[Verse 1] I keep the black on me Like it might hold me here Baltimore in my blood And the salt in the air I know these boards by name Each nail, each worn gray line But I still wake up wrong In this other life of mine [Pre-Chorus] She says, "You look far away" I laugh like I can fake it I map wars in my head And still can't map my old street Two years in Lancaster red Still I miss what made me me [Chorus] Take me back to Baltimore Take me back to where I was I can fight for a crown But I still miss my bus Take me back to Baltimore Where the harbor knew my name Here I lead in the mist But I ache the same [Verse 2] I came with cards in my bag And a mind built for war Now I move lords like pieces On a rain-soaked floor You call me strategist I call it staying alive But at dusk on this dock I let the old world rise [Pre-Chorus] She watches my silence Like she knows what it means I tell her, "I'm all right" But that line's paper-thin Every wave hits home Like a memory in me [Chorus] Take me back to Baltimore Take me back to where I was I can fight for a crown But I still miss my bus Take me back to Baltimore Where the harbor knew my name Here I lead in the mist But I ache the same [Bridge] If I close my eyes hard I can smell the old rain Rowhomes, screen doors, corner stores And the sound of my own name She says, "You crossed worlds for a reason" Maybe that's true Still some nights I stand at the edge And I choose home over you [Chorus] Take me back to Baltimore Take me back to where I was I can fight for a crown But I still miss my bus Take me back to Baltimore Where the harbor knew my name Here I lead in the mist But I ache the same [Outro] Sun on the waterline Black coat, red sky I stay one more minute And let the old life ride
