(beat already moving — no intro) (four-on-floor kick — 808 punches between kicks) (tight hi-hats: tick-tick-tick-tick-tick) (SHAMISEN snaps) DANG-DANG! (STEEL GUITAR bends back) WAAAH-WAHHH… (808) BOOM. [Verse 1] Suit talk… Tie talk… Whole lotta big talk… (tick-tick-tick-tick) Left say right. Right say left. Same broke wheel… Different damn step. (SHAMISEN: DANG-DANG!) Promise this… Promise that… Smile for the camera— Then take it right back. (STEEL GUITAR slides underneath) Everybody knows. Nobody knows. (808 BOOM) Everybody running— Ain’t nowhere to go. Nem dem— (SHAMISEN cuts him off) DANG! (STEEL GUITAR answers) WAAAAAH! (808 punches) Dumb. ⸻ [Hook] Nem dem dumb… (tick-tick-tick-tick) Look at ’em. Nem dem dumb… (808 BOOM) Look at ’em. Talk too much… Think too little… (SHAMISEN CHOP) Whole damn world Stuck in the middle. Nem dem— (STEEL GUITAR bends) Mmm. Dumb. (kick keeps pounding — no big EDM drop) ⸻ [Instrument Battle I] (SHAMISEN fires short aggressive rhythmic chops) (STEEL GUITAR answers every phrase with dirty bent slides) (SHAMISEN gets faster) (STEEL GUITAR bends lower and nastier) (808 interrupts both) BOOM — BOOM. (hi-hats keep ticking underneath everything) ⸻ [Verse 2] He say she… She say he… Everybody single Giving advice for free. Swipe… Post… Block… Ghost… Then get online Talking ’bout who hurt most. (SHAMISEN: DANG!) Standards high… Patience low… Want something real— Soon as it’s real… Gotta go. (STEEL GUITAR: WAAAAAH-WAH!) Phone full of people… Room still quiet. (808) BOOM. Won the argument… Lost somebody. (pause) Nem dem dumb. ⸻ [Hook — Different Pocket] Nem… dem… (tick-tick-tick-tick-tktktk) Dumb. He mad. She mad. (808 BOOM) Everybody mad. Everybody right… (SHAMISEN) DANG-DANG! Nobody happy. Nem dem— (STEEL GUITAR answers instead of vocal) WAAAAAAH… ⸻ [Instrument Battle II — Steel Fights Back] (STEEL GUITAR attacks first — short dirty bends) (SHAMISEN answers with sharp double-plucks) (STEEL: WAH-WAH!) (SHAMISEN: DANG-DANG!) (808 starts punching between BOTH instruments) BOOM… BOOM-BOOM… BOOM. (hi-hats accelerate: tick-tick-tick-tktktktk-tick) (everything suddenly cuts except hats) tick-tick-tick-tick… ⸻ [Verse 3 — Calm Delivery] Team win… We won. Team lose… Ref dumb. Player great Till he miss one. Next week score— Here everybody come. (808 BOOM) God said love… Man chose sides. Same holy book… Different battle cries. Preach peace… Practice war. Everybody certain What heaven keeping score. (production begins fighting underneath him) My side. Your side. Their side. Pick one. Truth got boring… So outrage won. (SHAMISEN and STEEL begin overlapping) Everybody talking… Nobody hearing. Everybody praying… Still nobody nearing— (everything drops) Peace. (silence) Nem… Dem… (808 hits alone) DUMB. ⸻ [Final Battle] (KICK RETURNS HARD) (rapid hi-hats never stop) (SHAMISEN attacks) DANG-DANG! DANG-DANG-DANG! (STEEL GUITAR fights back) WAAAH! WAH-WAAAAH! (808 punches through both) BOOM! BOOM-BOOM! Nem dem— (SHAMISEN) Nem dem— (STEEL GUITAR) Look at ’em… (808) BOOM. Talkin’… Fightin’… Postin’… Preachin’… Nobody listening. (instruments become increasingly chaotic) Nem… (SHAMISEN) Dem… (STEEL) D— (808 cuts the vocal off) BOOM. (hi-hats continue alone) tick-tick-tick-tick… (one shamisen pluck) Dumb. (hard cut — no resolution)
