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Words from the artist’s archive
Rock Don’t Move But the Water Rise lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
Read the lyric sheet
Intro
Three calls back to back on the dash, rain smearin’ the glass on the Palmetto Court date circled in red on the calendar by the fridge where the rice burnin’ Three piles on the table: bills, papers, and the plates we save for when company come The game don’t wait for you to figure it out, it just hand you the next choice
Verse 1
Old head on 27th and 62nd sittin’ on the milk crate while the jackhammers shake the ground Won’t move for the new construction or the new faces comin’ down the block, rock steady Lease on the passenger seat still damp from the humidity, signature smudged where my hand shook Paper thin walls in the Miramar spot, roaches don’t care about the lease I signed Bus on State Road 441 hiss like a warning when the doors close on the ones who second guess Shorty at the light cut everybody off, middle finger out the window, ain’t playin’ by the old rules Corner store plexiglass on 79th thick enough to stop a bullet but not the questions at the counter Everybody holdin’ one of the three in they hand, even when they don’t know which one they chose today
Chorus
Rock don’t move but the water still rise ’round here. Paper cover the cracks ’til the next storm come through. Scissors make the cut but the pieces still on the floor. Pick your poison slow, the game don’t care which one you choose.
Verse 2
Weight hit different when the phone light up with the same number that called while you was in traffic on I-95 Foldin’ the court papers at the kitchen table, ink runnin’ ’cause the air too thick to dry right Traffic on the Turnpike got me countin’ which bill get the last of the check and which one get ignored Rock in my lungs when I see the notice on the door two houses down, stubborn like it can’t reach me Paper trail longer than the line at the community college financial aid window on the first Scissors in the glove box when I think about ghostin’ the whole situation and changin’ the area code But the porch light still on at the family house in Lauderhill even when the power company knockin’ Weight sit on the chest like the humidity, make every breath and every decision feel heavier than it should
Chorus
Scissors make the cut but the pieces still on the floor Pick your poison slow, the game don’t care which one you choose, but the slow one still take you out
Verse 3
Lookin’ in the mirror after the courthouse, rock in how I grip the wheel like lettin’ go mean losin’ Paper in how I keep every receipt in the glovebox even the ones from gas stations that don’t matter Scissors in how I swipe the notification away before it turn into a conversation I can’t afford The reflection show three versions and none of ’em got the winning hand tonight Rain on the windshield blur the lines between stubborn, signed, and cut The game been starin’ back longer than I been starin’ at it Now the table in the rearview got the same three piles I left at home
Verse 4
Now I’m pushin’ back on the rock in me that think standin’ still gon’ stop the water from risin’ Pushin’ back on the paper in me that keep signin’ things hopin’ the next signature fix what the last one broke Pushin’ back on the scissors in me that want to cut every tie before it get the chance to pull me under The real enemy ain’t the rock, paper, or scissors, it’s the hand that keep dealin’ ’em like we ain’t got a choice It mean standin’ in the kitchen with the rice burnin’ and sayin’ the table can keep this round It mean lettin’ the phone ring one more time and not feelin’ like I lost the game by not answerin’ It mean learnin’ my hands to build somethin’ that don’t require me to pick one of the three when the pressure come
Chorus
Scissors make the cut but the pieces still on the floor Pick your poison slow, the game don’t care which one you choose, but I’m done pickin’
Verse 5
To the ones comin’ up behind me on these same wet streets and same tilted tables: Don’t let the rock in you turn into the thing that break you when the storm finally hit Don’t let the paper convince you the fine print mean protection when the ink still wet from your own hand Don’t let the scissors teach you to cut so clean you forget what it feel like to hold on to somethin’ worth keepin’ The real play ain’t in the three moves they let you see, it’s the fourth one they hope you never find: Walk away from the table when the game don’t deserve your hands no more
Outro
Phone still buzzin’ in the cup holder but I let it ring this time Rain still hittin’ the roof but the house still standin’ for now Three piles on the table but I pushed all three to the side Game still dealin’, but these hands done playin’ for tonight.
Inside the recording
Three calls back to back on the dash, rain smearin’ the glass on the Palmetto Court date circled in red on the calendar by the fridge where the rice burnin’
Rock don’t move but the water still rise ’round here. Paper cover the cracks ’til the next storm come through.
Phone still buzzin’ in the cup holder but I let it ring this time Rain still hittin’ the roof but the house still standin’ for now
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.