About the song
A story for this song hasn’t been added yet.
Words from the artist’s archive
Tape Deck Click 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
Yeah. Two houses down. 1998 to right now. We didn't know the rules, so we didn't play 'em. Tape deck click Listen.
Verse 1
Summer heat baking the asphalt outside your mama's house We were trading comic books, quiet as a mouse You had the freckles peeling, I had the faded fade Drinking orange soda in the driveway shade Didn't know about the zoning or the property lines Just knew you had the Sega and the extra time Same dirt on the sneakers, jumping off the porch Tape deck click We were just two kids carrying the same torch.
Pre-chorus
Then we got taller, the city got loud Trying to separate the water from the cloud.
Chorus
Same dirt, same shadow when the streetlights hit Different lanes designed, but we never would split They try to paint it black and white, heavy and cold But the picture that we taking got a lot more soul Yeah, Tape deck click capture the frame Two different complexions, but we walk the same. Walk the same, yeah, walk the same.
Verse 2
I remember being fourteen at the corner store Security guard trailing me right by the door You had a pocket full of candy, didn't even pay mind I had my hands up empty, falling behind You looked back, confused, said "Bro, what's the deal?" That was the first time I showed you how the contrast feels The silence in the car ride back to your street Learning that the world got a different heartbeat.
Pre-chorus
Yeah, we got taller, the city got loud Trying to separate the water from the cloud.
Chorus
Same dirt, same shadow when the streetlights hit Different lanes designed, but we never would split They try to paint it black and white, heavy and cold But the picture that we taking got a lot more soul Yeah, Tape deck click capture the frame Two different complexions, but we walk the same. Walk the same, yeah, walk the same.
Verse 3
High school hallways felt like a chessboard Trying to figure out what the system would reward They put you in the AP, put me in the back Said it was a test score, we knew it was a trap You argued with the counselor, slamming the wood Told 'em if I'm not in it, then you never would Same dirt on the sneakers, different look from the teachers! Yeah, you broke the algorithm, cut through the chains.
Bridge
We sat on the hood of that beat-up Ford. Talking about the things we could never afford. Not the money. The privilege to just exist. You listened to the anger, you didn't resist. You didn't try to fix it, you just held the weight.
Verse 4
2020 came around, the whole city burned Sirens in the distance, every stomach churned We stood on the pavement, the tear gas flew I looked to my left, and I was looking at you Coughing through the smoke, holding up the sign Standing on the wrong side of the dividing line Tape deck click A lot of people post, but you actually stayed Proving that the brotherhood was never mislaid.
Chorus
Same dirt, same shadow when the streetlights hit Different lanes designed, but we never would split They try to paint it black and white, heavy and cold But the picture that we taking got a lot more soul Yeah, Tape deck click capture the frame Two different complexions, but we walk the same. Walk the same, yeah, walk the same.
Verse 5
Now we pushing thirty, standing at your wedding Thinking 'bout the tears and the blood we were shedding I'm handing you the ring, standing as your best man Sticking to the script of the original plan Generations of the division, we breaking the curse Taking all the stereotypes, put 'em in reverse If they ask how we did it in a world so blind Tell 'em we just never left each other behind.
Outro
Yeah. Two houses down. Tape deck click We walk the same.
Inside the recording
Yeah. Two houses down. 1998 to right now.
Then we got taller, the city got loud Trying to separate the water from the cloud.
Yeah. Two houses down. Tape deck click
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.