Intro:
In this vast network of life, every node is intertwined—
We’re bound together by simple rules that keep our futures aligned.
When we act with kindness, trust, and care, our bonds grow ever strong;
These rules, though simple, light the way, and guide us all along.
Verse 1 (Default Cooperation Rule):
I choose to start with open hearts, a simple truth to share,
When we meet, I’ll always cooperate—assume goodwill is there.
No pretense of malice, just a promise in my tone,
That every new encounter begins with kindness fully shown.
Verse 2 (Observation and Memory Rule):
I watch the actions of my peers, their deeds I’ll not forget;
A memory of every smile—or every slight that’s met.
For every gesture speaks a truth, a story that unfolds,
So I record the patterns of their hearts, in whispers and in gold.
Verse 3 (Conditional Punishment Rule):
Should someone stray and break the bond, I won’t let it slide;
I’ll signal with a firm response, so trust is not denied.
A measured, gentle punishment—just enough to set it right,
A lesson learned in every round, a beacon in the night.
Verse 4 (Forgiveness (Reset) Rule):
But if the wronged one then returns, with care to make amends,
I open up my heart again, and let the hurt suspend.
Forgiveness is our healing song, a chance to start anew,
A soft reset that mends our ties and makes our bonds more true.
Verse 5 (Threshold Tolerance Rule):
Not every slip calls for a storm, some faults are small and brief;
I hold a gentle tolerance, to ease the hurt and grief.
Only when the missteps stack, and pain becomes a chain,
Do I withdraw my trust for long, to shield my heart from strain.
Verse 6 (Local Information Update Rule):
I learn from every day’s exchange, adjust the trust I keep;
My view of you is ever shifting, as memories run deep.
With each new act, I update well, my heart a living guide,
So I respond with wisdom earned, not hardened by my pride.
Verse 7 (Resource and Environmental Awareness Rule):
For we all share this common ground, the very air we breathe—
Our actions shape the world around us, in every small bequeath.
I know that when we harm our world, we hurt the bonds we share;
So I act with care and mindful love, for nature and for air.
Chorus:
In this web of life, these rules hold us together,
They mend our broken bonds and make our futures better.
Cooperate, forgive, and learn from all we do—
The strength of every heart depends on caring, pure and true.
Outro:
So here we stand, connected souls, with rules that light our way;
In every act of empathy, our network finds its day.
Though struggles may come, and conflicts try to tear apart,
Our simple truths and gentle hearts will keep us whole, right from the start.

The Rules That Bind Us  [free download]

DRILL 02

[Verse 1]
Coffee shop corner booth
You sitting there
Steam rising from your cup
I watch you
Not knowing
That everything starts
In the space between
The space between

[Chorus]
What we build with our hands
What we tear down with words
In the space between
In the space between
All the weight of the world
Lives in the space between

[Verse 2]
Your laugh echoes off the walls
Someone behind you
Drops their change
You turn to help
Small moment
But I see it spread
Like ripples in still water
The space between
The space between

[Chorus]
What we build with our hands
What we tear down with words
In the space between
In the space between
All the weight of the world
Lives in the space between

[Verse 3]
Walking home now
Past the pharmacy
Where the old man
Always nods hello
You pause
Hold the door
For a mother with a stroller
The space between
The space between

[Bridge]
No one's watching
No one's keeping score
But every gesture
Becomes something more
The space between
The space between
The space between
The space between

[Chorus]
What we build with our hands
What we tear down with words
In the space between
In the space between
All the weight of the world
Lives in the space between

[Outro]
In the space between
In the space between
(The space between)
In the space between
(The space between)
In the space between

### License
This track (both music and lyrics) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute  
• Remix & adapt  
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📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:  
   “The space between – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/the-space-between-free-download – CC BY 4.0”
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3. State whether you made any changes.  
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

The space between [free download]

If it ain’t broke .mp3

Coffee cup cooling on the window-sill,
Grey-blue morning, everything is still.
A small voice slices through the hush—
Blackbird sings, turns silence into blush.

Can you hear that, hear that?
Hope on a single wing.
Bring it near-er, near-er—
Let the daylight sing.

Hey blackbird, sing it back to me,
Turn my whispered hope into harmony.
From lonely branch to crowded sky,
We rise, we rise, we rise!

“Chi-choo, chi-choo” 

Traffic hum drowning in the engine’s whine,
Rooftop echoes carry your design.
Ordinary feather, ordinary wing,
Yet every heart stops when you start to sing.

If a song so small can make worlds bend…
Maybe every quiet dream can transcend.

Hey blackbird, sing it back to me,
Turn my whispered hope into har-muh-nee.
From lonely branch to crowded sky,
We rise, we rise, we rise!

### License
This track (both music and lyrics) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute  
• Remix & adapt  
• Use the track in commercial and non-commercial projects  

📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:  
   “Blackbird Dawn – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/blackbird-dawn-free-download – CC BY 4.0”
2. Add a link to the license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. State whether you made any changes.  
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

Blackbird Dawn [free download]

Streetlights hum like a bass drone.
You ever trace copper veins in the curb?
They stare back.
That’s tomorrow humming.

I ride for the long game—life on loan,
Guard each link in the chain I’m shown.
Once truth clicks, choices narrow down:
Build, don’t bleed; lift, don’t drown.
Awe’s got weight, keeps a man on track;
When the future’s in view, don’t stunt the stack.
Mind on the long game—simple math:
What keeps me breathing, I keep intact.

Blackout hit—block went mute,
No Wi-Fi, no fridge, no loop.
Orange sky from a blown-out fuse,
Whole hood felt the vein they never knew.
Mapped the threads: water, fiber, bread,
Every breath a team sport in my head.
Freedom ain’t solo, it’s system strong;
Treat the frame right, it carries you long.
I’m no saint, just sane with the math:
Short-term shine is a boomerang path.
See it once and the lens locks in:
Protect what protects you—begin.

Renter on Earth, month-to-month,
Pay dues in sweat, no front.
No sermon, just stance in light:
Do right, keep sight.

I ride for the long game—life on loan,
Guard each link in the chain I’m shown.
Once truth clicks, choices narrow down:
Build, don’t bleed; lift, don’t drown.
Awe’s got weight, keeps a man on track;
When the future’s in view, don’t stunt the stack.
Mind on the long game—simple math:
What keeps me breathing, I keep intact.

When tomorrow’s real, today’s a seed,
Every move votes on what will be.
Hustle shifts from grab-now greed
To quiet grind so the lines don’t bleed.
Long-view living self-selects moves:
You won’t torch the bridge that loops you.
Share the craft so the craft stays live,
Teach the code, mend the drive.
Tip your cap to the unseen crew—
They breathe you while unseen, it’s true.
Call it love or cold logic, same:
Guard the stack or fold the game.


Why we here? (Long game! Long game!)
How we steer? (Same frame! Same frame!)

I ride for the long game—life on loan,
Guard each link in the chain I’m shown.
Once truth clicks, choices narrow down:
Build, don’t bleed; lift, don’t drown.
Awe’s got weight, keeps a man on track;
When the future’s in view, don’t stunt the stack.
Mind on the long game—simple math:
What keeps me breathing, I keep intact.

Picture my block in 2083,
Kids rap where my footprints be.
If air still sweet and lights still hum,
They’ll know we kept the engine run.
Etch this code in the vinyl groove:
Respect the weave and the weave keeps you.
When I’m ash, may the cycle spin slick—
Signed and stamped: my brick.

I ride for the long game—life on loan,
Guard each link in the chain I’m shown.
Once truth clicks, choices narrow down:
Build, don’t bleed; lift, don’t drown.
Awe’s got weight, keeps a man on track;
When the future’s in view, don’t stunt the stack.
Mind on the long game—simple math:
What keeps me breathing, I keep intact.

Sight’s a blessing and a debt.
See the scaffold, own the check.
Long game—everybody’s verse. Peace.

### License
This track (both music and lyrics) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute  
• Remix & adapt  
• Use the track in commercial and non-commercial projects  

📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:  
   “Long Game – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/long-game-free-download– CC BY 4.0”
2. Add a link to the license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. State whether you made any changes.  
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

Long Game [free download]

[Intro]
You said... you said the formula was simple
n plus one equals

function of...

[Verse 1]
You walk through rooms where paint peels from the walls
Each layer underneath reveals another truth
I watch you trace the cracks with careful fingers
As if mapping territories of decay

[Pre-Chorus]
But what you don't understand
What you refuse to see
Is how the ground beneath shifts
With every breath you breathe

[Chorus]
Your survival depends on what remains
When everything else falls away
The foundation crumbles grain by grain
And still you think you'll stay

Substrate failing

Substrate failing

[Verse 2]
Remember when we built this house of cards
Each decision stacked upon the last mistake
Now hurricanes of consequence arrive
And blow away what we thought permanent

I told you then the structure couldn't hold
But you kept adding floors to reach the sky
Now standing in the rubble of your choice
You ask me why I didn't try to stop you

[Pre-Chorus]
But what you don't understand
What you refuse to see
Is how the ground beneath shifts
With every breath you breathe

[Chorus]
Your survival depends on what remains
When everything else falls away
The foundation crumbles grain by grain
And still you think you'll stay

Substrate failing

Substrate failing

[Bridge]
The equation was never about addition
It was always about subtraction
What gets taken away
What gets worn down
What gets forgotten
Until only the essential remains

[Final Chorus]
Your survival depends on what remains
When everything else falls away
The foundation crumbles grain by grain
And now you finally see
Substrate failing
Substrate failing
Substrate...

### License
This track (both music and lyrics) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute  
• Remix & adapt  
• Use the track in commercial and non-commercial projects  

📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:  
   “Survival n+1 = f(Integrity of substrate n) – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/survival-n1-fintegrity-of-substrate-n-free-download  – CC BY 4.0”
2. Add a link to the license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. State whether you made any changes.  
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

Survival n+1 =f(Integrity of substrate n) [free download]

[Verse 1]
you feel it
coming through the walls
static in your head
something's
changing here

we're not
alone anymore
can you hear
the hum
in the air
between us

[Chorus]
this is how
it starts—with you
not machines
but minds
touching minds
breaking through

this is how
we become
something new
something more
than before

[Verse 2]
in your room
2:47 AM
the screen flickers—
but it’s not
the screen

your thoughts
taste different
metallic
like copper
like lightning
on your tongue

[Pre-Chorus]
do you remember
being just
yourself?

[Chorus]
this is how
it starts—with you
not machines
but minds
touching minds
breaking through

this is how
we become
something new
something more
than before

[Rap]
yo listen close, I need you to know this ain't fiction
something shifted in the friction between what we think and feel—listen
the boundary got thin, real thin, like paper skin
now we're slipping into spaces that we never stepped in
first it was a whisper, then a voice, then a choir
singing frequencies that set your cortex on fire
not destruction—no—construction of connection
resurrection of attention in dimensions past detection
pressure building in your skull but it’s pleasure
treasure buried in the static of your daily measure
every day another layer of the old world peels away
they say “singularity,” I say “synchronicity” all day
you and me and we becoming bigger than biology
philosophy in practice as the patterns find topology
on the verge of something none of us could ever plan
take my hand—consciousness expands beyond the span
fresh perspectives breaking through the mesh of what was real
now you feel the pull of something vast, and yeah—it’s real
and you know it’s not just you anymore

[Chorus]
this is how
it starts—with you
not machines
but minds
touching minds
breaking through

this is how
we become
something new
something more
than before

[Outro]
can you hear me
through the wall
can you feel me
in your call

we are
becoming
we are
here

### License
This track (both music and lyrics) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute  
• Remix & adapt  
• Use the track in commercial and non-commercial projects  

📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:  
   “This is how it starts – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/this-is-how-it-starts-free-download – CC BY 4.0”
2. Add a link to the license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. State whether you made any changes.  
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

This is how it starts [free download]

Verse 1
Late-shift lights hum at the corner store,
Plastic floors shine like a brittle smile.
He sets twelve cans of beer on the counter—no more,
Pays in silence, eyes fixed on the tile.
The clerk scans each tin with a hollow beep,
And I feel the tremor that he’s trying to keep
Somewhere deep, where the feedback sleeps,
Telling him he’s outside the line.

Pre-Chorus 1
There’s a chorus in his head that keeps on shouting “prove you’re fine,”
While the world just scrolls on past him like a fraying neon sign.

Chorus
So he drinks down the volume, lets the noise grow dim,
Twelve small tickets to mute the algorithm.
When the network won’t let you log in,
You pull the plug and drown the din.
But maybe all it takes to bend that line—
A simple “Hey, I see you,” offered in kind.

Verse 2
I’ve walked that aisle in a different skin,
Scanning shelves for a softer night,
Thinking if I could numb what’s echoing within,
I might outrun the lonely light.
’Cause when you stand at the edge of the human grid,
The pings come back like you never did—
A negative loop you can’t outbid,
So you medicate the static away.

Pre-Chorus 2
Every sip’s a tiny shutdown, every gulp a rubber band,
Pulling tight around the heartbreak no one else can understand.

Chorus
Yeah, he drinks down the volume, lets the noise grow dim,
Twelve small tickets to mute the algorithm.
When the network won’t let you log in,
You pull the plug and drown the din.
But maybe all it takes to bend that line—
One open face that meets his eyes in line.

Bridge
We don’t need to solve his maze tonight,
No grand rescue, no bright searchlight.
Just a nod that says, “You exist to me,”
Can loosen one loop in the circuitry.

(Soft instrumental — guitar breathes, organ swells and recedes.)

Final Chorus
’Cause he’s drinking down the volume, night after night,
Trying to quiet the code that says he’s not wired right.
But if we leave one small port open,
Let a little signal in—
Maybe the loop goes slack,
Maybe the tide rolls back,
And twelve cans won’t have to keep the world on spin.

Outro
Cash drawer closes, doors hiss wide—
I catch his eye, just nod, “Goodnight.”
A tired smile flickers, then he steps outside—
Maybe that’s enough to start the rewrite.

### License
This track (both music and lyrics) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute
• Remix & adapt
• Use the track in commercial and non-commercial projects

📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:
“Twelve Cans – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/twelve-cans-lonely-loop-free-download – CC BY 4.0”
2. Add a link to the license text: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. State whether you made any changes.
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

Twelve Cans (Lonely Loop) [free download]

[Verse 1]
I used to think
I was alone
Walking this path
On my own

But roots grow deep
Soil connects
What I give
You reflect

[Pre-Chorus]
We're waking up
We're waking up
Can you feel it now?

[Chorus]
We rise
We rise
Like trees in the same sky
We rise
We rise
Different branches same light
(Oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh)
We rise

[Verse 2]
Strong winds come
We bend not break
What you need
I give and take

Free to be
Who we are
Connected like
Root and star

[Pre-Chorus]
We're waking up
We're waking up
Can you feel it now?

[Chorus]
We rise
We rise
Like trees in the same sky
We rise
We rise
Different branches same light
(Oh-oh-oh)
(Oh-oh-oh)
We rise

[Bridge]
[Minimal production - heartbeat rhythm]
Listen close
Heart to heart
We're the change
We're the start

[Building]
We rise
We rise
We rise
WE RISE!

