[Intro]
(Soft vinyl crackle fades in; melancholic piano loop, 4-bar sample fade)
Late night, dash glow, cigarette ash on your sweater
Voicemail says "sorry" but the tone's colder than ever
I ride slow, 88 on the meter, city breathing like a blunt
Memory lane's potholes, every headlight a hunt
[Verse 1 — 16 bars]
Cruisin' down Erie, stereo low, your perfume's a ghost in the glovebox
I laugh at my reflection 'cause denial's cheaper than the cost, props
Found a screenshot in the dark — timestamped 2:14AM
Her name in your phone like a stain, white teeth grin, lamplight hem
My hands on the wheel, heart ticking like the dash, glass cold where your name sat
Friend called last week — "You sure? Saw you two at that cheap flat"
I played it off, said I'm good, but my words were all borrowed, hollow
You said forever like it was weightless, now I'm carrying the fallow
I called your number, heard her laugh on hold — line blinked, then disconnected
My chest a lead pocket, every memory pill felt rejected
Piano chops at bar 8 — (record scratch + sample chop) — the loop flips like a verdict
I saw receipts of late dinners, lipstick smudged, now my throat's choked on it
I taste cheap wine on your hoodie; ash flecked on the cuff
You swore it was nothing, I swore back but the grief's been tough
I keep lighting matches just to watch the past go up slow
You’re the hook in my vein I can't yank out even when I know
[Chorus — 8 bars, half-sung/half-rap]
You're my bulletproof and my bullet hole, baby, fuckin' paradox
Hold me like a grenade, kiss me like you want my locks
We ride till the tires smoke, then we stop and we rust
I love you like I'm wired, hate you like I must
(Repeat) You're my bulletproof and my bullet hole — sing it low, then let it blow
Hook doubled on last chorus; tambourine enters; horn stab on bar 4
[Verse 2 — 16 bars]
Night two, subway bench, 2AM, your voicemail a busted hymn
I rewind that tiny voice, "I didn't mean—" but guilt's a dimly lit rim
I flip through the texts you left unsent, syllables like knives
"I'm sorry" typed three times but your thumbs were rolling with other lives
You met her at the arcade, you said it was for drinks, I found the photo: cheap neon, cheap laughs
You gave me lies folded neat, tucked in pockets with other halves
My tongue tastes salt, the sea of regret on my lips ain't voluntary
I crumple up apologies like receipts, throw 'em in the lighter, set them free
Passion's a two-edged blade — you licked it, then you left it on the counter
I picked it up, cut my palm, now these scars are my mantra
I crave you like the first hit, like the smell of your hair when the heater kicks
But betrayal's a compound fracture, bones glued with dirty tricks
Piano stays warm, bass rumbles, tambourine adds texture at bar 12
(Bar 8: quick scratch, sample stutter — feel the floor shift under the beat)
I fold up the love letters, slide 'em under the seat like contraband
Drive away with your shadow trailing, dashboard saints never planned
I say I'm done, then pull the wheel — mercy is messy,
