Steel Teeth, Soft Heart

[Intro] Static in my blood, sparks under my skin Whole city grindin’, I can hear it again Neon in the rain like a warning in code Everybody actin’ brave on a cracking road I got ghosts in my jacket, truth in my grin Been through enough, I don’t bluff to fit in They sell fake crowns cheap, I don’t shop that aisle I built mine slow with some rust and a smile [Verse 1] I came up where the silence hit harder than fists Where the love got buried under clenched-up wrists Where the rent stayed due and the hope stayed thin So we learned how to dance with the dark and win Everybody wants power till the power wants blood Till the floor gives way, till you choke on the flood Till the mirror talks back with a stranger’s face And you find out fear got expensive taste I got scars that don’t show in the light too well Got prayers half-broke that still ring like bells Got a heart like a riot in a locked steel room Still bloom, even here, even out of the fumes [Pre-Chorus] Oh, they love when you bend They get nervous when you don’t They want pretty little lies I’m the crack inside the throat And I I don’t break for the theater I don’t kneel for the trend If I burn, I burn honest Let the whole thing bend [Chorus] I got steel teeth, soft heart Black smoke, bright spark Came out the wreck with my name still mine Half machine, all soul, crossing that line Let it shake, let it sting Let the false gods sing I was built in the pressure, I was raised in the dark Steel teeth, soft heart Steel teeth, soft heart [Post-Chorus] Say it loud, say it mean I survived that machine Still here, still sharp Steel teeth, soft heart [Verse 2] They told me keep it pretty, keep it easy, keep still But I was born with a storm and a dangerous will Got no love for a mask and no faith in a pose Too many polished devils in designer clothes I seen nice words hide a knife with a grin Seen saints on the outside rot ugly within So don’t preach clean hands with a venomous mouth I know what real love is, and it don’t sell out I want something older than hype, more true A hand that stays firm when the sky falls through A name you can trust when the lights cut off A laugh in the pain when the climb gets rough So I walk like I mean it, chest full of ache Still choosing mercy with a jaw that can break That’s the trick, ain’t it? Not becoming the blade Just because you learned how the damage gets made [Pre-Chorus] Oh, they love when you fade Make you smaller, make you safe But I was never made For a clean obedient shape And I I don’t fold for the spectacle I don’t drown in pretend Got some war in my lungs But I still defend [Chorus] I got steel teeth, soft heart Black smoke, bright spark Came out the wreck with my name still mine Half machine, all soul, crossing that line Let it shake, let it sting Let the false gods sing I was built in the pressure, I was raised in the dark Steel teeth, soft heart Steel teeth, soft heart [Bridge] Listen I know rage like an old hometown Know the weight of a late-night breakdown Know the lie that says love makes you weak Know the blood in the jaw, in the tongue, in the teeth But I also know mornings After ruin and glass How the light hits the dust And still lets you pass How a hand on your shoulder Can bring back your name How staying human Is the hardest flame [Breakdown] So let it hit Let it hit Let it hit me clean I won’t trade my soul Just to look more mean Let it crack Let it split Let the whole world see You can walk through hell And still not lose mercy [Final Chorus] I got steel teeth, soft heart Burn slow, strike hard Came out alive with my truth intact No cheap applause gonna take that back Let it shake, let it sting I hear everything I was forged in the pressure, now I carry the spark Steel teeth, soft heart Steel teeth, soft heart [Outro] Still got dust on my boots Still got love in my chest Still got noise all around me But I don’t sound like the rest No, I don’t sound like the rest No, I don’t sound like the rest Steel teeth Soft heart And I’m not done yet