[Verse 1: gritty male rapper, steady over heavy drums] Daddy said we lived up in the penthouse, top floor Best view in the city and a guard at the door Mister Abe in the booth with the radio low Lift the gate, tip his cap, never asked where we go Room service was a bag from the gas station shelf Two hot dogs and a juice, and he'd say, "Help yourself" Brushed my teeth with bottled water off the concrete ledge Spit it over the side like a king on the edge Master suite was the back seat, a blanket and a coat Daddy up front at the wheel like the captain of a boat Said, "A man like me don't sleep, son, I'm guardin' the view" I was eleven years old, and I swear I thought it's true [Hook: powerful male soul singer, big and full] We lived in the penthouse, the whole city at our feet Daddy called the back seat the master suite We were livin' high, we were livin' high Top floor of the city, that's as high as you can lie [Verse 2: gritty male rapper, harder] Kids at school asked me, "Where you stay?" and I said it proud "The penthouse downtown," and they laughed it out loud Got in three fights in a week defendin' the place Came back up the ramp with a cut on my face Daddy held a bag of ice to my eye and didn't speak Hung his only tie on the mirror for the job he had that week Every night he said, "Lie down, I got the watch" And I stretched across the back like a prince on a yacht He slept straight up at the wheel with his chin on his chest Two whole years, and I thought that's how a grown man rests [Hook: powerful male soul singer, big and full] We lived in the penthouse, the whole city at our feet Daddy called the back seat the master suite We were livin' high, we were livin' high Top floor of the city, that's as high as you can lie [Bridge: gritty male rapper, each line a step higher, floor by floor up the ramp] Level one, where the meters eat the change Level two, where the guard knows our name Level three, where the radio comes in clear Level four, Daddy sayin', "Almost here" Level five, every light in town below Top floor, "Welcome home," and he parks it slow [Verse 3: gritty male rapper, raw, the strings swell] Got a boy of my own, and last night I drove him there Same garage, same ramp, and a new kid in the chair Parked on the top floor, and I showed him the view Told him, "Grandpa lived up here, and I lived up here too" He said, "In the car?" and I said, "In the car" He said, "Where did Grandpa sleep?" and I looked up at the stars Then it hit me like a door, two years and not a night That my daddy ever stretched out once, 'cause the seat was mine He sat up every night so his son could lie down flat And he lied to me in the penthouse, and I'd give the world for that [Hook: powerful male soul singer and the gritty male rapper together] We lived in the penthouse, the whole city at our feet Daddy called the back seat the master suite We were livin' high, we were livin' high Top floor of the city, that's as high as you can lie [End]
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