Nail it

[Intro — wood dragged across concrete] Measure twice… Still cut me wrong. [Verse 1 — dusty underground hip-hop] Found some wood by the roadside Still had rain in the grain Built a table with two legs Watched it stand there anyway Every board came with a bend Every edge came unfinished I stopped asking for instructions When the box came with pieces missing Palm rough, grip steady Don’t mean my hands ready Some things hold more weight When the frame look barely heavy Hit once—it went crooked Hit twice—it went deep Funny how the smallest metal Make the strongest wood keep [Hook — no vocals] [HAMMER HITS NAIL] BANG… BANG-BANG… BANG [Wood creaks] BANG… BANG-BANG… BANG [Final strike rings longer than the others] [Verse 2 — DC Go-Go pocket underneath] Some nails went through the surface Some disappeared inside Some held up what I was building Some just split it down the side I learned pressure got a rhythm If you listen through the noise Whole room thought I was breaking I was locking in the joints Don’t pull it out Might loosen something Don’t cover it That rust mean something Every mark ain’t decoration Every hole don’t need repairing Some walls only still standing ’Cause of what nobody seeing Keep that pocket right there Let the wood talk back If it bend with every hit That don’t mean it cracked [Hook — hammer joins Go-Go percussion] [HAMMER HITS NAIL] BANG… BANG-BANG… BANG *[Congas answer] BANG… BANG-BANG… BANG [Loose nail rolls across the floor] [Verse 3 — dark distorted 808] Built a door with no address Still put hinges on the side Built a bed with extra room Still slept close against the wall Built a frame around a picture Face inside it looked familiar Couldn’t tell if he survived it Or just learned to hold it stiller One nail for the weight One nail for the wait One bent when I swung mad Still drove it in straight One stayed halfway out I left that one alone Need something sharp to remind me This was never really home Now the hammer got my fingerprints Handle shaped just like my grip I don’t know what I’m constructing I just know I can’t quit When they finally see it standing They gon’ praise the wood and scale Nobody asks what held it up— Nobody ever thanks the nails [Final Hook — everything drops out] [One hammer strike] BANG. [Long silence] *[Second strike—closer] BANG. [Wood settles] *[Final strike] BANG. [Outro — whispered] It held.