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TERMS I SET 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
They said talk your talk, I said less Kept the play quiet, let 'em guess Room moved when I fixed my collar Set terms before I got the offer
Verse 1
Posted by the window countin' buildings I don't own yet Handshakes pending, favors ain't blown yet Deadass learned it young - loud ones get noticed last Pops said "move slow, think fast" Let the boss feel big, gave him room to speak Fed his confidence, kept my recipe discrete He need me at the table, forgot why he sat there Let him think it's his - that's the pattern
Pre-chorus
Mirror don't lie but I choose what it shows Quiet bread, heavy pockets, how it goes
Chorus
Terms I set, terms I set They don't move until I step Silent bag but the exits clean Everything on the terms I set
Verse 2
Told shorty one truth, she gave the combination Honesty's a weapon, pick the right occasion Ooters thought I'm chill, readin' in the cut Mapped every exit, every debt, who owed what Shiesty how they smile then text your back Stopped showin' cards, they buggin' 'cause I'm flat Reputation's currency son, mine don't got a scratch Guard it like the last pack on the corner after tax
Pre-chorus
Mirror don't lie but I choose what it shows Quiet bread, heavy pockets, how it goes
Chorus
Terms I set, terms I set They don't move until I step Silent bag but the exits clean Everything on the terms I set
Verse 3
Every boss I studied kept blueprints off the shelf Made the room need what only they could help Don't just work hard, be what they can't replace Chairs disappear, yours got your name engraved Look, timing gotta breathe, can't force a win in March October set the table and the seats are dark Watched my moms negotiate the landlord every spring Never begged - just made it logical to bring
Bridge
Pops left the ledger on the counter, open Every column filled except "still here" Fillin' mine quiet, hopin' the math different Quiet money buy the years he didn't get
Verse 4
Put son on with the connect, he ate, kept distance Leveragin' work ain't cold - it's efficient Barber know my name, jeweler know my taste Money move through channels don't know my face Think I'm OD careful? Nah, I'm just awake Every move psychological 'fore it hit the pavement Shift they mood before they shift mine, that's the difference Let 'em feel secure, watch 'em drop resistance
Chorus
Terms I set, terms I set They don't move until I step Silent bag but the exits clean Everything on the terms I set
Verse 5
Play done, leave like I was never in it No loose threads, no bitter taste - finished finished They gon' say my name in rooms I never walked inside Every time they tell it, facts get revised Controlled the frame, chose what lens they saw me through Same kid from the block, learned what silence do Pops' ledger on the counter? Filled that column in Still here, still quiet, terms are mine to set
Chorus
Terms I set, terms I set They don't move until I step Silent bag but the exits clean Everything on the terms I set
Outro
Mirror on the wall shows what I allow Ledger's almost full, still countin' now Son asked "how you move and nobody see?" "That's the whole point", that's the whole point
Inside the recording
They said talk your talk, I said less Kept the play quiet, let 'em guess
Mirror don't lie but I choose what it shows Quiet bread, heavy pockets, how it goes
Mirror on the wall shows what I allow Ledger's almost full, still countin' now
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.