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: michaeldeanshelton.com
What went down with the bridge in the first place, inspiring me: 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: 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.
Words & music, vocals, guitars, percussion, and mix by S. J. Tucker
Cover image photo by Michael Dean Shelton- support his work here: michaeldeanshelton.com
Lyrics
Will we remember the day the bridge refused to fall?
She crossed the river, and they almost didn't bring her down at all.
After nearly a century of standing tall,
it's gotta be hard to kneel.
It took tug boats and explosives before all was said and done.
This time it was no landslide when progress finally won.
So much for any claim that bridge was less than structurally sound!
How does it make you feel?
Can't blow it up. Can't break it down
where it stands between the worlds or just between two towns.
There's a spirit in the stones that doesn't give up easy.
Do we have what it takes to stand so strong?
Will we remember to walk the hard, but loving way?
Will we tell our children that we marched together that day?
Gotta carry the message, no matter what the textbooks say
after all the storms pass by.
Taking it step by step and hand in hand,
we'll stop the traffic on our bridges all across this land.
Gotta weather the changes as only a family can.
Let's give it a try.
Can't blow it up. Can't break it down
where it stands between the worlds or just between two towns.
There's a spirit in the stones that doesn't give up easy.
Do we have what it takes to stand so strong?
Tests of patience and of time keep coming.
"Revolution never come with a warning."
Love is love is love, and it will not be shouted down!
Let it resound. Let it resound!
Love is love is love is love./Let it resound!
Love is love is love is love.
Can't blow it up. Can't break us down.
I will give you my word. I will drive across town.
There's a spirit in us all that doesn't give up easy.
Do we have what it takes? Sing along.
Love is love is love is love./Let it resound!
Will we remember the day the bridge refused to fall?
Love is love is love is love./Let it resound!
Love is love is love is love.
Love is love is love is love.