Hanging by a Thread [Intro – 70s radio voice, dark rock beat] You're hanging by a thread, and the clock's run out, no time for regret. No hand reaching out, no one to catch you, just the cold hard ground waiting to snatch you. [Verse 1 – Old-school rap] But nobody cares now— or that's what you tell yourself, while you stand there acting like you’re better than everybody else. Who the fuck do you think you are? A king with no crown? You talk like you’re above us all, but you’re still going down. You point, you run your mouth, like bending is beneath you, but every bridge you torched was somebody trying to meet you. [Pre-Chorus – Smooth, high vocals] You’re not made of gold, you bleed like the rest, all that noise in your chest won’t keep you above the rest. [Chorus – BIG high vocals] YOU'RE HANGING BY A THREAD! YELL IT OUT! YELL IT OUT! ONE HAND! ONE PULL! DRAG YOU BACK! DRAG YOU BACK NOW! SO SHUT THE ACT DOWN! LOOK AROUND! THE WORLD DON'T OWE YOU SHIT! AND ALL THAT NOISE DON'T MAKE YOU SOUND PROFOUND! [Verse 2 – Gritty 80s hip hop, rap] You're hanging by a thread, leaning on the corner store glass, while the same block kids clock you and keep on walking past. Who the fuck do you think you are? Fronting hard with a cracked-up grin— tryna talk big in the alley, but you ain't got the tools to win. You want respect like a tab at the bar, like it should just come through— but out here nobody hands you shit until you prove you can follow through. [Bridge] Your name keeps getting dragged through the parking lot dirt. You burn every hand that reaches, then act like you got hurt. Nobody’s buying the tough-guy bit, not at the deli, not on the block. You made your bed in the gutter— now you’re stuck with what you got. The fall’s on you. [Outro – Crowd chant] before you ask the world for respect, learn how to give a little grace.
