Song Lyrics and Credits

Flatline and Chunjay in Act I—The Life Cycle of Periodical Cicadas

  1. The Waitress Song
  2. She’s Dangerous
  3. Never Known a Love Like This
  4. Coconuts
  5. We Are the Music Makers
  6. Girl, We Got a Good Thing Going
  7. Wounded by Love
  8. This Should Be Enough
  9. Rhymer’s Block
  10. Resolution
  11. Summer’s Last Call
  12. Moment of Zen
  13. Time for Us
    Additional Lyrics and Vocals: Bonafide of GRITS
    Additional Vocals: Maddy Montes
  14. Making Nice
  15. Coulda Swore I Saw You
    Additional Lyrics and Vocals: Pigeon John

Music: Flatline
Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay and Flatline
Narrator: Heath McClure

Chunjay and Friends in Act II—Rebirth: The Lone Gunmen

  1. The Pressure is On (Showdown)
    Music: Annex, Flatline
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, Spoken Nerd, Max.One of Sackcloth Fashion
    Additional Vocals: Flatline
  2. Burn It to the Ground
    Music: Krum
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, Krum, Joey the Jerk of LA Symphony
  3. Still… (Reflections, Part 1)
    Music: Grizzly Beatz
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, Jeremiah Dirt of Shadow of the Locust, Absent Minded
  4. These Things Remind
    Music: Shedlyn
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay
  5. Boca Girls
    Music: Shedlyn
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay & Willonious (a.k.a. Young Dick)
  6. The Lone Gunmen
    Music and Vocals: Flatline
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, Uncle Dan, Spoken Nerd, Max.One, Kalvin Koolidge
  7. Rap Is Not Music, Son
    Music, Scratches: Grizzly Beatz
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay & Flatline
    Hype Cameo: Yoda
  8. Love Slave
    Music: Flatline
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay & kidDEAD
  9. Lost Boys
    Music: Chris Felix
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, Eligh of Living Legends, & Cookbook of LA Symphony
  10. How Does It Feel?
    Music: Shedlyn
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay
  11. When Soundwaves Play
    Music: Flatline
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay & Jeremiah Dirt
  12. Never… (Reflections, Part 2)
    Music: Grizzly Beatz
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, ManChild of Mars Ill, & Jeremiah Dirt
  13. Jacked up on These Girls
    Music: Krum
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay
  14. Departures
    Music: Shedlyn
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay, Jeremiah Bonds, & Kalvin Koolidge
  15. More of the Same (Epilogue)
    Music: David Mathewes & Flatline
    Lyrics and Vocals: Chunjay & David Mathewes

Additional Credits
Production: Flatline, Chunjay
Mixing, Engineering, Co-Production, Mastering, Additional Scratches, Everything but the Kitchen Sink: DJ Sean P at TWLVS in Fort Worth, Texas
Vocal Production/Consultation: Krum
Pre-Mixing: Flatline, Chunjay, Krum, Shedlyn/Chris Felix, Annex, Grizzly Beatz, David Mathewes
Background Vocals: Flatline, DJ Sean P, Chunjay, and Friends
Executive Producer: Chunjay


Act I—The Life Cycle of Periodical Cicadas


The Waitress Song

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Just leaning on the bar minding my own (business!)
When she kicked up a cyclone
At the Brass Tap cask pull box (right!)
Just long enough to see she’s my type (see?)
Out of nowhere (nowhere!) came a woman I’d date
She was slinging out snifters, handing out plates
She had a way with words, had a way with pints
Had a way with six ounces poured in flights
She looked so great in her outerwear
And the way she smiled had my mind impaired
She rocked that apron like she just dont care
New Edition Bobby Brown button as her flair
A satin rose, she was so intriguing
Every word flowed smooth like she was singing
Lisa, Angela, Pamela, Rene
Happens all the happy hours round my way

Flatline, Bridge:
Now I’m aware of what you do
Thinkin’ I might take the cue
Few more minutes ’til I work the nerve to get the digits!

