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Words from the artist’s archive
Dumb It Down 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
The tie straightens in the green room glow The degree hides in the pocket, the slang starts to flow
Verse 1
Ivy leaves pressed in the resume fold Top of the class but the story gets sold ' I feel your pain' with the practiced lean The camera catches the tear that was rehearsed in between They studied the polls, the emotional map The single mom line gets the focus group clap Policy in the fine print, a maze for the poor The soundbite's a bandage on the wound they ignore The accent from the avenue they never walked The fist bump learned from a video that dropped They come from the towers where the tuition bites But on the block they swear they spent their whole life The research team mapped the pain in the zip code The focus group cried on cue for the episode The suit practices the limp like it's part of the role The empathy's a script and the script takes the toll The 'we the people' line with the hand on the heart But the bill in the chamber tears the community apart The emotion's the weapon, the policy's the shield The voter feels seen but the deal is concealed The zip code gets studied like a science project The pain gets packaged in a focus group docket The suit learns the lingo from a consultant's note The 'real talk' is rehearsed till it gets the right quote The degree on the wall is from a school with a gate The campaign bus rolls where the real ones can't relate The 'I started from nothing' line hits the screen But the nothing was a trust fund and silver spoon cream
Pre-chorus
The lights hit the face, the smile finds the groove The grammar slows down like it's got something to prove The notes say 'keep it simple, let the emotion ride' The heartstring pull is the only way to the prize
Chorus
Dumb it down, win the crown Talk slow so the people nod along Heartstrings tug but the numbers all wrong Act the fool, rule the school We vote the mask, they play it cool Dumb it down, win the crown
Verse 2
They pull the story of the kid with no shot The camera zooms in while the funding gets cut ' We gonna fix the schools' but the class size grows The promise is a photo op, the reality shows Crazy on the surface, the policy looks kind But the fine print's a noose and the noose is designed They tug on the veteran, the widow, the block The emotion's the engine, the truth gets the chop The suit from the Ivy with the degree on the wall Campaigns in the hood like he knows the call The 'y'all' and the 'folks' and the pause for effect The research showed it gets the vote and the check The veteran story with the flag in the back The widow's tear gets the poll numbers stacked The block gets the promise, the block gets the speech The suit gets the vote and the community gets the leach The leach on the community wears the savior's face The promise is a photo, the reality's a case The widow's tear is real but the bill is the lie The veteran salutes while the benefits die The block hears the speech but the streets stay the same The suit gets the power and the community gets the blame The emotion's the currency, the policy's the debt The voter pays interest on the promise they met
Bridge
If they stood for something the numbers would tank No core in the center, just the emotional flank The act is the platform, the fool is the play We cheer for the savior while they take it away The mask slips slow when the lights go down But the crown stays on when they leave the town
Chorus
Dumb it down, win the crown Talk slow so the people nod along Heartstrings tug but the numbers all wrong Act the fool, rule the school We vote the mask, they play it cool Dumb it down, win the crown
Inside the recording
The tie straightens in the green room glow The degree hides in the pocket, the slang starts to flow
The lights hit the face, the smile finds the groove The grammar slows down like it's got something to prove
Dumb it down, win the crown Talk slow so the people nod along
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.