[Intro] (Haha, yeah) High kids, loud Elmo, turn that TV up Sesame Street in the pit, we don’t give a— (shhh) Red fur in my face, static in my brain Hit play, let the chugs shake the windowpane [Verse 1] I grew up on the block with the big yellow bird Learned my first curse word on the curb by the curb Talkin’ to the screen like it’s talkin’ right back Elmo in my headphones while they dealin’ out back Moms in the kitchen, bills on the table I’m laughin’ with a puppet, tryna feel stable Important conversations that the grown-ups hid So I had ‘em with a Muppet when I was a kid Elmo told me, “Share,” but they fought over crumbs Oscar in the trash, hear the beat in the drums I’m confessin’ to the floor, I’m confessin’ to the night Red fur, big eyes, keep me pointed at the light [Pre-Chorus] Streetlights flicker like a CRT glow Big Bird steppin’ where the rough winds blow We were high kids, low hopes, wide eyes Learnin’ ‘bout the world from a broadcast lie [Chorus] High kids in the back of the bus, yell “ELMO” Gang of little puppets in my head go psycho Red rags, blue rags, felt hands in the air Sesame set claimin’ whole blocks by the stairs Click-clack, toy guns, but the shadows got real steel Big Bird wing-span ‘cross the windshield Gang vocals screamin’ “LA-LA-LA” in the night We were jumpin’ in the circle just to feel alright High kids, high kids, chant it ‘til we all get numb Elmo in a ski mask, beatin’ on the bass drum [Verse 2] I had talks with a screen ‘bout the things I seen Like chalk outlines where the hopscotch been Like my cousin in cuffs where the mailbox sat While Cookie Monster fiendin’ for another pack Yo, the block had monsters, but they weren’t blue They had real appetites and they broke right through So I whispered into static, “What do I do?” And the puppets on the program tried to tell me the truth But the truth got bent through the rabbit-ear snow When the sirens harmonized with the theme show And the letters of the day spelled out “DON’T SNITCH” While the grown folks cooked up another quick fix [Pre-Chorus 2] Cracked pavement, hopin’ for a make-believe door To a sunny day that was more than decor High kids, low volume when the shots rang Turn it up, drown it out, let the Elmo gang sang [Chorus] High kids in the back of the bus, yell “ELMO” Gang of little puppets in my head go psycho Red rags, blue rags, felt hands in the air Sesame set claimin’ whole blocks by the stairs Click-clack, toy guns, but the shadows got real steel Big Bird wing-span ‘cross the windshield Gang vocals screamin’ “LA-LA-LA” in the night We were jumpin’ in the circle just to feel alright High kids, high kids, chant it ‘til we all get numb Elmo in a ski mask, beatin’ on the bass drum [Bridge – Spoken Word] You ever talk to a puppet ‘cause the people too busy? Like… you mute the room, but the TV listenin’? I told Elmo things I never told my friends Like why the blood on the sidewalk never really ends Why the block got ghosts that don’t say “boo” Just names on shirts, now they watchin’ over you Why we giggle when we terrified, clownin’ in fear Why we pass the remote like we passin’ a beer I thought if the street had a theme song maybe We could swap out the sirens for a nursery, baby But the screen just flickered, then the power went black And I sat with my thoughts ‘til the noise came back [Breakdown] Just the kick, just the bass, heart in my throat Hear the strings in the hum of a stuck-up note My voice on the edge, no puppet, no show Just a high kid whisperin’, “Don’t let me go” [Final Chorus] High kids in the front of the stage now, let’s go Gang of grown puppets with the same old ego Red hearts, blue scars, throw your hands in the air Sesame set worldwide, we all been there Click-clack, drumsticks, let the real pain peel Turn the gang war memories into something we heal Gang vocals roarin’ “LA-LA-LA” in the light We survived every alley, every late-night fright High kids, high kids, sing it ‘til we all transcend Elmo in the mosh pit, screamin’, “You can still mend!” [Outro] Chug the chords ‘til the sun comes in Big Bird shadow on the bricks so thin Sesame Street on a dead-end sign High kids livin’ on the fault line High kids, high kids, echo in the halls Little red puppet put a crack in the walls High kids, high kids, never fully grown But we turned that noise into somethin’ our own
