About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
GHOST OF THE SONG 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
Render bar at ninety-nine Ninety-nine, ninety-nine
Pre-chorus
Upload Tuesday, ten PM Eighteen streams, I count them Refresh, refresh, refresh again The algorithm learned my voice before I did
Chorus
Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song Trending on the feed, I was trending all along Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song
Verse 1
Bedroom studio, fan whirring, laptop red SM-seven taped to thread, Focusrite plugged dead Seven hours in a Publix lot, I wrote Then uploaded. Got a comment from a bot Eight on the mic cord, fifty on the foam Rent past due, Plantation, forty-four-two-oh-one Mother asked me Sunday if the music paid a bill I said "Almost," which is English for "Not yet, but it will"
Pre-chorus
Check the chart, my face ain't in the top Some prompt wrote a banger while I slept, didn't stop Refresh, refresh, refresh again The algorithm learned my voice before I did
Chorus
Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song Trending on the feed, I was trending all along Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song
Verse 2
Top of the page, a face that don't exist A voice that never coughed, a voice that never missed No scratchy throat from coffee, no cracked note from crying No voicemail from a friend, no mother who is dying Song is three weeks old. Twelve million I have a real mother. I have a real bad day I have a mic that hisses when the AC clicks on I have a demo folder older than the comments on this song
Bridge
I'm still typing I'm still breathing I'm still here The prompt didn't bleed for the bar The prompt didn't sit in the car I did
Verse 3
Posted sixteen times. Deleted every one TikTok crying. Then TikTok strong Light ring Monday, better mic Tuesday Hundred hooks, none of them could save me Harmonized with nothing, harmonized with me Stacked my voice so thick I couldn't hear me anymore Built a wall of mBaileyz, bots came knocking twice Comment said "This sounds AI," I laughed until I died
Verse 4
Flesh on the keyboard, real salt on real skin Bit inside my cheek to prove a body bleeds within Blood in the tooth cavity, copper on the tongue Carbon producer in a silicon-based run Dog walked past the monitor, didn't know my face Stranger on the internet said "You sound like a waste" Read it forty-seven times, memorized the spelling Model didn't flinch, I was the only one yelling
Verse 5
Who's real now. Who sweats, who streams Who's real now. Who dreams, who seems Sold the ring my grandma left to buy a plug-in Plug-in made me sound like what I've never been Opened up my session, stems felt like a stranger Voice was in the wave, I was nowhere in the danger If a waveform wins a Grammy, does the wave know it won I'm the ghost of the song, and the song is almost done
Pre-chorus
Refresh, refresh, refresh again The algorithm learned my voice before I did
Chorus
Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song Trending on the feed, I was trending all along Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the song I'm still here Four-oh-four, I'm the ghost of the son-
Outro
Render bar at ninety-nine Ninety
Inside the recording
Render bar at ninety-nine Ninety-nine, ninety-nine
Upload Tuesday, ten PM Eighteen streams, I count them
Render bar at ninety-nine Ninety
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.