Flatline, Chorus:
Hey waitress
I’m feeling butterflies every time
You ask to take this
Order
As I practice my lines
And this could be bliss
We sip on rum and Coke, extra limes
Or we could pop Criss
I pay for bottle service with dimes

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Couldn’t get her off my mind couldn’t get her off my brain
When I slept I dreamt she was a mental hurricane
A little Novocaine to the pain in my heart
With every sip, every line, it was a brand new start
One night I snuck with art & a wink & a nod
I would be the seed and she’d be the pod
Made a love note image in sidewalk chalk
Right there at the pub at the front of the block
Wasn’t trying to stalk just wanted her to see
I’m cute, I’m sweet, I’m Chunjamey
Mmm…she just called in sick
Now my sweet honeybee is a waiter named Rick
Felt kinda ick, I was aiming for the dream
A little she and me—supreme type team
Wouldn’t be a thing if couldn’t scale relations
From tipper to gipper, my entire vexation

Flatline, Bridge 2:
Leaving little notes on cars
Writing songs on my guitars
Clueless those are useless
So my head is stuck among the stars
Now I’m aware of how you do
Thinking if I took the cue
Few more minutes til I work the nerve to text those digits!

Chunjay, Verse 3:
Shimmy shimmy ya shimmy yeah shimmy yay
I brought tacos to the bar on Valentine’s Day
Wanted to make her smile, wanted to make her say,
“This love looks and sounds just like a screenplay”
Quiet on the set! ‘Cause the tacos are here
She washed them down with a pint of beer!
“These are kinda nice, I am impressed.”
I said without thinking: “Let’s be friends and kiss!”
At least I’d like to try, like a chance for this
Hold your hand, buy beers, like a modern princess
Waitress to Ruckette, a few easy steps
Not how you good are, it’s how good you wanna prep
I fall for all the ladies working at the bars
Servers taking orders, counting tips in jars
The only problem is it rarely works out
Just another guy throwing tips and tipping stouts

Flatline, Bridge 3:
Think of swiping left or right
And thinking I might switch to Sprite
Few more minutes til I work the nerve to text those digits!

Chunjay, Outro:
Gina, Julie, Jordan, Marie
I’d like to thank you for the drinks that were free

Cassie, Connie, Brittney, Benni
How bout we rent a Lamborgini

Ashley, Alexis, Erika, Katie
I’d like to buy eacha you a brand new Mercedez

Robin, Rachel, Holly, Denise
Why dont we rock and roll in a Chevy Caprice


Narrator:
There are annual cicadas, which appear every year, and periodical cicadas, such as the ones emerging in the northeast United States, which appear in 13- and 17-year life cycles. Periodical cicadas are only found in eastern North America.


She’s Dangerous

Yeah, sippin on this coffee. Thinkin’ bout this girl.

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Such a dish, she’s delicious, downright nutritious
Kinda chick who has a Guinness but still down with that fitness
Business in the front, she look good in the back
Got a mind that attracts an a booty that distracts
Not talking pirate treasure but I might as well be
Captain Jack would scoop her up and take her out to sea
The Black Pearl may be cursed but imma take her out to drinks
Hug her tight to my chest and tell her what I think
Put it on the line, clink a glass of wine
It’s a dangerous thing trying to make her all mine
Such a pretty face got that sweet soft skin
Of course she makes me chase her all the way to the end
Dangerous those eyes, dangerous those lips
Dangerous the highs, I put my hand up on her hip
Tryin a get a grip, got me actin reckless
It all started with some tacos out in Austin, Texas

Ahh, man. I don’t know where this is goin’. But, geez, Taco Deli was great. So much fun. Yeah!

Flatline, Chorus:
She’s dangerous, been heavy on my mind
She’s dangerous, made my heart go blind
Rhymed words and phrases
With flirts and praises
She’s dangerous status undefined

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Round number 2, @JustJamey steppin through
She got me living dangerous in that heart pursuit
She could be a maneater, leave me spit and chewed
But imma ride this one out and hope it continues
What’s next on the menu like my name was Pete Rockin
Holding hands in the park without an eye on the clockin
Maneuvers in the dark like orchestrated shockin
Dangerous embrace like, knockin, knockin
Imma rock her world like she been rocking me
Relaxation on my brain, it’s electricity
Take it back to 93 like Phife and Q-Tip
Gotta get a grip she holds a knife and a whip
Sippin on a brew with the girl and my crew
Is this the real deal or will she and I be through
Tension in the chemistry, tryina not be restless
It all started with a girl, out in Austin, Texas

Yeah, it’s like, we go a whole day. The day goes by so fast. Pretty soon it’s dark, walkin through the park… I don’t wanna go home.

