[Intro]
City hum, wet asphalt, a crooked lamp glows low
Subway hum under footsteps, breath white in the cold (huh)
Slow clap of a distant beat, heartbeat in stereo
(yeah)
[Verse 1]
Midnight soles on wet tar, shoes scuffin' like a snare
Neon drips on puddles, paintin' maps of nights I wear
Cigarette smoke curls like ghosts of could've-been prayer
Taxi brakes cough rhythm, vinyl static in the air
I count back the syllables, syllables countin' me
Chest tight like a drum tight, breathin' out history
Streetlight freckles on my face, freckles like constellations
I speak in half-words, half-truths, full of small revelations (uh)
Breathin', leavin', believin'—I ride that triple tide
Syncopated heartbeat, slow sway, and I testify
[Pre-Chorus]
Grains of time slip, wristwatch drowned in rain
I reach for constellations that spell out my name
The city's loud—it's bargainin' my quiet for fame
So I fold a paper sonnet, tuck it in my coat again
[Chorus]
Midnight slow, heartbeat low, I keep the city in my sight (I do)
Every scar a streetlight, every rhyme a neon fight (repeat)
Midnight slow — heartbeat low — hold that line through the night (hold it)
Every scar, every scar — streetlight, neon fight (yeah)
(Ad-lib: "hold on", "light up", "whoa")
[Verse 2]
Crooked streetlamp winks like a judge with tired eyes
Corner store still hums with cheap coffee and soft lies
Subway hum under my feet—it's a sleeping lullaby
Ticket stubs, Polaroids, old proofs I can't deny
Taste of salt from last night's rain mixin' with defeat
Lessons in the gutter, lessons in the heat
Traded loud illusions for quiet that repeats
Found poetry in a mailbox that had never known a beat
No 'still here'—I'm present tense, present in the present
Actin' on momentum, momentum keeps me crescent
[Pre-Chorus 2]
Breathin', leavin', believin'—three beats like a bell
Movin' through the dark with the stories I will tell
Not runnin' from the shadows, I convert 'em to shell
A radio plays low, and it's mine to compel
[Chorus]
Midnight slow, heartbeat low, I keep the city in my sight
Every scar a streetlight, every rhyme a neon fight
Midnight slow — heartbeat low — hold that line through the night
Every scar, every scar — streetlight, neon fight
(Ad-lib: "light it up", "uh", "yeah")
[Bridge]
Remember the rooftop—rain on the radio—'03, you said be brave
You pressed a Polaroid in my palm, said, "Promise me you'll save"
The picture blurred, edges burned, but your voice cut through the cave
I learned to hold a small truth when the rest began to waive
Shift: I see the skyline like a ledger of debts paid
Turn the memory to motes of gold, not weights I made
This beat's not just regret—it's the map of where I laid
My promises into the pavement; now they're bridges I parade
[Instrumental Break]
Sparse keys, soft hi-hat, leave space for a vocal stutter:
"mid—mid—night" (stutter), ad-libs: "yeah", "whoa", "hold on" (pull back)
[Chorus — Final]
Midnight slow, heartbeat low, I keep the city in my sight
Every scar a街
