[Spoken-Word Intro – slow, reflective, let it breathe] [Beat: soft hum / subway ambience] “Underground rivers of steel carry us through [pause] Every station, every turn, a rhythm of life [pause] Let the motion lift you, let the ride speak [pause] Let your mind wander through the city’s soul [pause]”[Hook – repeat twice – moderate tempo, smooth bounce] We ridin’ through the city where the stories unwind [pause] Steel rails hummin’ to the beat of the grind [pause] Every stop a chapter, every face a sign [pause] As we movin’ through the struggle, we leave the past behind [pause][Soulful Singing] Every rider has heart and soul, as we roll... The urban lifestyle, as the Transit flow... We hit that one stop shop at, 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro...[Verse 1 – 16 bars – steady, narrative flow] Back in ’86 they broke that ground [pause] Steel and concrete deep underground [pause] ’91 they let that light rail ride [pause] ’93 the subway opened wide [pause] Red and Purple lines start to collide [pause] Blue and Expo used to stop and slide [pause] Center of the city, connection point true [pause] Moving through the Bloc where the skyline grew [pause] The Bloc right above with a mall so fly [pause] Passengers steady as the trains pass by [pause] Julian Dixon got the name on lock [pause] Politician’s grind put funds in stock [pause] Transfers heavy, the heart don’t sleep [pause] Downtown rhythm runnin’ six feet deep [pause][Hook – repeat twice – smooth bounce, slight pause at the end of each line] We ridin’ through the city where the stories unwind [pause] Steel rails hummin’ to the beat of the grind [pause] Every stop a chapter, every face a sign [pause] As we movin’ through the struggle, we leave the past behind [pause][Soulful Singing] Every rider has heart and soul, as we roll... The urban lifestyle, as the Transit flow... We hit that one stop shop at, 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro...[Verse 2 – 16 bars – slightly faster, add some punch on locations] Then came the tunnel, connector in play [pause] June sixteen twenty-three changed the day [pause] Three new stops where the art lights gleam [pause] Bunker Hill glow, like a downtown dream [pause] Historic Broadway, markets and show [pause] Little Tokyo vibe with that district flow [pause] No more transfers, trains slide through [pause] A and E lines linked up brand new [pause] Music and murals right by the rail [pause] Past meets future on a concrete trail [pause] Crowds still gather where the currents hum [pause] Voices echo through the station drum [pause] From mezzanine to the platform ground [pause] This is the city where the pulse is found [pause][Hook – repeat twice – slightly more soulful / stretched] We ridin’ through the city where the stories unwind [pause] Steel rails hummin’ to the beat of the grind [pause] Every stop a chapter, every face a sign [pause] As we movin’ through the struggle, we leave the past behind [pause][Soulful Singing] Every rider has heart and soul, as we roll... The urban lifestyle, as the Transit flow... We hit that one stop shop at, 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro...[Verse 3 – 16 bars – reflective, let some words linger] Now expansions west, that Purple ride [pause] Wilshire stretchin’ where the dreams reside [pause] Century City, UCLA next [pause] Westwood bound, all lines connect [pause] Down to LAX with that Transit flow [pause] New hubs rise where the engines go [pause] K Line cruisin’ through Crenshaw pride [pause] Neighborhood roots never subside [pause] Decades of build, still grindin’ tight [pause] Steel-wheel rhythm in the downtown night [pause] Innovation, elevation, all combined [pause] 7th Street Center keep the soul aligned [pause] Legacy deep, can’t erase that tone [pause] Underground story with a heartbeat grown [pause][Hook – repeat twice – slightly more soulful / stretched] We ridin’ through the city where the stories unwind [pause] Steel rails hummin’ to the beat of the grind [pause] Every stop a chapter, every face a sign [pause] As we movin’ through the struggle, we leave the past behind [pause][Soulful Singing] Every rider has heart and soul, as we roll... The urban lifestyle, as the Transit flow... We hit that one stop shop at, 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro... 7th Street Metro...[Hook / Outro – strong, triumphant, let the last line linger] 7th Street Metro rollin’, where the city come alive [pause] Tracks underground keep the movement in drive [pause] Perfect strangers with no name holdin’ down the line [pause] History in motion, we forever gon’ ride [pause]