Verse 3:
Flatline:
Talking ’bout her…

Chunjay:
Yo, I took her out
Connections on my mind for the whole dang route
Crew bringing the Ruckus

Flatline:
No doubt, no doubt

Chunjay:
She be straight up sumptuous, a dangerous shout

Flatline:
She’s deadly man, she could rip your world apart

Chunjay:
The beauty is there but there’s a beast in her heart
The way she looks away it’s like a calculated game
The struggle on her lips just to tell me thangs
Coy and cocky, goes back and forth
The joy and the rocky, she knows true north
Am I just a chess piece, a pawn in her strategy?
Move me around to make a kill by her majesty…
Ignore my boys’ warnings and fall to her gravity
Keep me coming back oblivious to tragedy
Diggin every minute not just goin down a checklist
It all started with this dish out in Austin, Texas

It’s like I should be nervous, but I just feel good. The whole thing feels good. I just want more. Give me more!


Never Known a Love Like This

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Απόψε φόρα τα καλά σου (Greek: “I’m wearing my best”)
You can wear that dress and I’ll don this new suit
“Shoot they look so cute” we gonna turn them heads around
We gonna boogie on the dance floor to that Royal Ruckus sound
Squats down to the ground cause we move it like Orange Theory
We connecting through our movements when our voices can’t carry
You can bury my body, sometime but not tonight
Cause I’m looking to boogie til the morning flicks up light
Kicks and flips and vodka club with lime
I’ll show some tips and tricks you’re my partner in crime
For those sweet eyes, I would die
I could do this every night for a whole lifetime

Flatline, Chorus 1:
One hand up and get in the zone
Two hands high, open eyes, set the tone
Microphone check checkah gonna shake a hip bone
Be a melody, a love like I never known

Flatline, Verse 2:
I’m getting all the signals right, but the brights are on
Kept the spirits light, ran the marathon
We walked the whole lake, took all afternoon
Thought we felt bridges shake, thought we sang a tune
Getting lost in that moment, stars shine a little brighter
When ya flick it like a lighter, tapping like a type writer
Your love is like a fighter gonna give it all its got
And words are getting longer gonna lose my train of thought
We grow like a garden, we pear (pair) like a tree
Love is the pardon, we’re buzzed like a bee
Like a bribe to the warden, like I’ve been set free
Now it’s just you and me…just you and me

Chunjay & Flatline, Chorus 2:
Never known a love like this
Never grown so close to bliss
Never thrown my self in’is
Now I found home in a kiss


Narrator:
Adult cicadas spend their time in trees looking for a mate. Males sing, females respond by flicking their wings, mating begins, and the cycle of life begins again.


Coconuts

Verse 1:
Chunjay:
I’m not a dope rapper, I play one on CD
Been writing booty lyrics since 1993
If I date myself I’d like some wine and cheese
Candlelight dinner, invite this young lady

Flatline:
I’m a dapper catch you can call me mahi mahi
I’ll run the seamen’s boat, just you try to stop me

Chunjay:
Ever since I met her, I had this frame of mind
My mental is a goner with these pictures in rewind
Like VHS at Blockbuster won’t you be so kind
Two by two into the ark we will populate and bind

Flatline:
All the different shades all the different ways
All the different grays in a fuego kinda blaze
I feel the fire’s power think I got a little burned
A tiny little spark from those lips as they upturn

Chunjay:
Up up and away, I’m Sooperman* Chunjay
I’m flying in the sky, high on this new bae
[*Chunjay’s original rapper name in junior high]

Flatline, Chorus 1:
Co-co-co-co-co-co-co-coconuts
Co-co-co-co-co-co-co-coconuts

Flatline, Chorus 2a:
I’m into this new girl she’s funny and she’s chill
Don’t make a lot of money, she don’t got a lot of bills
Like the nape and her necklace I’d like to caress this
Simple sexy cute she got no need to impress this

Chunjay, Chorus 2b:
I’m into this new girl she’s funny and she’s chill
Listens to my raps digs the choruses and fills
I’m sending Ruckus rhythms right down her block
Me be to she what key be to lock

Verse 2:
Flatline:
Summer of cicadas we went down to sandy beaches
We were making all the noise we were soaking up sun reaches
Ethical fajitas in Chipotle’s dining room
Six bucks won my heart with salsa number two

Chunjay:
Guacamole’s extra, not everything is cheaper
Liking her online, Instagram a creeper
We went to Grouch & Eligh, watched them tear it up
Vodka and a lime and club soda in her cup
We walked across the tracks squeezed the juices out of life
We made minute maid out of twists and of the strife

