Words Make Worlds

There's a language in the Amazon With its own way of naming They see the same sky as you But when they sort the colors Blue lives inside another

Words make worlds Words make worlds

Russian speakers see two blues Where English sees just one Light blue and dark blue — different names Different signals to the brain And they sort the shades faster Because the word is already there

Same sky Different map

Words make worlds

You think in the language you have And the edges of your language Shape the edges of what you notice

So every new word Is a new room in your head Every language learned Is a window opening up

Words make worlds Words make worlds

What might we miss right now For lack of the word for it What are we walking past every day That a different language Would light up like a sign

The Inuit-fifty-words-for-snow line Turns out to be a myth But they do see distinctions in ice That would save your life If you knew how to say them

Words make worlds

And music Music is the language That skips translating altogether The one that goes around the words And straight into the body

Words make worlds And the ones we haven't found yet Are waiting