About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
Twenty Seconds of Light 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
Aye, hold it there, flash on, flash on Unit 12 light leak, catch that wall
Verse 1
Cheap ring light blinkin with a bend in the stand Cracked tan steps, black rail cold in my hand Lil bro got the speaker with the tape on the side Sweat on the lens, everybody waitin they time Miramar kicks with the squeak on spin North Laud' braids, Miami Gardens grin Apartment numbers leanin, paint peeled thin But when that phone go up, whole floor lock in
Pre-chorus
Handheld shaky but the move too clean We ain't got a set, we just got a screen If the hallway echo, let the whole thing sting Twenty seconds of light make the whole place ring
Chorus
We lit the stairwell up, up, up One phone sun and the walls woke up Rail to the step, then slide, then cut Seen for a blink but we still show up We lit the stairwell up, up, up Big shadow dance when the flash come up Might fade tomorrow, tonight that's us Twenty seconds of light, don't shut that up
Verse 2
Views went jumpy by the very next noon One clip hit hard, now everybody too cool Comments say star, but the fridge still bare No manager call, just smoke in the air One want lead, one swear he got next One keep countin who got tagged in the text Mama ask rent, he laugh then stretch Internet love don't cover them checks
Pre-chorus
Now the group chat hot and the room feel split Everybody hungry, everybody think they it When the number go up, watch the peace get thin Same old stairs, new storm walkin in
Chorus
We lit the stairwell up, up, up One phone sun and the walls woke up Rail to the step, then slide, then cut Seen for a blink but we still show up We lit the stairwell up, up, up Big shadow dance when the flash come up Might fade tomorrow, tonight that's us Twenty seconds of light, don't shut that up
Verse 3
Now the neighborhood pickin who raw, who fake Who got the clean footwork, who got the face Fake friends pull up when the clip get heat Tryin ride the shout, never climbed these stairs with me Corner store talk got a jealous little grin Love turn sticky when the spotlight bend Somebody cousin say he made the whole trend But he never held the speaker when the battery thinned
Bridge
Hear that sneaker chirp in the concrete hall Hear that record click right before we fall Fame got teeth when it bite this small Phone light bright but the night still tall And the one who sparked it looked round real slow Like, everybody want shine, ain't nobody know What come with a face when the whole feed scroll Who survives the look when the clip outgrow
Verse 4
He said, "I made this lane off a busted first take Off a missed step laugh and a cracked handrail shake Now they want the glow, not the weight, not the cost Not the auntie mad cause the lobby got tossed Not the weird new eyes when you walk through the store Not the locals turnin every joke to a score Everybody want buzz when the room get warm Till the same light cook what it used to perform"
Verse 5
Still, next night, same stairs, same yell Same flash cut through that humid smell Cause unseen all year feel worse, can't lie Than a fast bright burst when the feed pass by So we film one more with the speaker half dead With the ring light twitchin blue-white-red If the world move on, let it move, we said For twenty seconds, we ain't stuck, we spread
Chorus
We lit the stairwell up, up, up One phone sun and the walls woke up Rail to the step, then slide, then cut Seen for a blink but we still show up We lit the stairwell up, up, up Big shadow dance when the flash come up Might fade tomorrow, tonight that's us Twenty seconds of light, don't shut that up
Outro
Unit 12 wall still hold that touch Flash gone black, but we felt that much
Inside the recording
Aye, hold it there, flash on, flash on Unit 12 light leak, catch that wall
Handheld shaky but the move too clean We ain't got a set, we just got a screen
Unit 12 wall still hold that touch Flash gone black, but we felt that much
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.