Flatline:
My girl is all the bestest, laughs and all the restest
Took her out for tacos, out in Austin, Texas
This girl has got me crazy, the chemistry amazing
Coconuts and vodka, liquor don’t phase me

Chunjay:
Better living through chemistry I call it love tazing
Cupid and his arrows got us seriously love dazing

Verse 3:
Chunjay:
That was the Co-co-chorus hookah lounging over there
We spent all of our time, drinking Buddha beer
They say that time is money so I closed out my account
And gave it all to her in large unmarked amounts

Flatline:
White envelopes for lovers, don’t forget to lick the stamp
Plant your feet facing forward toward your lovers little camp

Chunjay:
Make like a tree and get your coconuts for free
Eat the meaty flesh drink the milk upon your knees

Flatline:
The bird gets the worm but the squirrel gets dees nuts
It’s not what you’re thinking it’s just my puns all get the butt

Chunjay:
Punny you should say but my girl don’t even play
She’s not that kinda girl got me using my long game
Strong to the finich I make her garlic spinach
I read up on the labels she likes to know what’s in it
I cook her grass-fed steaks put some meat upon her ribs

Flatline:
Maybe you’ll make babies and put kids up in them cribs


We Are the Music Makers

Flatline, Chorus:
We are the music makers, we make up the scene
We’re not the imitators, we rap Ruckus kings
We don’t heed those haters, instead we run things
We are the innovators and the dreamers of dreams

Chunjay, Verse 1:
1998 was when we started the deal
Three high school kids with a dream that was real
We wanted to have fun and push positive music
We wanted to run things the way that we choose it
Deathless ditty, we build up the city
We wanted to rock mics and date girls who were pretty
A touch of techno and a bit of ska
Eclectic is the best description of all
We made some friends made connects and such
Rocked Vegas and Hawaii and got bad haircuts
Grits, Pigeon John & Spoken Nerd
Sackcloth, the Duke & my main man Dirt
Just four years and a handful of members
We were bout to go national the end of November
It was a good ride but it died before long
And before I hang my hat I’m gonna drop this song

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Ocean blue sea breakers by the ball takers
Never gave a bit about fighting all the fakers
One man with a dream can conquer a crown
And two rappers with a beat can take a kingdom down
Or your record can flop at the store
You can hustle for cash and you can still be poor
You can make lots of jokes and ride tour busses
You can upset the folks with your Royal Ruckus
Look, everything is built on the past of the earth
Each age is dying and each dream’s a birth
A breath of inspiration in each generation
I’m glad we walked this way and avoided stagnation
DMC, Beasties, Soup the Chemist
We all get a second then we have to be finished
We rode this ride and my only regret
Is we took this long to make a record perfect

Chunjay, Verse 3:
I drop these rhymes for my personal use
I never cup the mic that’s hip-hop abuse
Life after death or death after life
A maze we didn’t choose but we might choose which knife
Some choose right but others choose demise
I don’t know a whole lot but I’m banking on a prize
Or at least a Lord have mercy love of God don’t hurt me
The music sings a song that I just need surgery
We do what we can and so we make this record
Like Peter Paul & Mary got years together
Imma let you finish dudes lowered the bar
Let’s turn that around and raise the rap beat charts
No vision amazing no house they are raising
The only way forward is heavy trail blazing
Every singer sings and then he stops
Every rapper writes and then he drops


Narrator:
Cicadas live very full lives while underground. They dig tunnels, build cells, and feed on roots. The long period of time spent doing these things prepares them for their eventual emergence to the eyes and ears of all. Not all that exciting from a human perspective, but it must be fun for them.


Girl, We Got A Good Thing Going

Chunjay, Verse 1:
I make love to your soul intertwine with you
Complete and whole make one from two
Who knew we could have such fun
And we could cry those tears we could go on runs
Stupid intense I love every inch
I gave you my heart I’m not on that fence
Spare no expense, 100 and change
It seems so strange just happened one day
I’ve dreamed such thangs but they crumble like dirt
This love’s here to stay, so intense it hurts
Can’t see it ever changing how things are now
Moments press into next an eternal Tao
Girl we got a good thing goin…and… I… don’t… know… how!

