[Intro: vinyl crackle, upright bass walks in, spoken, dry] Library called again. Says I've had the dictionary since oh-nine. Tell 'em I'm still using it. [Verse 1: laid-back jazzy boom-bap, smooth sixteenths, brag] Checked the dictionary out in oh-nine, never brought it back Now the words pay rent to me, they cook and clean and stack Library sent a letter, then a lawyer, then a nun I said the book is in a better place, the book is having fun Every bar I write got footnotes, every simile is cited Spell check underlines my verses just to tell me it's excited Trumpet in the corner with a mute in, he my hype man Never says a word, he just whispers when I'm right, man Cold enough to make the upright bass put on a sweater Y'all rhyme hat with cat, I rhyme umbrella with vendetta Fourteen dollars twenty cents in late fees, I don't sweat it I'm the only rapper ever gave a library credit Rhodes chords melting like a grilled cheese in a skillet Snare so dusty that the needle has to sneeze before it hit it Your favorite rapper reads his verses off a phone screen I read mine off the inside of my eyelids, it's a whole scene [Hook: melodic sung-rap, muted trumpet answers each line] Late fee on the dictionary, still ain't bring it back Every word I ever borrowed living in a track Fourteen twenty overdue, put it on my tab If the library want it, come and get it from the lab Late fee on the dictionary, still ain't bring it back Every word I ever borrowed living in a track [Verse 2: head-nod pocket, punchlines, flow tightens] Rappers say they lyrical, I asked 'em to define it Had to Google what it meant, I opened up the book and signed it Look up fresh, there's a picture, guess who's standing right beside it Me in a corduroy blazer and the caption says don't fight it Bass line walking like it's late for work and doesn't give a shit Kick drum knocking like the landlord and the landlord wants a split I don't battle rappers, I just grade 'em with a red pen Gave your favorite a C minus and a sticker that said try again Wrote a sixteen on a napkin and the napkin got signed Now it's touring overseas and left the rest of us behind Thesaurus tried to diss me but it kept repeating itself Called me awful, dreadful, terrible, I said look at yourself [Bridge: half-time breath reset, whispered over Rhodes] Shh. Quiet in the library. Everybody whisper, I'm about to read out loud. Page one. [Double-Time Switch: sixteenth-note triplets into thirty-seconds, crisp consonants] Now I'm flipping through the pages like a pickpocket in a library with a lantern and a bag for every adjective I need Got the adverbs in the attic got the nouns in the garage and all the verbs are doing push-ups on the porch so they can carry me at speed I'm a syllable collector with a velvet case of vowels and a cabinet of consonants behind a combination lock If you borrow one I'll know it every letter got a tracker and I'm knocking on your door with a librarian and a clock Library put a bounty on my head and what they're offering's a coupon for a coffee and a bookmark of a cat Shit I'll bring it back when I'm finished every definition but I'm only up to B and been on B since oh-nine so take it up with that [Hook: melodic sung-rap, muted trumpet answers each line] Late fee on the dictionary, still ain't bring it back Every word I ever borrowed living in a track Fourteen twenty overdue, put it on my tab If the library want it, come and get it from the lab Late fee on the dictionary, still ain't bring it back Every word I ever borrowed living in a track [Outro: scratched vocal cuts, upright bass solo, spoken] Somebody at the door. It's the librarian. She don't want the book back. She want a feature.
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