Concrete Under My Feet
Lyrics
Verse 1
Don Feliciano
Born in Mozambique
Dreams in my pocket
Dust on my jeans
Mama’s radio humming through power cuts
I learned rhythm before I learned how to trust
With music I conquered half of my streets
The other half nodded when bass met the beats
Old school sneakers
Cracked asphalt heat
My name in the windows
My heart in the speech
Pre-Chorus
Ted told me
“Steve
Just focus”
Like he wasn’t chasing his own echo
Hassan’s the friend who never listens
Talks through my verses
Lost in his visions
But we still love him
He’s family now
We argue like cousins at somebody’s house
Over the last plate
Over the couch
Then laugh so hard that the lights burn out (oh yeah)
Chorus
Concrete under my feet
But my head’s above the wire
Every setback feeding
Something fiercer in the fire
From the blackout nights
To the mornings on the line
Concrete under my feet
But the sky’s already mine
Verse 2
Border patrols stamped ink in my name
But paper can’t measure the weight of my shame
Sending back money in crumpled notes
Hiding my tears in a second-hand coat
Accent heavy when I answer the phone
Mama says
“Son
Don’t forget where you’re from”
I said
“This cold city don’t know my song yet”
She laughed
“Sing louder
They’ll never forget”
Pre-Chorus
Ted still says
“Steve
Just focus”
Plans on napkins
Schemes in his phone
Hassan’s late
Headphones crooked
Swaying to something that’s his alone
But we still love him
He’s family now
We split small change and the bigger doubts
If one man falls
We all crouch down
Lift him up
Dust him off
Spin him ‘round (hey!)
Chorus
Concrete under my feet
But my head’s above the wire
Every setback feeding
Something fiercer in the fire
From the blackout nights
To the mornings on the line
Concrete under my feet
But the sky’s already mine
Bridge
If the stage is tiny
We’ll still fill the room
Three cracked voices
Turning rust into bloom
If the power cuts out
We’ll keep keeping the time
Clapping hands
Stomping floors
Till the dark starts to shine
Chorus
Concrete under my feet
But my head’s above the wire
Every setback feeding
Something fiercer in the fire
From the blackout nights
To the mornings on the line
Concrete under my feet
But the sky’s already mine