Flatline, Chorus:
Girl we got a good thing goin’
I’m singing loudly down the street we rollin’
Shouting from the top from the hills to the ocean
Together our days and our nights in slow motion

Flatline, Verse 2:
I don’t wanna stage a rom com but I’m
Cheering like some pom poms
United in our vision
But I’m dressed up like a bad prom
Date save the wait
This Prince looking for his Kate
Duchess Royal dress and oil
Olives piled up on my plate
Girl a good thing’s goin on
A bright adventure, a golden dawn
A pop of champagne, a pint of beer
Cheers, a good thing to hold so dear

Chunjay, Chorus 2:
Hey! You and me girl
Hey! We in our world
Hey! Things are so fresh
Hey! With that sweet caress


Wounded by Love

Chunjay, Verse 1a:
When you walked into my life you walked into my soul
It’s like Cupid used a knife and he cut down to the bone
I knew my heart was home I didn’t watch the throne
In a single night this guy was simply overthrown
The only thing I knew, is you were 22
But your frame made me insane had you on interview
I can’t explain, I was done, some kinda voodoo
Call me Napoleon you are my Waterloo

Chunjay, Verse 1b:
Taylor Swiftin we were twinnin
Greater hearts desire I was spinnin
We chased the days at night, never did we fight
We tasted great together we were winnin (right?)
That was livin hugs were givin
Studied body & your soul like religion
It’s long division, precise incision
I can’t even define or christen
Made you my mission my ambition
Then one night hearts took flight locked our lips then
Pressed against them, with some friction
Kissing turned to fear of what was written
Indecision in description
I hit ignition and you killed the engine
Too late I’m smitten, hand in mitten
You’re a vampire and I got bitten

Chunjay, Verse 2a:
When you walked into my soul you took a place inside my heart
You filled in the gaps from my healed up wounds and scars
In a single day you engaged my innermost parts
You upstaged any others, like rock stars smash guitars
Grabbed my car, hit the bars, collected fairy dust in jars
I can’t explain but I’d say we weren’t being very smart
But the pheromones in the air were way off of the charts
It revealed my love and we had a false start

Chunjay, Verse 2b:
You were my best friend and I loved you
Everything I said was all true
A flicker of light in my heart ignite
I stared into your eyes and I saw you invite
We drank cold brew since our debut
Smoked hookah and played games until 2
In the morning shooting pool, call it miscue
Juggalos don’t get magnets but we do
Gave you a tissue an arm to lean on
Kissed your forehead and told you to stand strong
If you’d review all the things we’d do
I think that you would find we were so in tune
But like deja vu, you withdrew
Turned my world upside down i bid you adieu
Gave ya over to God so I could bloom
Find some shelter from the hell of your monsoon

Chunjay, Outro:
She wounded by love, polluted by love
Diluted her love, and confuted my love


Narrator:
Many animals enjoy snacking on cicadas. Squirrels will eat them like corn on the cob. Fish go crazy for them too — you can use them as bait, or use lures that mimic them.


This Should Be Enough

Flatline, Chorus 1:
He’s four on the floor
He’s stuck in the door
He’s asking for trouble
Just by asking for more

No more saying goodbyes
No more asking her why
No more leaving a love note
Making songs in the sky

Believe it, it’s through
Believe it, it’s true

Chunjay, Verse 1:
You and me girl like second grade crushes
Cue a whirl and strike, got me doing crunches
Playing games for fun, packing picnic lunches
Pullin no punches just drinks at the Tip
Fooling no one, we joined at the hip
Slip your hand into mine an I kiss your lips
Grip an flip, throw ya over my shoulder
PBR at the bar gotta have it colder
I’m a little older, and I’m a little bolder
Sold you my heart, or I gave it for free
Gold from the start, laid under the tree
Played on the beach and swam in the sea
I’d stay by your side if you stay by mine
But you seem confused by your own design

Flatline, Chorus 2:
There still might be time
Time’s enough with a dime
Dime’s a penny with you
Penny’s wishes come true

And then it takes a turn
Turning over and over and over and over and decline

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Now four on the floor, love note on your door
My heart’s in your hands, I’m asking for more
Memorized your body I want to explore
Lewis and Clark on the next expedition
Forget all the others, multiply by addition
Jets on full throttle, love is the prescription
I was your conscription, didn’t you know it?
“Isn’t it the best?” that’s you I quoted
I’ve been demoted but I’d like to reload it
Beiber saying sorry, Taylor saying stay
All you had to do was… all we did was play
Friends got the feels? maybe someday
Laughter and squeals got me thinking something faster
Touch your face with my lips… then you close the chapter

