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What the Water Took 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
Canal water don't talk... But it remember every word you said when you thought nobody was listenin'...
Verse 1
Red stamp on the county envelope, starin' from the table like it know how this end Work boots by the door still holdin' Davie mud from the site that keep the lights from cuttin' when the check hit Told my shorty "this the one that don't fold", even when the overtime turned my weekends into another man's shift She said "daddy you look tired", I said "tired better than the stories 'bout the ones who quit" But the phone kept showin' ns from the same 954 zip with the bigger slice, same struggle, different script One post said "one decision", and the water behind the apartments started lookin' like it held the gift
Chorus
I only stole what you opened your mouth to lose... You was reachin' for the shadow 'fore your hands knew what they chose The bone was real, heavy, sittin' in your jaw But the picture in the water had you breakin' every law you swore you wouldn't draw...
Verse 2
The weight lived in the quiet hours, when the AC drip hit the sink and sounded like a clock tickin' down Court date circled on the fridge in the same red as the envelope that don't care about "I was 'bout to turn it 'round" I had the steady thing that let me walk in her momma house with my head up, even if the gas light was on But the reflection in the screen kept whisperin' 'bout the lane where the pressure don't sit on your chest till dawn Old head said the risk low, the payout heavy, "you still playin' safe while the city eatin' the ones who wait" And the canal water looked calmer than the war I been fightin' since I was a jit on the 441 late
Verse 3
I started speakin' different, told the supervisor "I ain't comin' in tomorrow", voice steady but my stomach in knots The bigger bone was right there in the glow, reflection smilin' with the same eyes I seen when I lied to keep the peace at home I opened my mouth to let the real one fall, the splash was quiet but it felt like it shook the whole I-95 corridor The water didn't make a sound when it took it, but something in my chest did when I realized the bone was no longer yours
Chorus
I only stole what you opened your mouth to lose... Now the hands empty and the current don't excuse...
Verse 4
Three days later the phone don't ring the same, the old head ain't answer, the easy turned to "hit me when you can" The county envelope got company now, shut off notice, the final letter, the one that don't bend for "I had a plan" My shorty called askin' if I was comin' through, and the "soon" got stuck behind my teeth like the mud at the bottom The water looked the same when I walked past it on the way to the bus, but now I knew it only show you what you want, not what you can hold
Verse 5
The lesson don't come with flashin' lights or the county truck in the rearview mirror It come in the way the room feel bigger when the one thing that made it yours is sittin' at the bottom with the broken glass and the mud Mouth still open some nights when the screen hit the water just right, reachin' for something that ain't comin' back The reflection don't speak no more, but I swear I hear it laugh when I pass the same spot with my head down, tryna get my life on track
Outro
What the water took... It don't give back... Now I walk with my hands closed tight...
Inside the recording
Canal water don't talk... But it remember every word you said when you thought nobody was listenin'...
I only stole what you opened your mouth to lose... You was reachin' for the shadow 'fore your hands knew what they chose
What the water took... It don't give back...
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.