, and song, The city cheered, the square replied — the friendship carried on. [Pre-Chorus — Build] We plant our laughter, we plant our scars (full band surge) We shout the chorus until the rooftops answer ours. Power chords and polished echoes, fists up in the sky — The tree takes every story, holds them while we try. [Chorus — Anthem] City of Love — we're rooted, we’re free, Friendship tree — sing with me! (Hey!) Roots down deep, hands up high, Friendship tree — keep us alive. City of Love — shout it out, be seen, Friendship tree — our evergreen! [Outro ] So if you wander weary, if you've lost the road to home, Follow lanterns, follow songs, let the friendship tree be known. Two men found a tree and planted a map for every heart to see — In that city of love we learn: