[Intro | gritty room tone | tight vintage drums | minimal reverb] Floorboard rattlin, glass buzzin in the frame You step in smilin, I spit back your name Mouth tastes like pennies, temper tastes like oil Say one slick sentence, watch the room start to boil [Verse | raspy lead vocal | crunchy blues rock riff | dry close-mic] Front porch jury, you plead with your grin Playin clean angles, still cuttin my skin You keep your receipts like a preacher keeps notes I see your little tells in the way that you float Thumb on the scale, then you wink at the weight Actin like gravity chose your side of the gate You pass out blame like you own that supply Then act surprised when it lands in your eye [Pre-Chorus | emotional build-up | stop-start groove | clipped phrasing] Don’t dress it up in a Sunday suit Don’t talk soft, I can read your route You point that finger, I hear that click One more shove and the fuse goes quick [Chorus | anthemic chorus | stacked harmonies | punchy dry mix] Knuckles white, jaw locked, breath short, eyes flat Teeth mark the silence where you tossed your last fact You want clean hands, you want clean lines But you left your prints on the back of my mind Knuckles white, I don’t bow, I don’t bend You keep swingin blame like a desperate friend Say it straight, no lace, no gloss Step up close and pay what it costs [Break | short sharp instrumental break | crunchy guitar stabs | tight drum fills] (Stomp, snap, cut it off) (One bar, two bar, back on) [Verse | raspy lead vocal | swagger shuffle | room mic grit] Kitchen table summit, you bargain and pose Salt in the wound, then you ask how it goes You talk in circles, you sell me a spin Try to pin halos on polished old sin I watched you rehearse that innocent face Mirror taught manners, liar taught grace You take a hard turn when the spotlight gets near Then blame my reaction, call it severe [Pre-Chorus | emotional build-up | palm-muted tension | clipped phrasing] Quit tap-dancin round what you did Quit actin shocked when I lift the lid You made that mess and you called it neat Now eat that heat when it hits the street [Chorus | anthemic chorus | stacked harmonies | punchy dry mix] Knuckles white, jaw locked, breath short, eyes flat Teeth mark the silence where you tossed your last fact You want clean hands, you want clean lines But you left your prints on the back of my mind Knuckles white, I don’t bow, I don’t bend You keep swingin blame like a desperate friend Say it straight, no lace, no gloss Step up close and pay what it costs [Break | short sharp instrumental break | riff stop-cuts | vintage snare crack] (Quick flash, then gone) (Back in hard) [Bridge | spoken word verse | low simmer intensity | minimal reverb] You want a pardon before a confession You want applause for basic decency lessons You want my temper to take the fall So you can stand there lookin ten feet tall But I saw the trick, saw the hand, saw the slide Saw you trade my name for an easy ride So keep that story, keep that pose I’m done lettin you pick my clothes [Chorus | anthemic chorus | stacked harmonies | final push] Knuckles white, jaw locked, breath short, eyes flat Teeth mark the silence where you tossed your last fact You want clean hands, you want clean lines But you left your prints on the back of my mind Knuckles white, I don’t bow, I don’t bend You keep swingin blame like a desperate friend Say it straight, no lace, no gloss Step up close and pay what it costs [Outro | gritty room tone | tight vintage drums | abrupt ending] Door hits the frame, let it shake, let it ring Keep your grin, keep your sermon, keep your sting I’m not your mirror, not your alibi Knuckles white, watch me walk, no goodbye
