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Words from the artist’s archive
Tariff Tide 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
Yo, factory lights flicker in the dead of night, Steel beams stack high under halogen light. Borders locked tight, prices start to bite, But the grind don't stop, we fight for what's right.
Verse 1
Clock in at dawn, boots hit the concrete floor, Machines hum low like a distant war. Used to ship jobs out, now they're knockin' at the door, Local hands buildin' what we couldn't afford before. My old man's pension dried up in '22, Foreign floods drowned the mill, left the crew. Now walls rise high, block the cheap import crew, Paycheck's thicker, but the shelves feel new. Coffee's up a buck, truck parts cost a lung, Kids' sneakers laced with that imported tongue. Balance on the edge, like a tightrope strung, Between savin' home and the bills that come.
Chorus
Tariff tide risin', waves crash on the shore, Keepin' jobs anchored, but prices soar more. Ride the surge or get pulled to the floor, Tariff tide, what we fightin' for?
Verse 2
Neighbor down the block runs a corner store, Stocked with gadgets from across the ocean floor. Now tags jump high, customers walk out the door, Scrappin' for deals, feelin' poor to the core. But the plant's hirin', signs on every post, Ghost town revivin', no more coastal ghost. Wife's smilin' wider, raisin' a toast, To the shield that's savin' our industrial coast. Yet the trucker's haulin' loads that weigh twice as much, Fuel burns hotter with the tariff touch. Supply chain tangled like a boxer's clutch, Wins and losses in every single punch.
Bridge 1
Standin' on the line, watchin' containers dock, Wonder if the lock's worth the economic shock. Families fed, but the dream's on the clock, One man's gain, another's hard knock.
Verse 3
Years from now, kids'll read 'bout this shift, How the barriers built a economic rift. My boy's got a spot in the weldin' shift, No more beggin' for work, no more thrift. But the farmer's field wilts under the heat, Export dreams crushed, can't compete. Circle comes full, bitter and sweet, In the tariff game, no one's complete.
Chorus
Tariff tide risin', waves crash on the shore, Keepin' jobs anchored, but prices soar more. Ride the surge or get pulled to the floor, Tariff tide, what we fightin' for?
Bridge 2
Echoes in the hall, politicians call, Promise gold but deliver the fall. Push through the storm, standin' tall, Tariff tide, risin' for all.
Chorus
Tariff tide risin', waves crash on the shore, Keepin' jobs anchored, but prices soar more. Ride the surge or get pulled to the floor, Tariff tide, what we fightin' for?
Chorus
Tariff tide risin', waves crash on the shore, Keepin' jobs anchored, but prices soar more. Ride the surge or get pulled to the floor, Tariff tide, what we fightin' for?
Outro
Waves recede, but the mark stays deep, Tariff tide, secrets we keep. Factory hums, in the night we sleep, Tariff tide, the promises we reap. Tariff tide
Inside the recording
Yo, factory lights flicker in the dead of night, Steel beams stack high under halogen light.
Tariff tide risin', waves crash on the shore, Keepin' jobs anchored, but prices soar more.
Waves recede, but the mark stays deep, Tariff tide, secrets we keep.
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.