Kosovo

[Intro] Strings ring out, the mountains answer [Verse 1] In the heart of the Balkans, landlocked, ringed by peaks, the Accursed Mountains to the west, the Sharr where the snowfall speaks, Pristina is the capital, young and loud and bright, cafés full of conversation long into the night. Rugova Canyon's cliffs, the White Drin running clear, Mirusha's waterfalls tumbling down from year to year, Gjeravica's summit, the highest point in the land, old stone kulla towers where the families would stand. [Pre-Chorus] One of the youngest populations anywhere in Europe, the future's in the faces, in the music and the hope [Chorus] Kosovo, crossroads of the Balkans, mountains, rivers, stories old and new, many peoples, many prayers, a young heart beating through [Verse 2] Albanian and Serbian, both official tongues, Bosniak, Turkish, Roma, Gorani, Ashkali songs, in Prizren the Sinan Pasha Mosque, the old Stone Bridge across the stream, the frescoes of Dečani's monastery, a World Heritage gleam, Illyrian tribes and Roman roads, Byzantine and medieval kings, five centuries of Ottoman rule, each left its mark on things, flija baked in layers slowly by the fire, the one-string lahuta and gusle singing epics ever higher. [Chorus] Kosovo, crossroads of the Balkans, mountains, rivers, stories old and new, many peoples, many prayers, a young heart beating through [Bridge] Wedding drums on summer nights, the circle dance goes round, peppers roasting in the autumn, ajvar in the jars, families coming home in August, cars along the roads, every window lit with welcome underneath the stars. [Final Chorus] Kosovo, crossroads of the Balkans, mountains, rivers, stories old and new, many peoples, many prayers, a young heart beating through [Outro] Strings ring out, the mountains answer