[INTRO — SPOKEN / AD-LIBS] Boston. New York. Different streets, same question: Who are you gonna be? Well— I figured I'd make somebody up. [BEAT DROPS] [VERSE 1] Ella had a car and a key, said, "Little brother, come ride with me," From Lansing snow to Roxbury, whole new world outside of me. First time I saw the city glowing, felt like every light knew my name, Nobody asking what school I went to, nobody caring what teacher said. I learned the language of the avenue, learned how to walk, learned how to pose, Put some shine on the shoes, put a little fire in the clothes. Zoot suit hanging like a flag, conk burning underneath my hat, I wasn't Malcolm from Lansing anymore— tell me, who could argue with that? [HOOK] Call me Red. Detroit Red. You can keep the name they gave me back home. I'm somewhere that the lights stay on, somewhere I can make my own. Call me Red. Detroit Red. I got a new walk, I got a new face, I got a whole new way of taking up space. [VERSE 2] Harlem had the rhythm, and I learned it by the night, Cards on the table, women looking in the light. Dancing till the morning, music running through the floor, Everybody had a story, I just wanted something more. I could sell a dream before breakfast, turn a dollar into two, Know a guy who knows a guy, and somehow make it come through. Trains underneath the city, sirens somewhere in the dark, Every corner had a hustle and every hustle had a mark. I learned how to read a room, learned when to smile, when to leave, Learned a man's imagination can be worth more than his sleeve. And I liked it. Yeah, I liked it. [HOOK] Call me Red. Detroit Red. Look at me now— ain't I something to see? I went from "You can't be that" to "Come and get it from me." Call me Red. Detroit Red. No teacher, no father, no ceiling above. Just a city full of chances and a hunger to be loved. [VERSE 3 — FASTER] Pool hall, ballroom, back room, front door, Dice roll, train ride, give me one more. Pretty girls, sharp suits, money in the hand, I learned how to disappear before they knew where I had been. I could talk my way through anything, laugh my way out of trouble, If the door was locked, I'd find a window, if there wasn't one— I'd make one. I wasn't looking for salvation. I was looking for a name. And if the world wouldn't hand me one, I figured I could make my own. So call me Red. Call me anything. Just don't call me what I used to be. [BRIDGE — MUSIC THINS] Funny thing about a mask— you wear it long enough, you start forgetting where your face went. [BEAT RETURNS — DARKER] [VERSE 4] Then the hustle got heavier, the nights got longer, The little things turned into things you can't take back. What started as a costume started fitting like a skin. What started as a game started teaching me to win. I knew the city like a bloodstream, knew the corners, knew the signs, But every time I found a way out, I found another way inside. I had money. I had women. I had people saying my name. And somewhere underneath all that, I still remembered the boy who got laughed out of school. So I ran a little faster. [FINAL HOOK] Call me Red. Detroit Red. I built myself from the pieces that they left on the floor. Call me Red. Detroit Red. If Malcolm Little was nobody, then Red could be more. I had a new name, new clothes, new friends, new game— And I thought that meant I was finally free. [OUTRO — SPOKEN] But a name can be a mask. And a mask can become a face. [TRANSITION — TRAIN / CITY SOUNDS] Then one night— the police came.
