About the song
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Words from the artist’s archive
Keep The Edges On 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
City squeaky-clean like a lab coat, glass dome sky, no smoke, Smiles on loop, “be nice” in quotes— But the code got cold, turned hearts to remote. (Shh) sirens sound like lullabies, Posters say “safe,” freedom minimized.
Verse 1
They froze the wolves, filed the teeth off the streets, Parade of compliance, velvet on concrete. Old-school warrior thawed out, jaw locked, heat, He learned fight talk back when danger could speak. Chaos kid loose with a modem for a brain, Jail-broke morals, upgrades in the vein. Rookie with the retro, tapes of the grain, Knows the world’s too padded to carry any pain. I seen the kindness turn into a cage with foam, No cuts, no bruises—also no backbone. If every edge sanded, who climbs on their own? No grit, no grip—then control owns home.
Pre-chorus
Down in the tunnels where the cookfires burn, People trade risk for the chance to learn. Up on the surface it’s smooth concern— But a smooth road slips when the corners turn.
Chorus
Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on, Too safe, too tame—watch the center gone. We need hearts that bleed for the common song, Not a padded life where the courage’s pawned. Hey—keep the edges on (yeah), keep the edges on, Balance ain’t a slogan, it’s a line we walk. Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on, Dial down the fear, turn the freedom on.
Verse 2
City chiefs staged mercy like a polished play, Unleashed a storm to wash dissent away. But storms don’t park where you point ‘em to stay— They flood the throne and the streets the same day. Old-school warrior learned empathy quick, Rookie shed nostalgia, made wisdom stick. Chaos overreached with a cinema kick, Mask off the moral theater trick. Down where the dirt buys sovereignty cheap, They plant rough seeds the clean lawns can’t keep. Truth grows crooked, but at least it’s deep— You can’t teach backbone in a bubble’s sleep.
Pre-chorus
Policy pillows can smother the breath, If comfort’s the king, then agency’s death. Teach hands to hold while they handle the mess— That’s love with a spine, not love that arrests.
Chorus
Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on, Too safe, too tame—watch the center gone. We need hearts that bleed for the common song, Not a padded life where the courage’s pawned. Hey—keep the edges on (yeah), keep the edges on, Balance ain’t a slogan, it’s a line we walk. Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on, Dial down the fear, turn the freedom on.
Bridge
Halftime hush—hi-hats drizzle like rain, Sub rumbles low like an underground train. Flip that switch: competence with care, No soft despot, no nihilist flare. Cut extremes from both of the ends, Hold the line where liberty mends. Teach dissent with a steady hand, Let the grit and the grace expand.
Chorus
Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on, Safety with a soul, not a sleeping yawn. Raise kids who can fail and still carry on, Mid-lifers who question, elders who dawn. Hey—keep the edges on (woo), keep the edges on, Rules that guard, not rules that own. Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on, Turn down control, turn the people on.
Outro
City ain’t glass if the heart’s got stone, But it ain’t home if the love ain’t grown. Balance is a blade we sharpen as one— Be kind, be brave—keep the edges on.
Inside the recording
City squeaky-clean like a lab coat, glass dome sky, no smoke, Smiles on loop, “be nice” in quotes—
Down in the tunnels where the cookfires burn, People trade risk for the chance to learn.
City ain’t glass if the heart’s got stone, But it ain’t home if the love ain’t grown.
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.