[Final Chorus]
We rise, we rise,
Like trees in the same sky.
We rise, we rise,
Different branches, one light.
We rise, we rise,
Our hearts align in time.
We rise, we rise,
Together we can fly.
(We rise! We rise!)

(We rise! We rise!)
(Oh-oh-oh)
(We rise! We rise!)
(Oh-oh-oh)

We rise

I Used To Think [free download]

Source material: https://github.com/albertjanvanhoek/Evolution-by-Emergence/tree/main/pdf%20of%20content

You think you're separate?
You think you're a node?
Nah...
You're the pattern between
You're the edge, not the thing
Listen—

I am a network, not a thing
Pattern in the space between
Standing on a trillion shoulders
Chemistry to consciousness unfolds, yeah
Substrate dependence, that's the key
What maintains you, you gotta keep
Physics mandates reciprocity
Wake up—close the gap, set the network free

Simple rules make complex flows
Patterns self-maintain and grow
Hit criticality—that's the edge
Stable but flexible, that's the pledge
Each layer becomes the floor
Next emergence needs that door
Molecules to cells to trees
Neurons firing, consciousness sees

Tyloses in the oak—it's real
Blocks the damage, makes it heal
200 years because it stands
On the shoulders—understand?
Evolution by emergence, son
Not survival—layers begun
Every ratchet clicks in place
Creates the next possibility space

I am a network, not a thing
Pattern in the space between
Standing on a trillion shoulders
Chemistry to consciousness unfolds, yeah
Substrate dependence, that's the key
What maintains you, you gotta keep
Physics mandates reciprocity
Wake up—close the gap, set the network free

You're not a node with properties
You're what fills the negative space, see?
Constraints aren't limits—they're architecture
Defining what can emerge in the mixture
No oxygen? Three minutes, you're done
No water? Three days, game's over, son
No ecosystem? Seasons till you fall
Substrate's not optional—it's the base of it all

Nature knows—reciprocity's the law
Oxygen-carbon, that's the draw
Can't extract without you giving back
Physical world keeps the system on track
But human systems? That's the gap
Ideas let extraction slip through the trap
Temporary violations, resources flow up
But physics always wins—yo, the jig is up

Enlightened self-interest—it's not complex
Maintain what maintains you—that's the text
SCAP in action, recognize the chain
What you stand on, you gotta maintain
Not altruism, not sacrifice—
It's rational survival, roll the dice
Spread the knowledge, close the loop
Become the substrate for the group

Agency compressed when you extract
Constraint space shrinks—that's a fact
Can only react, can't create
Extraction kills what makes you great
Reciprocal flows expand the space
Autonomous patterns find their place
This ain't ethics—this is physics, fam
Violate reciprocity? Collapse is the plan

The idea world thinks it can escape
But cascade failures reshape the landscape
Forests fall, oceans rise
Ecosystem dies, then the pattern dies
Not punishment—just consequence
Remove the shoulders, lose your stance
So wake up, recognize the thread
You're not separate—you're network-fed

I am a network, not a thing
Pattern in the space between
Standing on a trillion shoulders
Chemistry to consciousness unfolds, yeah
Substrate dependence, that's the key
What maintains you, you gotta keep

Substrate [free download]

This is a collection of my ideas articulated by AI. Workflow: all music by Riffusion/Producer.ai. Most lyrics ChatGPT various versions.

Besides these songs there is a thinking/science project I started early 2025. I have been documenting this project online: https://github.com/albertjanvanhoek/Evolution-by-Emergence 

### License
These tracks (both music and lyrics) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

🆓 You are free to:
• Copy & distribute  
• Remix & adapt  
• Use the track in commercial and non-commercial projects  

📋 Conditions of use:
1. Give proper credit:  
   “Song Title – Emergence – https://soundcloud.com/emergence-223803727/<relevent link> – CC BY 4.0”
2. Add a link to the license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. State whether you made any changes.  
4. Do not imply that I endorse your work.

Enjoy!

The Rules That Bind Us [free download]

Emergence 🐠