[Intro] (Tick…) (Tick…) (Tick…) [Verse 1] She smokes by the door of the boarded-up store Black hair whips the wind like a flag that’s been torn A kid at the curb kicks dust into spirals Scabbed knees, dirty grin still playing at miracles Smoke claws down her throat Wind cuts like cheap gin Dust burns her eyes raw but she won’t give in [Pre-Chorus] Air tastes of tar, piss and rust Old dreams gone to dust She stares down the block then looks away This street don’t change It just decays [Chorus] Rub the grit in your eyes Rub the grit in your eyes Hold your fucking ground Black hair flying Black hair flying Stay right there Don’t make a sound [Verse 2] The dog barks like it’s dying but too tired to mean it Ribs like a broken fence Skin stretched over regret Cracked plaster remembers names scratched half-dead Her ash falls slow like grey snow on red The kid laughs once — sharp, thin — then swallows it again Nothing here grows except the pain [Pre-Chorus] Day hangs low like a bruise Nothing blooms, nothing moves She taps ash on the sill that’s older than her shame The whole block breathes but forgets her name [Chorus] Rub the grit in your eyes Rub the grit in your eyes Hold your fucking ground Black hair flying Black hair flying Stay right there Don’t make a sound [Bridge] (spoken, slow and dry) Cheap smoke, cracked lips Bare feet on hot concrete Small hands sift through glass searching for something sweet Water in her lungs heavy as the truth She blinks through the burn and still won’t move The street leans in close like it wants to confess But it only sighs dust and nothing less [Final Chorus] (building, rawer, almost shouted) Rub the grit in your eyes Rub the grit in your eyes Hold your fucking ground! Black hair flying Black hair flying Stay right there Till the end comes around Dust at the door Dust in her veins Still you stand Still you remain [Outro] (almost whispered, single guitar + distant barking) Barking at the sun (Barking) Barking at the sun (Barking) Empty skin, bone and air The dog knows The dog knows (Tick…) (Tick…) (fade into wind)
