Intro (Spoken) Step in the puddle… you step in the story… Name’s Wackside. And this alley? It don’t let go. Verse 1 (Origin — slow, roomy) Neon on brick… (pause) like a bad sign. Cold on my skin… but my grin still shine. Used to be “none”… just hood and a stare. Now I’m that rumor… that breath in the air. Found me a red nose… in busted-up trash. Put it on slow… heard the street go crack. White paint, black eyes… like I slept in a storm. Smile too wide… like a blade got warm. Blue hair hang… like a curtain of night. Chains on my chest… go clink in the light. They laughed at me then… when I had nothin’ to prove. Now I laugh back… and the whole block move. Hook (Chant — call & response) Welcome… to the Alley of Laughs (ha! ha!) Where the giggles… turn to glass (crack!) I don’t cry… I snap (snap!) I don’t run… I creep right back (back!) Wackside… (say my name) Wackside… (feel that bass) If you hear that laugh in the fog—don’t ask… You just walked in my Alley of Laughs. Verse 2 (Rise — street myth, still slow) I don’t need no stage… I got streetlights. I don’t need no God… I got three nights. Every corner got eyes… and they blink when I pass. Every tough guy talk… turn to whispers real fast. They want a hit song… I want a haunt. I want a hook that stick… like a nail in a thought. So I keep it simple… two chords, one curse. Let the drums stomp… while I spit that hurt. Fake love wave… like a balloon in rain. I pop that smile… and I moonwalk away. Crowd go “hey!”… but my gut stay cold. Success on my neck… still feel like a chokehold. ‘Cause the alley raised me… with a bent-up laugh. And it calls me back… when I think I’m past. Hook (Repeat) Welcome… to the Alley of Laughs (ha! ha!) Where the giggles… turn to glass (crack!) I don’t cry… I snap (snap!) I don’t run… I creep right back (back!) Wackside… (say my name) Wackside… (feel that bass) If you hear that laugh in the fog—don’t ask… You just walked in my Alley of Laughs. Bridge (Half-time — spoken/rap, confession vibe) (Beat drops back… calliope louder) I was hungry as a kid… and the jokes weren’t funny. Had dreams in my head… but the world took money. So I stitched me a smile… outta panic and pride. Now the mask don’t slip… it just… fits my face right. They say “you good?”… I say “I’m built like this.” I say “I’m fine”… with a mouth fulla grit. If you stare too long… you might see your own. Same hurt, same hate… same walk home alone. (whisper) You ain’t better than me… you just hid it more. Verse 3 (Climax — alley “owns him,” creepy but funny) I keep a joke in my pocket… like a switchblade trick. Pull it out quick… make your brave act quit. You hear my chain talk… like a rattlesnake prayer. One step behind you… but I’m already there. I don’t chase no victims… I let fear bring ‘em. City got sins… and the alley sing ‘em. Lamp post buzzing… like it nervous to glow. Trash can choir… do a low “uh-oh.” I ain’t a monster… I’m a mirror with paint. I’m that laugh you swallow… when you swear you ain’t. So keep your flashlight… keep your tough-guy stance… If the fog start giggling… you already danced. Final Hook (Big, crowd chant) Welcome… to the Alley of Laughs (ha! ha!) Where the giggles… turn to glass (crack!) I don’t cry… I snap (snap!) I don’t run… I creep right back (back!) Wackside… (say my name) Wackside… (feel that bass) If you hear that laugh in the fog—don’t ask… You just walked in my Alley of Laughs. Outro (Spoken) (footsteps fade… siren bends… last calliope note) If you made it out… you brought it with you. (soft laugh) See you in the puddles.
