[Cold Open - Chopped Female Soul Sample, Filtered] [Female Sample] Where’d we— where’d we— where’d we lose— [Hard Cut] [Male Rap Vocal - Natural Mid-Range] How? Where? When? When did human nature go sideways? That’s the part I can’t shake. Maybe nobody taught us this. Maybe nobody had to. [Marching Snare Rolls In] [Verse 1 - Rapid-Fire Rap] When did hate become habit blood on fabric flag wrapped tragic War got packaged branded magic bomb hits school then somebody hashtags it Some wanna build some wanna burn Everybody waiting for somebody else’s turn Want clean air? Want peace? Want hands held tight? Then why’s every microphone begging for a fight? Gold gets worshipped people get sold Pray to a name we’ll never know Animal snaps— human claps Different dialect same damn trap Tradition gets lost in a comment war Religion gets swung like a Louisville four Respect died young and nobody came Roaches on the wall loaded gun in the frame No gas for the mower city says cut it Mama got scissors in the sun— fuck it. Blade by blade she clears that yard Tell me again who ain’t working hard. [Beat Cuts] Tell me. [Female Sample Slams In] [Hook - Chopped Female Soul Sample] Where’d we go wrong? [Chop] Wrong— wrong— Where’d we lose us? [Male Ad-Lib] Where? [Female Sample] Every day the sky still sings— [Glitch Chop] Still sings— still sings— But nobody listens— [Beat Drop] to the hush. [Verse 2 - Faster Pocket] Wishing to spiders for miracle shoes Holes in the cleats still nothing to lose Brother took off new man in the house Fists got loud everybody got quiet Car broke down food ran thin Mom behind the door with the whole world in Roaches crawl so you don’t bring friends Learn embarrassment before you learn rent Ten years old grown folks judging Newsprint ready whole town buzzing Grandma gone brother gone Still make jokes like nothing’s wrong Dead-eyed kid in a living room Adults raise glasses to a future tomb Grass too high? City sends paper. Money too low? See you later. Funny how bills always know your address Hope gets lost but the mail don’t miss. [Snare Fill] And I’m still breathing. Still. Fuckin’. Breathing. [Hook - Female Sample, More Chopped] Where’d we go wrong? [Male] Tell me. [Female Sample] Where’d we lose us? [Male] Look around. [Female Sample] The stars still shine— [Pitch Chop] shine— shine— But the mirror— [Stutter] won’t— won’t— won’t trust us. [Breakbeat Switch] [Verse 3 - Double-Time Railgun] Boil the clams legs gone hollow Two beach houses mean shit tomorrow Fuck fame fuck games dad bounced early Now everybody wants a front-row journey Fill both pockets still feel void Fly past cities I once avoided Seething mouth foaming breath Spent half my life trying to outrun death Drugs in glass pain got laced Love got sprayed like mace in the face Three times broken triple-beam focus Everybody waiting for the fall— they know this. Driver-side smashed new phone Verizon Flew into space still cried in silence Scripts on scripts Emmy dreams Everybody backstage pulling at seams Reality TV reality bent Everybody selling what reality meant John Deere swerves I steer through fate Ask God for change— God running late. Headphones locked whole room blurred 152 every syllable heard No savior coming no clean reverse So I hit this beat like it started it first. [Drums Intensify] Nature? Nurture? Which one did it? Which one put blood in the human spirit? Which one taught greed? Which one taught fear? Which one made strangers disappear? Which one says mine? Which one says kill? Which one builds bombs then calls it will? Maybe we’re born with it. Maybe we learn it. Maybe the truth is we feed it then turn it. [Beat Completely Stops] Either way— it’s ours. [Female Sample - Bare] Where’d we go wrong? [Final Hook - Full Drums + Chopped Soul] Where’d we go wrong? [Male] Still here. [Female] Where’d we lose us? [Male] Still here. [Female] Every day the sky still sings— [Male] I hear it. [Female] But nobody listens— [Male] I hear it. [Female Sample Chops Rhythmically] Where’d— where’d— where’d— where’d— [Final Verse Tag - Rapid] Don’t tell ’em I broke the curse. Don’t tell ’em I saved the Earth. Don’t turn my pain into somebody’s merch. Just say I looked. Just say I asked. Just say I didn’t let the question pass. [Drums Drop Out] [Male Voice - Dry] If I die before the world wakes up— don’t tell ’em I had the answer. [Pause] Tell ’em I kept asking. [Female Sample, Distant] Where’d we lose us? [Tape Chop] [End]
