[Verse 1] ROTC deployments Duffel by the door Boots on the carpet Syllabus on the floor College drop out But I still get the bills Mama saving mail On the windowsill Always late My whole life Missed the bus in fifth grade Now I’m late for registration Standing outside Half-shaved Howard Stern on the radio Training room table hums Laugh track Locker smell Waiting till my number comes [Chorus] I’m late for everything Late for who I’m supposed to be Late for graduation Cap and gown still chasing me Running down these corridors Name called I’m in the hallway If I’m always late to life Maybe I’m right on time today (hey) [Verse 2] Jersey shoreline to PATH Salt on my faded jeans Sunburn Sand in my backpack Riding back into the screens TV student center glow Reruns talking over us Faces I used to know Scroll past Don’t look up Always late My whole life Late to pick a side Late to say I’m sorry Late to swallow pride Howard Stern in my headphones When the world felt too loud I was laughing by myself In the back of every crowd [Chorus] [Verse 3] Two years before late for graduation Clocked in Not class Just frustration North Jersey nights Rain on the window Counting crumpled singles Pockets in limbo PATH train Half-asleep WTC inbound Head full of schemes Feet on broken ground Outbound tolls in my rearview stare Pay in small bills Overpay in wear [Bridge] Dreams burning down to the ground Ground zero Ash in the air I ain't no hero Took that ride just to circle back home Toll after toll chasing outbound goals Dreams burning down to the ground Ground zero Smoke in my lungs Heart on E Though North Jersey kid with a cracked halo Counting every stop like a barcode [Verse 4] Payphone calling Ma's on the kitchen line "Baby Where you at?" I say "I'm doing fine" Turnstile teeth bite Transfer in my hand Whole life balanced on a MetroCard scan Late for graduation Cap and gown in the closet Traded in the stage for a graveyard faucet Washing off the dirt from the double shifts Still praying that the city might ever shift [Chorus] [Chorus] [Chorus] [Chorus]
