locked up

Lyrics

Echoes of the Concrete
​(Tempo: Slow, heavy, melodic G-funk/West Coast style)
​(Intro)
(Heavy, sliding bassline kicks in with a high-pitched, smooth portamento sine wave synth)
(Sound of a heavy steel door slamming and echoing)
Yeah...
Back in the box, back in the cycle.
Looking at these four walls like they got something to say.
But all they say is "stay."
I'm done with it.
For real this time.
​(Verse 1)
The buzzer rings and it vibrates deep inside my marrow
Walking down a hallway that’s becoming far too narrow
The scent is unmistakable—bleach mixed with despair
A heavy cloud of misery hanging in the stagnant air
It smells like hell, like sulfur, like a thousand wasted years
Like the sweat of grown men drowning out their hidden fears
I’m looking at my reflection in a polished piece of tin
And I don’t recognize the ghost that’s living under skin
I remember the skyline, the way the Puget Sound would glow
But now my view is vertical, watching the hours go slow
I’ve walked this yard a million miles and never left the spot
Trying to find some value in a life the world forgot.
​(Chorus)
I’m tired of the intake, tired of the chains
Tired of the cold concrete pumping through my veins
I’m tired of going to jail, it smells like hell in the hole
I can feel the graveyard air trying to swallow up my soul
Somebody get my back, someone reach into the black
I’m screaming for a brother just to help me get on track
I’m done with the static, I’m done with the gray
I need a hand to pull me toward a brand new day.
​(Verse 2)
They process you like cattle, just a number on a file
They take away your laces and they take away your smile
The chow hall is a riot, the unit is a cage
I’m a thirty-some-odd chapter in a very dark page
Every time I catch the rhythm, the law comes with the snare
And I’m back to counting bricks with a thousand-yard stare
It’s the clink of the keys, it’s the shadow on the floor
It’s the way the heart shatters when they lock that heavy door
I’m thinking ‘bout the ones I love, the faces in the light
While I’m staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night
I need a foundation, something solid, something real
Something more than just the coldness of the bars and the steel.
​(Bridge)
(The beat strips back to just the melodic bass and a light snap)
It’s easy to get lost when the path is overgrown
It’s hard to stand upright when you’re standing all alone
The streets keep calling with a whisper and a lie
Promising the world while they watch your spirit die
But I’m deaf to the siren, I’m blind to the bait
I’m trying to negotiate a deal with my fate
I need a spotter in the gym, a witness in the rain
Someone who can see the man behind all of the pain.
​(Verse 3)
(Bass intensifies, high-velocity delivery)
I need a blueprint, a map, a compass for the soul
Instead of digging deeper I’m trying to fill the hole
I’m tired of the "Welcome Back," I’m tired of the "See you soon"
I want to see the sunrise, not just shadows of the moon
I want to smell the cedar trees, the salt upon the breeze
I want to walk a city street and feel at total ease
No more looking over shoulders, no more ducking from the light
No more wondering if I’m gonna make it through the night
I’m calling out for backup, for a loyal, steady hand
To help me plant my feet upon some solid, honest land
The track is right in front of me, but the engine’s running low
I need a spark to jump the lead and help me make it go.
​(Chorus)
I’m tired of the intake, tired of the chains
Tired of the cold concrete pumping through my veins
I’m tired of going to jail, it smells like hell in the hole
I can feel the graveyard air trying to swallow up my soul
Somebody get my back, someone reach into the black
I’m screaming for a brother just to help me get on track
I’m done with the static, I’m done with the gray
I need a hand to pull me toward a brand new day.
​(Outro)
(Synth fades into a low, hum; sound of birds chirping and distant traffic)
Get me on track.
No more steel.
No more sulfur.
Just the open road and a second chance.
Somebody get my back...
Cause I'm never coming back to this.
(Fade out with a final, distant door click)