Under the Porch

[Intro: vinyl crackle, bass thump] Under the porch I been here [Hook: whispered, then barked on the last line] Under the porch where the paint peels slow Kids drop the candy that they don't wanna hold You flip the light off like that keeps you safe Under the porch, motherfucker, I don't need faith [Verse 1] I learned the seasons by the sound of the steps Spring is the wet boots, summer is the sweat Fall is the plastic bags and the little fake screams Winter is the silence and the pipes when they freeze You think a bulb on a timer is a holy defense Cute. I was here before the deck had a fence Before the welcome mat, before the smart lock toy I watched you measure twice and still misread the joy A boy left a chocolate that he said was "too dark" I kept it like a treaty. I don't need a spark I don't rush the screen door. I don't scratch the paint Hunger that announces itself ain't the dangerous saint [Hook: whispered, then barked] Under the porch where the paint peels slow Kids drop the candy that they don't wanna hold You flip the light off like that keeps you safe Under the porch, motherfucker, I don't need faith [Verse 2: brushes, bass walks] Halloween, three porches lit on the block Yours flickers once and the whole line of kids stop Mama says "keep walkin'," daddy laughs it off I am the reason that the laugh comes out soft You salted the steps last year. Cute again Salt's for the living. I ain't askin' to come in I want the rhythm of your house, the TV glow bleed The argument at midnight that you think the walls eat I collect the dropped wrappers like a census of fear Every "just a raccoon" is a prayer I can hear You checked with a flashlight once, saw nothing but dust That's the point of a patient thing. It adjusts [Drop: kit cuts, bass alone] Light's out Still here [Beat Switch: stomping live drums, bass growls] October thirty-one and the bowl runs low You kill the bulb early, tell the last kids to go I don't chase the ones who run. I don't need the race I need the one who lingers when the rest leave the place The kid who looks back at the dark like it spoke I tip a wrapper toward him like a little joke He screams on schedule. You scoop him up proud I settle back in the crawl and I wait out the crowd You can nail the lattice. You can set a camera trap I been older than your mortgage and I don't need a map Every porch is a mouth and every light is a dare I don't knock. I inherit. I was already there [Verse 3: half-time, vinyl dust] Dawn, coffee on the rail, you swear you heard a drag Blame the wind, blame the cat, blame a loose trash bag I don't need you to believe me to keep the lease I need you to keep flippin' switches and callin' it peace [Final Hook: full bark, stomping drums] Under the porch where the paint peels slow Kids drop the candy that they don't wanna hold You flip the light off like that keeps you safe Under the porch, homie, I outlast the faith [Outro: bass, vinyl fade] Leave the bowl I tip well