About the song
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Words from the artist’s archive
Pavement Logic 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
Yo, you ain't seen the line drawn, you just heard the speech. We on the wrong side of that $16,320 reach.
Verse 1
The pavement knows the drama, from NYC to the South's humidity. They talk about the census, we talk about that deep indignity. The FPL for a family of three? Just twenty-four five and change. We're dirt-poor, and that chronic poverty keeps us estranged. Down-and-out on the corner, where the low wages get you stuck. You can’t buy hope with a SNAP card, even if you’re down on your luck. See the elderly in the trenches, seniors getting hit by the SPM. Black/African American rates, yeah, they hitting 20.6 then some.
Pre-chorus
They handed out the lifeline, then they snatched it back real quick. That COVID-19 relief ended, that’s the political trick.
Chorus
This is Pavement Logic, where the dollar gets thin. Making ends meet is the war we fight within. The Child Tax Credit faded, and the kids feel the sting. Watch the SPM spike up, hear the concrete sing.
Verse 2
Immigrants are one-fifth, carrying the weight of the dream. But lack of affordable healthcare makes the whole system lean. Single moms headed households, the data doesn't lie. They trying to buy groceries while the medical bills fly. You trying to make the \$4,000 for the Paid Leave cap, man. But you flat broke trying to stay afloat in this American Families Plan. Got a buddy with a disability, he's stuck in that 25.7. We need expanded Pell Grants to take us up to Heaven.
Bridge
The system built on shadows, with a myth of meritocracy. But racism and discrimination are the true bureaucracy. We talking two years of free community college, that's the only key. Social Security is the strongest anchor, the only guarantee.
Verse 3
Check the region, the South has the highest rate at 18 percent. While rich zip codes debate where the money went. Rural areas dealing with higher rates than the suburbs ever see. I see the fight for the ACA, trying to break free. From the have-a-little to the truly impoverished on the block. We need the extended EITC before the whole damn thing stops. We need those 12 weeks of paid leave, that's the bottom line. We need solutions right now, so our future can shine.
Pre-chorus
They handed out the lifeline, then they snatched it back real quick. That COVID-19 relief ended, that’s the political trick.
Chorus
This is Pavement Logic, where the dollar gets thin. Making ends meet is the war we fight within. The Child Tax Credit faded, and the kids feel the sting. Watch the SPM spike up, hear the concrete sing.
Bridge
The system built on shadows, with a myth of meritocracy. But racism and discrimination are the true bureaucracy. We talking two years of free community college, that's the only key. Social Security is the strongest anchor, the only guarantee.
Chorus
This is Pavement Logic, where the dollar gets thin. Making ends meet is the war we fight within. The Child Tax Credit faded, and the kids feel the sting. Watch the SPM spike up, hear the concrete sing.
Chorus
This is Pavement Logic, where the dollar gets thin. Making ends meet is the war we fight within. The Child Tax Credit faded, and the kids feel the sting. Watch the SPM spike up, hear the concrete sing.
Outro
The grind is real, don't forget the facts. From deep poverty to where the light hits the cracks. Thirty-seven million waiting for the change. Pavement Logic, nothing will ever be the same.
Inside the recording
Yo, you ain't seen the line drawn, you just heard the speech. We on the wrong side of that $16,320 reach.
They handed out the lifeline, then they snatched it back real quick. That COVID-19 relief ended, that’s the political trick.
The grind is real, don't forget the facts. From deep poverty to where the light hits the cracks.
Excerpts from artist-supplied lyric files matched by title. Lyric sheets may differ from the released performance.