April Eight

April Eight is not a song about answers. It’s a song about memory. Set in Pholo Park, 1992, this piece reflects on the loss of a best friend — a moment that never really leaves, only changes shape over time. This is not about politics. Not about explanation. It’s about what remains… when someone doesn’t. Some stories don’t resolve. Some dates don’t fade. — The Dust Meridian Project *April Eight* Polo Park, ’92 We were fire, we were proof That the world was still wide open And it belonged to me and you No fear in the way we walked it No weight in the air that day Just boys who thought tomorrow Could never be taken away They took you — and I still don’t understand How a life gets stolen out of someone’s hands No goodbye, no mercy, no second chance Just silence where you used to stand April eight — I feel it in my bones Every year like I’m back there alone Best friend, they didn’t just take you away They took a part of me that day I remember dust rising Like something coming through People whispering “Buffalo…” But I was there with you Names I didn’t understand then Just fear I couldn’t see “Os Terríveis” in the silence Now it makes sense to me They took you — and I still don’t understand How a life gets stolen out of someone’s hands No goodbye, no mercy, no second chance Just silence where you used to stand April eight — I feel it in my bones Every year like I’m back there alone Best friend, they didn’t just take you away They took a part of me that day People say I should find forgiveness Like it’s something I can choose But they didn’t see that moment They didn’t stand in my shoes They don’t hear your voice at midnight Or the anger I can’t shake They don’t carry what was broken On that road on April eight I’m still talking to you in the quiet Still laughing at things you’d say Still angry the world kept turning Like nothing was torn away You were more than a moment of violence More than a story they forgot You were my blood, my brother And that don’t just stop They took you — but they don’t get your name I’ll carry it louder than all their shame Through every year, through every scar You’re still right here, you’re never far April eight — I won’t look away I’ll say the truth, I’ll mark this day Best friend, they couldn’t take it all Your life still echoes through it all Original meditation © Emil Jung, April 8, 1996 Lyrics adaptation 2026