Needle in the Dust

[Intro]
[Verse]
Iron gates rattle, morning air is cold
Stacking up the stories that were never told
Dust on the jacket, static in the sleeve
Watching neighbors pack their bags and leave
New glass towers cutting through the grey
Coffee shops blooming while we fade away
I’m just a clerk with a crate full of soul
Trying to keep the rhythm in a world out of control
[Hook]
It’s the needle in the dust, the crackle in the vein
Watching every block wash away in the rain
Yeah, the city’s changing faces but the ghosts remain
We’re just spinning in the cycle, dancing with the pain
[Verse]
Old Man Benny walks in at quarter past ten
Asking if I found that Horace Silver again
He remembers when the corner had a different name
Before the high-rise money came and fixed the game
A college kid enters, looking for the vibe
Searching for the spirit that he can’t describe
I point to the jazz, the 1964
While the wrecking ball swings right outside the door
[Hook]
It’s the needle in the dust, the crackle in the vein
Watching every block wash away in the rain
Yeah, the city’s changing faces but the ghosts remain
We’re just spinning in the cycle, dancing with the pain
[Break]
[Bridge]
Do I stay for the roots?
Do I run for the boots?
The rent is a mountain, the truth is a valley
Shadows getting longer in the back of the alley
Bassline walking like a man on a mission
Living out a dream or a slow-burn attrition
[Verse]
I catch a glimpse of the mural on the brick
Fading in the sun, getting buried real quick
The landlord’s smiling with a pen in his hand
Selling off the pieces of our holy land
I drop the needle on a minor-key horn
Thinking 'bout the place where my father was born
Maybe I’m a relic, maybe I’m the king
Of a kingdom made of wax and a copper ring
[Hook]
It’s the needle in the dust, the crackle in the vein
Watching every block wash away in the rain
Yeah, the city’s changing faces but the ghosts remain
We’re just spinning in the cycle, dancing with the pain
[Post-Chorus]
Needle in the dust
Something we can trust
Before the metal rusts
Yeah, it's just us
[Outro]