From S. J.
I was inspired to write "The Bridge" by two things: the truly wild 2016 demolition of the Broadway Bridge in Little Rock, Arkansas, just a few miles downriver from my current home base, and community courage and activism then and now. I release it in hopes that it will lift the spirits of all those in the USA & beyond who still believe that everyone, regardless of their background or race, deserves justice and due process, as well as human rights, human dignity, and human decency.

The new Broadway Bridge was the site of our local Indivisible ICE Out Now vigil in memory of Renée Good on January 10, 2026. This was not lost on me, and as soon as I learned of the planned location, I made a point to get this song ready for release as fast as I could.

Let our love echo.
Let it resound.
Let us continue to show up for each other, no matter what comes, and continue to make good trouble, as we have been taught by giants gone before.

Cover art photo of The Bridge by Michael Dean Shelton: https://michaeldeanshelton.com/

What went down with the bridge in the first place, inspiring me: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/12/little-bridge-that-stood-arkansas-controlled-explosion-ends-in-epic-fail

I was on tour far from home at the time, and I was astonished that my home state's capital city had made national news for something relatively uplifting. The BLM protests of the time, many staged on bridges across the nation, were also on my mind, which is why I pay homage to those in the second verse: "Taking it step by step, and hand in hand, we'll stop the traffic on our bridges all across this land."

Do we have what it takes?

I will, at the very least, continue to use my voice to uplift yall as best I can, as I always have.
LFG.

Your purchase of this early release version will help me contribute to efforts & fundraisers at the Stand With Minnesota support directory: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/
Please check this page often and donate often, as long as it takes.

Stay safe. Stay alive. We will get through this. Love yall.

For Robin. For all of us. Thank you for your trust in my skills and faith in me as a bard, my warrior sister.

Robin, a war veteran who also happens to be Trans, contacted me several months ago to commission a song. I asked her to give me every thought she could on how she wanted it to sound and what she wanted it to include. When the time came for the song to emerge, sitting with her words and my own page of notes in front of me, it poured out of me all in the same evening. I rarely accept song commissions, but I'm grateful I accepted this one.

To all of my witchy and Queer siblings, may these lyrics ring as true for you as they did for Robyn:

no shame can touch you,
even when the would-be monarchs wish it so, no.
Fire stands beside you, and love blazes brightly
everywhere we go.

Warriors, I see you.
Happy Halloween.

Love,
Sooj

PS--a portion of the Bandcamp proceeds from this song will become part of S. J.'s next donation to InTRANSitive Arkansas.
https://www.intransitive.org/