[Verse 1: marseille french-accented male MC, cold and precise over the pompe guitar] Down at the Old Port where the boats knock on the wall Got a folding table, a clock, and I take on all Ten euros a game, and I win nine in ten Tourists, sailors, professors, then they pay me again Learned it in a cafe in Noailles when I was small Uncle had a rule he painted gold across the wall "Touch a piece, you move it, I don't care what you meant In this cafe your fingers sign the contract, that's the rent" So I taped it to my table where the tourists put their cup Touch-move, mon ami, and the clock is always up [Hook: marseille MC, menacing, the clarinet curling around every line] Touch-move, touch-move, house rule on my square Put a finger on a piece, and you better move it there Touch-move, touch-move, ain't no takin' it back You touch what's mine, you move, and that's that [Verse 2: marseille MC, sharper, the snare cracking] Then a yacht man strolls up with a sweater round his neck Sunglasses on his forehead and a watch worth half a jet Says "Street rat, how much? Let's make it worth my time" Throws a thousand on the table like it's nothin', like a dime Then he reads my little sign and laughs, "At my club, friend A gentleman can take it back." I said "Not here. Not how it ends" Clock starts, and he's good, I'll admit he's good Takes my knight on twelve, takes the bishop like he should By the thirtieth he's up a rook and grinnin' at the crowd Talkin' 'bout his boat and how the poor play chess too loud [Bass Solo: everything falls away but the bass guitar, four bars alone while the clock runs, then the pompe guitar slams back] Tick, tock, tick, tock Thirty seconds on the clock [Verse 3: marseille MC, colder and faster, every bar on the stomping kick] Then he reached across for his espresso, talkin', eyes still on the crowd And the cuff of that white sweater brushed his king, and I said "Touch-move" out loud He said "That was an accident." I tapped the sign. "No such thing" Whole port leaned in closer, fishermen and kids around the ring Only square that king could go was right into my knight Two moves later it was mate, and he went from tan to white Took the thousand, folded it, and tucked it in my shoe Told him "Here we don't take nothin' back, and neither, friend, do you" You can buy the whole marina, you can buy the water too But on my square you touch it, and it's got a hold on you [Hook] Touch-move, touch-move, house rule on my square Put a finger on a piece, and you better move it there Touch-move, touch-move, ain't no takin' it back You touch what's mine, you move, and that's that [End]
