About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
Clock Talk 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
(low-pass bells, vinyl hiss; ad-libs: “dig… sport…”) Tick, tock, breathe in the neon fog (yeah) Ghosts of the clock put gloves on, square off (woo) Every little unit got a crown they flaunt (uh) Ancient kids fightin’ like the world they own (skrrt)
Verse 1
Seconds: I’m the spark in the wire, lightning in a blink (blink) Move the market, start a love, make you overthink (think) Every snap a universe, every snap a link (link) You can miss your flight ‘cause of me, let that sink (dig) Minutes: sit down, little twitch, you a rumor, I’m news (news) I make coffee turn to focus, I choose the groove (groove) Stack sixty of your cousins, I conduct the moves (moves) I’m a lesson turnin’ pressure into better use (use) Seconds: I’m the heart ratefight me, feel the pace (pace) I crown highlights, your reels just copy/paste (paste) Minutes: I’m the rhythm of the city, meetings, dates (dates) I turn panic into planningcase closed, next case (sport)
Pre-chorus
They all want credit for the moment I’m in (yeah) Egos of time throw shade at they kin (uh) But if one falls quiet, the whole song thins (shh) Silence so loud, it rattles the skin (brr)
Chorus
Ticktalkwho you think run the block? (who?) Clipcutevery unit wanna pop (pop) Big hands, little hands dance on the top (dance) Family of clocks talk slick non-stop (woo) Ticktalkarguin’ but keep time (keep) Dripdropseconds flood the skyline (splash) All y’all fight, still build this design (facts) Ancient and young, immortal by design (yeah)
Verse 2
Hours: I’m the shift change, history in chunks (chunks) Blueprints born when I’m swingin’ these trunks (boom) Nine to five, studio nights, iron pump (grr) Books get written when I carry that thump (hey) Days: hush, lil’ segment, you be narrow in scope (scope) I see sunrises heal and sundowns cope (cope) I’m the roadtrip memories, sandbar hope (hope) You the chapter, I’m the arc, that’s Pope (dope) Hours: productivityproof on screen (screen) I turn minutes to monuments clean (clean) Days: you can grind and still miss the theme (theme) Rest is a weapon; balance the scheme (scheme) Hours: “I make history happen!”I said what I mean (mean) Days: then why you fall short when we dream? (dream)
Pre-chorus
They all want credit for the moment I’m in (yeah) Egos of time throw shade at they kin (uh) But if one falls quiet, the whole song thins (shh) Silence so loud, it rattles the skin (skin)
Chorus
Ticktalkwho you think run the block? (who?) Clipcutevery unit wanna pop (pop) Big hands, little hands dance on the top (top) Family of clocks talk slick non-stop (non-stop) Ticktalkarguin’ but keep time (keep) Dripdropseconds flood the skyline (drip) All y’all fight, still build this design (build) Ancient and young, immortal by design (facts)
Verse 3
Weeks: I’m cadencehabit loops, steady gain (gain) Weigh-in Fridays, faith through rain (rain) I teach patience; seven beats in the chain (chain) I’m the chorus of life you can’t explain (nah) Months: cute rhythm, but I move nations (nations) Quarterlies, rent dates, migrations (go) Harvests, school terms, transformations (yup) I etch chapters into constellations (stars) Years (vocoder, elder tone): I’m the eldercheers and tears (cheers) Birth rings, stretch marks, salt-stained piers (piers) Celebrated wisdom, cursed veneers (cursed) You fear my totals, but I make careers (real) Weeks: we coach growth; gym scars fade (fade) Months: we stack stories; festivals made (made) Years: without my ledger, none of you stayed (stayed) I’m the archive keeper, both light and shade (shade)
Bridge
Drums drop; pad swellscosmic hush (shh) Before the first heartbeat, we learned to rush (rush) Before the first sunrise, we argued this much (facts) Eternal childrenimmortal touch (touch) It ain’t noise, it’s art in a mirrored hall (hall) Every unit a brush on existence’s wall (wall) Win or lose the mic, you still part of it all (all) Clock choir sing while the comets fall (fall)
Chorus
Ticktalknow we all run the block (we) Clipcutsync up, never stop (never) Big hands, little hands, same sky on top (same) Family of time turn static to shock (shock) Ticktalkpride, truth, intertwined (yeah) Dripdroppaint days over lines (lines) Love the fight, but the frame still aligns (aligns) Playful and profoundcosmic by design (design)
Outro
(bell arps echo; ad-libs “dig… sport…”) Seconds to centuries, one bloodstream (breathe) Argue, then hug in the metronome’s dream (dream) Neon halos on the gears we gleam (gleam) Fade to the hiss where the quiet still screams (still)
Inside the recording
Tick, tock, breathe in the neon fog (yeah) Ghosts of the clock put gloves on, square off (woo)
They all want credit for the moment I’m in (yeah) Egos of time throw shade at they kin (uh)
Seconds to centuries, one bloodstream (breathe) Argue, then hug in the metronome’s dream (dream)
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.