[Cold Open — dry vocal, sub pulse enters under the last word] My pulse has an accent You hear it when I lie [Verse 1 — clipped grime cadence, uneven bar lengths] You ask me, “You good, bro?” I say, “Cool,” like a cover charge Taste the word, let it turn By the time it leaves, it’s yours You’re leaning on the counter Like the room belongs to you I’m counting every bottle cap To keep my hands from telling truth Your friend says I’m dramatic You say, “No, he’s just intense” That’s a cute way to describe a man Who can’t sit inside his skin I’ve got pressure in the vowels Got a tremor in the joke You keep asking if I’m leaving Like you want me to say no [Pre-Chorus — melody opens, kick withdraws] Don’t translate me for the table Don’t make clean what came out bent If you want the unedited version Ask me where the trouble went [Chorus — wide but intimate, hook lands over centered sub] My pulse has an accent You hear it when I lie I say, “I’m good, bro,” And give myself away every time My pulse has an accent It gets louder when you’re close You call it being nervous I call it finally getting home [Verse 2 — double-time, internal rhyme and social turns] You’ve got that dispensary calm That purple-hour ease Say, “Take it slow,” with one hand low And the other on my keys I know the code, I know the pose The casual little check “You cool?” means “Can I come in?” Means “Don’t make me ask again” Your mouth is doing damage But your manners keep it neat You turn a want into a question Then put both feet underneath I could make a case for leaving I could make a joke and win But the bass gets under language And your knee touches my shin [Pressure Break — drums split, voice crowds the beat] No diagnosis No disclaimer No little blue receipt You don’t need to call it chemistry When the chemistry can speak Ask me once without the audience Ask me once and let it land I’ve been good at being readable I want to be understood by hand [Chorus — altered answer, upper double appears] My pulse has an accent You hear it when I lie I say, “I’m good, bro,” And give myself away every time My pulse has an accent It gets louder when you’re close You call it being nervous I call it finally getting home [Reframe — beat drops to sub, breath, and one far percussion hit] Maybe I’m not hiding Maybe I’m choosing where to speak Maybe every language sounds like fear Before it finds the word for need You don’t touch me like a question You don’t hold me like a dare You just wait until my body Stops pretending you’re not there [Final Return — full deep field, hook changes ownership] My pulse has an accent Now I hear it when you smile I say, “I’m good, bro,” But I don’t need the cover anymore My pulse has an accent It gets quieter when you’re close You call it being nervous I call it somewhere I can go [Outro — dry vocal, sub decays after the final phrase] You ask me, “You good, bro?” I say, “Ask me like you mean it.”
