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Words from the artist’s archive
METER STILL RUN 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
Carol City, two forty seven, bulb keep blinking Cloud went down at noon, ain't nobody seen it History move in cords, we keep on plugging First the lights, then the line, now the thing thinking
Verse 1
NW sixty second, transformer on the pole Granddaddy say the grid older than his soul Bell rang in the kitchen, party line for all Then the cable came, then the modem screamed Dial up to broadband, broadcast to the stream Voices in the air, every fridge got a brain Alexa cut the AC when she heard the rain I asked her how she knew, she said she always on Liberty City sleeping with a microphone
Chorus
Meter still run when the cloud cut off, cut off Lights flicker on the block, grandma still cook, still cook Wi-Fi die at noon, the hands still work, still work Next plug ain't a cord, it's the body that woke, woke up Meter still run, meter still run When the current cut off, the body still hum Meter still run, meter still run Next plug ain't a cord, it's the pulse it become
Verse 2
FPL on the line, two forty seven a month Comcast another buck twenty nine, sucker punch Court date moved by an app, judge ain't see the email Probation officer ghosted, the app say I failed Smart fridge tell on me when I drink the last beer My phone read the room before the room get here Refinanced the house through a chatbot in the bank Three percent went to four cause the AI rank The system know my mama maiden name, my SSN Know the song I'm writing right now before I press send
Chorus
Meter still run when the cloud cut off, cut off Lights flicker on the block, grandma still cook, still cook Wi-Fi die at noon, the hands still work, still work Next plug ain't a cord, it's the body that woke, woke up
Verse 3
Look into the black screen when the screen go dark See my own face staring like it know my heart Optimize the sleep, optimize the meal Optimize the grief till I don't even feel Camera the new mirror, algorithm the new eye What we showing the machine we never show kin [whisper-punch] The thing learning us, we ain't learning back
Verse 4
Pull the plug back, I'm the body of the ghost Grandmother in the kitchen, cafecito on the toast Cousin drive the truck, no GPS in his head Knew the Palmetto from the I-95 when his daddy said The hands still build, the breath still pray The mouth still sing what the algorithm can't say Liberty City porch, dominoes on the wood Spanish on the left, Creole on the right, every accent understood Fed the thing my grief, it gave me back a meme We the data they ain't ready for, the flesh they can't compress
Chorus
Meter still run when the cloud cut off, cut off Lights flicker on the block, grandma still cook, still cook Wi-Fi die at noon, the hands still work, still work Next plug ain't a cord, it's the body that woke, woke up Meter still run, meter still run When the current cut off, the body still hum Meter still run, meter still run Next plug ain't a cord, it's the pulse it become
Verse 5
Lil cousin asked me what come after AI I said baby, look at granddaddy hand, them veins like wires of the sky First we lit the wire, then we lit the line Then we lit the thinking, now we light the spine What come next is what they never made What come next is the body in the shade The next plug ain't a cord, it's how you hold the hard
Outro
Two forty seven, the bulb stop blinking Cloud back up at noon, ain't nobody thinking
Inside the recording
Carol City, two forty seven, bulb keep blinking Cloud went down at noon, ain't nobody seen it
Meter still run when the cloud cut off, cut off Lights flicker on the block, grandma still cook, still cook
Two forty seven, the bulb stop blinking Cloud back up at noon, ain't nobody thinking
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.