[Intro]
(Analog crackle — vinyl spin)
Yeah — bring that Motown under the 808
Wah-wah ghostin' the corners, Rhodes warm like whiskey
(Yeah — nights don't leave)
[Verse 1]
June '09, smoked out Chevy, backseat fever
Bell-bottom ghosts, jukebox hum, cigarettes and bleeder
We drank the dream till it puked on the dashboard
Busted bottles, busted promises, keys on the floor
T-Bone laughed loud, said "we run this town, no fear"
Two in the morning, neon bleeding, cops roll near
Backseat fights, my knuckles raw from holdin' on
She screamed my name like a verdict in a song
I promised forever on a cracked vinyl sleeve
Swore on Motown, then quit like we didn't believe
Names on my tongue like scars that gash and swell
I keep losin' sleep countin' who stayed and who fell
[Pre-Chorus]
Short lines, cold nights, we move in half-time
Double-time guilt in the pockets of these rhymes
Internal echoes — damn, the cadence cuts
We trade our sins for a beat and a broken crutch
[Chorus — Hook]
Nights don't leave.
Names keep bleedin'.
(uh-uh) Nights don't leave.
Names keep bleedin'.
[Verse 2]
Courtroom lights, I saw the judge, I had no alibi
They asked about the party and I said I don't know why
Jax fell silent — friend gone before the dawn
We kept his name in the ashtray next to the lawn
Broken promises stacked like unpaid dues
We chased fake paper, fast cars, bad news
Bell-bottom footprints on motel carpets, cheap tile
We laughed while the city kept swipin' our smiles
Regrets like receipts I can't fold back into my pocket
We gave all our tomorrows to a club with a lock on it
I slept in cars, missed flights, missed funerals, too
Woke up to bad texts from a brother I once knew
[Pre-Chorus]
Rhythm shifts, half-time breath, double-time regret
Internal rhymes strike hard — ain't done with them yet
Cold details: busted throat, glass in the sink
These memories sting like a needle, make me think
[Chorus — Hook]
Nights don't leave.
Names keep bleedin'.
(yeah) Nights don't leave.
Names keep bleedin'.
[Bridge / Breakdown — sparse Rhodes + tape hiss]
(Rhodes pads, echo on the last word)
Just me and the keys, late night, slow spin
I hum that sampled soul loop, feel the shame sink in
I whisper T-Bone, Jax, June — the list grows long
A chorus of echoes where we once belonged
(soft, raw) I took the plea for silence — admitted my part
Regret's a charge in the ribcage, a hole in my heart
Short, punctured lines: "You were there" — "You were gone"
This Rhodes holds the space where we once belonged
[Final Chorus — big, layered]
Nights don't leave.
Names keep bleedin'.
(Ad-libs: uh — nights don't leave)
Nights don't leave.
Names keep bleedin'.
(Throw the wah-wah, let the strings hold it)
[Outro]
Analog hum, needle lifts, record fades slow
We keep the scratches — proof of what we know
Keep a drink for the lost, keep a verse for the rest
Nights don't leave — they plant in our chest
(Yeah — keep it raw)
[Production Notes — for producer]
- Genre: Hip Hop (nostalgic 70s Soul/Funk sample)
- Tempo: 88 BPM (suggest range 85–
