About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
Straight Prison 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
Sirens echo off the bricks at night Truth gets buried deeper than the grave site
Verse 1
Back-alley deals in thousand-dollar suits Same hands that shake now sign the warrants to shoot They poison the water, call it “zoning fees” We breathe the smoke while they plant new trees Blood money stacked in offshore vaults Laugh on the yacht, never feel the fault One rock on the corner, SWAT kick the door They crash the whole market, still walkin’ free for more
Chorus
Straight prison, no velvet rope lane Same rusted gate, same cold chain You bleed people dry, you do real time No tailored lies, no soft headline
Verse 2
She hides the split lip with dollar-store gloss He swears “never again” while reloading the loss Kids hear the thuds through paper-thin walls Neighbors turn the TV up, nobody calls He cries in the courtroom, clean shirt, clean slate She limps to the bus stop, still feels the weight Judge says “restraining order,” like paper can stop fists Love turned to war, and the system just assists
Chorus
Straight prison, no velvet rope lane Same rusted gate, same cold chain You bleed people dry, you do real time No tailored lies, no soft headline
Verse 3
Uncle with the nice car and the candy in his ride Groom little secrets that never subside Church boy smile while the kids learn shame File “misplaced,” another erased name We catch a predator on the block, it’s open season They catch one in a robe, sudden “allegations freezin’” Touch one child, the cage should swallow the key No plea, no bail, no celebrity
Verse 4
Boss steals hours, calls it “lean staffing” Your spine cracks lifting while he’s steady laughing Factory smoke blackens the playground air They get tax breaks, we get cancer care They tank the economy, golden parachute drop We lose the crib, they buy another hilltop Same blood on the ledger, different color ink One gets headlines soft, one gets the sink
Verse 5
Same courthouse steps, two different doors One walks out smiling, one dragged across floors Skin tone decides if the gavel falls hard “Boys will be boys” or twenty-five in the yard They call it justice when it’s just control If your zip code wrong, they tax your soul I’m sick of the shrugs, sick of the “that’s life” Real bars for real scars, end the double-price knife
Bridge 1
Count the mothers crying behind locked doors Count the kids coughing from chemical floors If the law’s a ladder only some can climb Then burn the rungs, it’s overdue time
Chorus
Straight prison, no velvet rope lane Same rusted gate, same cold chain You bleed people dry, you do real time No tailored lies, no soft headline
Bridge 2
Say the names loud, no more hush deals No more settlements sealed If power breaks bodies, breaks minds, breaks trust Then power gets crushed in the same damn dust
Chorus
Straight prison, lock ‘em!, no velvet rope lane Same rusted gate, throw it!, same cold chain You bleed people dry, real time!, you do real time No tailored lies, no!, no soft headline
Chorus
Straight prison, no velvet rope lane Same rusted gate, same cold chain You bleed people dry, you do real time No tailored lies, no soft headline
Outro
No more passes, no more quiet cash Same cage, same clock, same final clash Straight prison, real bars, real time For every tear, for every crime
Inside the recording
Sirens echo off the bricks at night Truth gets buried deeper than the grave site
Straight prison, no velvet rope lane Same rusted gate, same cold chain
No more passes, no more quiet cash Same cage, same clock, same final clash
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.