[Verse 1: Dabke male lead, hard over pounding tabl drum and handclaps] Sister's wedding, and the hall is packed from wall to wall Uncles stand like soldiers, and the aunties guard the hall Fifty cousins, shoulder locked to shoulder, stompin' in a chain And me against the back wall like a coat hook in the rain Mama always told me, "Stay in line and don't you shout" Teacher said, "Stay in line," the boss said, "Line up or get out" So I stayed in every line they drew, I never broke a rule Yalla, then the leader turned around and threw the scarf at the fool [Pre-Hook: Dabke male lead, tabl rolling] He said, "Yalla, take the front, habibi, spin it high" And the whole line held its breath to see if I would try [Hook: Dabke male lead, full band, handclaps] Every year they said stay in line, stay in line Now I'm way out front of it and the scarf is flyin' high Fifty cousins behind me and the floor's about to crack Yeah, I'm out of line, and the whole line's at my back [Verse 2: Dabke male lead, faster, mijwiz reed riff over the stomps] First step, I was shakin', second step, I found the beat Third step, every uncle in the hall was on his feet I was kickin' like my grandfather, the one I never met Like his boots are in the floorboards, and they haven't quit me yet Aunties yellin' from the tables, kids are jumpin' on the chairs And my sister in her white dress, cryin' laughin' in the glare Habibi, I been standin' at the back for twenty years Turns out the front was waitin', it just needed me to steer [Hook: Dabke male lead, full band, handclaps] Every year they said stay in line, stay in line Now I'm way out front of it and the scarf is flyin' high Fifty cousins behind me and the floor's about to crack Yeah, I'm out of line, and the whole line's at my back [Verse 3: Dabke male lead, mijwiz flare, the reed cuts in hot and high over the tabl] Now the old leader wants his scarf back, and I wave him to the end Mama shakes her head and hollers, "Who's this boy? Is he a friend?" Every line I ever stood in, every queue and every rule Every "wait your turn, habibi," every bench in every school I'm stompin' all of 'em to sawdust on this rented wedding floor And when the band starts packin' up, I'm yellin' one round more Yalla, tell me stay in line again, I'll smile and spin it high 'Cause the front of the line is the only place I fly [Final Hook: Dabke male lead, full band, handclaps] Every year they said stay in line, stay in line Now I'm way out front of it and the scarf is flyin' high Fifty cousins behind me and the floor's about to crack Yeah, I'm out of line, and the whole line's at my back [End]
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