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Words from the artist’s archive
SAME HANDS lyrics
Artist-supplied lyric sheet, matched by title. The sheet may differ from this released performance. Production notes and alternate promotional cuts are omitted.
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Intro
Night had a flicker, dawn got a sign Same hand on the lock, just a different grind Bell on the door where the lookout once sound Still count every face when the cash drawer pound
Verse 1
Back on the corner I was movin by weight Small bag, big risk, cold eye on the gate Had zones, had codes, had trust on lease One bad read and the whole thing leak Count in the dark, keep the stock bone-dry Watch who linger, watch who buy Same four walls, just no drywall then Just streetlamp math and a tired young grin
Pre-chorus
I learned margin from loss I learned silence from sirens I learned timing from knocks Now I open at nine, still hear the iron
Chorus
Same hands, different count Same block, different route Register sing where the corner boy stood Turned survival into somethin the neighborhood could Same hands, same scars New keys, same heart Quote me exact, I learned business in the dark Now the window say open and I still move smart
Verse 2
Now it is cases and invoices, vendor on hold Shelf tags, tax forms, coffee gettin cold Still check the seal, still map the floor Still read a man by how he pause at the door Square on the screen, grant file on the desk CDFI manila folder under payroll checks Same word, inventory, different kind of load Same route get fed, just a legal road
Pre-chorus
I learned margin from loss I learned patience from waitin I learned timing from knocks Now the city fund dreams we built in basements
Chorus
Same hands, different count Same block, different route Register sing where the corner boy stood Turned survival into somethin the neighborhood could Same hands, same scars New keys, same heart Quote me exact, I learned business in the dark Now the window say open and I still move smart
Verse 3
Old friend came in with the rain on his coat Said the place look right, said the woodgrain spoke Laughed like before, but his eyes stayed late Saw the back room door and the lock on the gate Said you really sell peace? I said peace and soap He said you still got that look that can carry hope Whole room froze when the drawer bell hit Two timelines stared in the same small split
Bridge
Soul loop thin, let the room breathe slow He said one quick favor, nobody got to know Use that back hall, just once, just tonight All my old reflex jumped up on sight But the grant file stared like my name got clean Not pure, just earned, if you know what I mean
Verse 4
I told him no soft, not holy, not loud I got kids in here buyin school shirts now This floor took years and a thousand no's I ain't puttin that rent in the hands of ghosts He nodded half hurt, half proud, half gone Like he knew that voice, just hated what it's on Bell hit twice, dawn slid through the glass I felt old life leave, then circle back past
Chorus
Same hands, different count Same block, different route Register sing where the corner boy stood Turned survival into somethin the neighborhood could Same hands, same scars New keys, same heart Quote me exact, I learned business in the dark Now the window say open and I still move smart
Verse 5
I ain't erase nothin, I shelved it with care Past in the storeroom, present in the air Man from the block and the owner both true One taught the hustle, one taught what to do So when I lock up and the streetlights start I don't split the names, I just sort the parts Same hands on the gate, same prayer, less doubt Flip the sign to closed, lights click out
Outro
Same hands Different count Closed
Inside the recording
Night had a flicker, dawn got a sign Same hand on the lock, just a different grind
I learned margin from loss I learned silence from sirens
Same hands Different count
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.