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Twenty and Gone 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
Rain tapping the dash on I-95 at 2 AM Your name lights the phone but it's just the old thread Twenty years of the same heat, same rain, same plans Now the silence hits harder than any siren ever did
Verse 1
Liberty City corners where we learned to move quick You had the corner store plug, I had the words that stick Rent stacking on the first, lights cutting at 11:58 We dodged the blue lights, shared the last plate on the gate You showed me how to stack when the money moved slow I showed you the exit when the block got too hot to hold Carol City nights turning into Turnpike dreams But the city wrote your name in the rain, it seems
Chorus
Twenty years of war stories, now one grave in the dirt You said we'd both make it, but the streets took you first "The rain always clears," you used to say with that grin But the rain don't clear when your brother's not here
Verse 2
The weight hits different at the funeral in Overtown sun Your mama's eyes asking questions no one can outrun Every promise we made on those late night drives Every close call we laughed off now feels like a lie The crew feels smaller, the block missing a voice Every corner run, I hear your laugh in the noise Rent still due on the first, court still on the line But without you riding, the grind feels out of time
Chorus
Twenty years of war stories, now one grave in the dirt You said we'd both make it, but the streets took you first "The rain always clears," you used to say with that grin But the rain don't clear when your brother's not here
Verse 3
Look in the mirror and I see your eyes staring back Same scars from the same war, same fight in the black You were the mirror showing me the man I could be Now the glass is cracked and it's just shadows of we
Verse 4
Fought the rent, fought the system, fought the doubt in my head But the real enemy was the clock that ran out instead Every "we'll link soon" turned to silence so deep I'm swinging at ghosts, at the pain I can't keep The 305 that raised us took you in the night Now I'm fighting the memory, fighting to keep the light
Chorus
Twenty years of war stories, now one grave in the dirt You said we'd both make it, but the streets took you first "The rain always clears," you used to say with that grin But the rain don't clear when your brother's not here
Verse 5
To the young ones on the block holding tight to the crew Tell your brothers you love them before the night takes two Stack for tomorrow but live in the now while you can 'Cause twenty years can vanish like rain in the sand The lesson's in the loss, the fight's in the love we hold Keep pushing for the ones who never made it to the gold
Outro
Rain still falling on the 95 tonight But somewhere you're riding shotgun in a different light
Inside the recording
Rain tapping the dash on I-95 at 2 AM Your name lights the phone but it's just the old thread
Twenty years of war stories, now one grave in the dirt You said we'd both make it, but the streets took you first
Rain still falling on the 95 tonight But somewhere you're riding shotgun in a different light
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.