[Intro — warped piano loop, cicadas, filthy 808; low Southern drawl] Twenty years. Look at you. Same old grin. Ain't a damn thing funny. [Verse 1 — gritty Southern rap, lazy swagger, biting delivery] Rolled past the pumps at the old Exxon, Same three trucks with the engines on. There you stood, cigarette in your lip, Hands all shaking, still talking that shit. Said you been clean, said you found the Lord, Said you got yourself straight after getting out of court. But your mama's got a lock on her bedroom door, And your little girl don't call you anymore. [Flow accelerates — rapid internal rhymes] Burnt-up spoon in a bathroom sink, Needle in your arm, got a bottle to drink. Stole from your brother, pawned daddy's ring, Traded everyone who loved you for a temporary thing. Got a liver full of liquor, veins full of lies, Another fresh start with the same old disguise. Went to jail, got clean, got out, got high, Got caught, got saved, got drunk, got by. [Rhythmic breakdown — stomping kick, clipped vocals] Rundown, tore-down, same town. Same old king with a paper crown. Burned out, spun out, face down. Twenty years and you ain't found ground. [Pre-Chorus — low melodic rasp, eerie piano] We were seventeen, swore we'd never fold, Thought we'd turn our names into something gold. You said you'd make the whole damn world remember. Now your own kid barely remembers. [Chorus — ominous hypnotic chant, heavy 808] Old friend, old friend, We back again, we back again. Old friend, old friend, Same wild grin, same wild grin. Old friend, old friend, Let the road bend, let the road bend. I know that face, but who the hell's within? (Old friend, old friend.) [Verse 2 — rapid-fire Southern rap, tight snare, rising aggression] You said I got lucky, got out of this place, Like I spent my twenties on a paid vacation. Like the wars I fought and the friends I buried Were some kind of stories I made up for attention. [Flow sharpens] I got names on a wall that I still can't read Without hearing their voices in my memories. Got nights when the ceiling turns into the sky, And I wake up somewhere between then and tonight. I ain't clean of the darkness, got scars of my own, Got days when the whole damn world's too loud. But I get out of bed, got people to love, Got a life to build and I won't back down. [Beat strips to bass] You had twenty years and you buried yourself. I had twenty years and I buried my friends. They'd give anything to have what you got. AND YOU KEEP THROWING IT AWAY AGAIN. [Chorus — aggressive doubled vocals, distorted bass] Old friend, old friend, We back again, we back again. Old friend, old friend, Same wild grin, same wild grin. Old friend, old friend, Let the road bend, let the road bend. I know that face, but who the hell's within? (Old friend, old friend.) [Bridge — drums cut; venomous spoken delivery] You said, "You think you're better than me?" Nah. I think you're better than this. I watched good men die Who would've given anything To see their children grow. You had that chance. You walked away. [Final Verse — percussive rapid-fire flow, angry and controlled] Rundown, tore-down, same town, Same damn circus, same burnt-out clown. You blame the cops, blame the court, blame your dad, Blame every last thing but the choices you had. Clean again, clean again, how long this time? Another white chip and another white lie. You keep saying tomorrow like tomorrow's guaranteed, While your little boy grows up learning not to need. And I ain't got a medal for the shit in my head, Ain't got a cure for the dreams of the dead. But I learned real quick what a heartbeat's worth, And I ain't gonna waste mine watching yours hit the dirt. [Final Chorus — bitter, sparse, cold delivery] Old friend, old friend, That's what you were, that's what you were. Old friend, old friend, Same wild grin, but the words don't work. Old friend, old friend, Let the road bend, let the road bend. I came back home, but I don't know you, man. (Old friend... old friend...) [Outro — piano loop slows, distant highway noise] I went to war and came back changed. You never left this town. And somehow... You're the one I don't recognize. [Hard cut]