Flatline, Chorus 3:
Believe it, it’s through
Believe it, it’s true
Turning over and over and over and decline


Rhymer’s Block

Chunjay, Verse 1:
I wrote this song in my car it goes boom like that
Got me drivin off the road like Tounces the Cat
One hand on my phone and one hand on the wheel
I can’t recommend that Hellen Keller type a deal
1, 2, 1, 2 my mic checks don’t bounce
That’s Clever with an A*, don’t you mispronounce
My rhymes cut like a cleaver give a dam like a beaver
Used to go by Sooperman, you can call me Chris Reever
Pop hip-hop my rhymes are carbonated
Been digging beats myself since the slaves emancipated
Seeking justice for the poor like Robin of Locksley
Grab a mic with shaky hands like Michael J. Foxly
Fools they wanna box me for being so fresh
Never claimed to be a savior I’m not David Koresh
I’m not down with ATF we can chill at my house
Grill up some steaks, roast a batch of buttered Brussels sprouts
[*Chunjay’s name comes from the Korean word for “clever.” He was previously Cleva-MC, and people would often pronounce it “Cleava.”]

Chunjay, Verse 2:
I broke up with my girl she didn’t like my cologne
Now I’m giving it a whirl at being alone
I’m far too tough to die like Joey Ramone
I don’t mean to pry but have you seen the Flintstones?
Cause I’ll be your Barney if you’ll be my Betty
Blonde cave dude who is hardy and steady
I get kinda sweaty when I’m down at the gym
Cussing burpees make my frown go down to my chin
Kanye and Kim—yo how do they work?
I’m guessing it’s all Twitter, fire, air and dirt
I have too many shirts separated by color
It’s not a racist program I swear on my mother
I like to put butter right into my coffee
Got me feeling bulletproof while your butt is feeling groggy
Rocky steps like Stallone, Philly used to be home
But cheesesteaks made me chubby, now I’m tryin a get toned

Chunjay, Verse 3:
Hip-hop, got turned into hip pop
I don’t really care as long as the beat drops
I never call the cops except when I’m scared
9-1-1 is a punchline except when compared
To the excellent care they give to white people
Got a Glock, two fists, and the sweetest boy beagles
Singles, paralegals, plus cute nurses
I’ll date a woman in scrubs if I meet her in the churches
Got these primal urges so I’m eating Paleo
Barefoot running in Orlando and going to shows
I met this single rose on a Wednesday at a service
I like to hold her hand but my beard just makes her nervous
Wrote home to mom that I found my special purpose
Call me Jimmy the Jerk I think I’m joining the circus
Scratch my surface? you should probably say you’re sorry
Leave a tip for the deejay it’s his tunes that rock the party


Resolution

Flatline, Chorus:
Show me the needs of a brother
Sowed are the seeds of another light
Stuck in the thoughts of the other
If we’re gonna go down, we’re gonna go down alright

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Woke up this morning bright light come through my window
Had a sinking feeling that I am in a limbo
On my own in regret, wonder where my friends go
Stuckin between lonely and what it is my friends know
Always tryina be better, change up all the things
Writing letters to myself about pulling on life’s strings
Grow here grow there, pull myself up by my straps
A few beers with the homies an’ I’m back up in the traps
Gettin into flaps with friends, throw at them the wrath
Asking God for scraps knowing I didn’t do the math
I’ll never find my way without companions and a map
Resolved: find & be a true friend on the path

Chunjay, Verse 2:
This girl she is my best friend she’s made quite the impression
Became a quick companion and scooped up my affections
Not a thing beats our connection, my number one selection
Don’t see her imperfections only see my predilections
But my heart she keep on messin with every little step in
Always second guessin touch her hand I want the rest an’
She says she still likes me but advances get rejection
Can we make an exception a little indiscretion
She says that’s too confusing, my ego gets a bruising
Love is oozing out my pores, I got a bad infection
Change up my direction be her friend by election
Darling—my hands hold not a weapon
Now she’s in a depression and crying on my shoulder
Of course I’m gonna hold her, give her a kind reception
But the very act of that moves heat like a convection
Resolved: pray for resurrection

Chunjay, Verse 3:
Cities getting crazy passing laws that are so shady
Against the men and ladies who don’t have a home
If the streets are where you roam police are gettin cagey
Homeless hate laws meanta proteck anta save me
Save from what? from a man who needs a meal
From a woman who’s broke with homeless boys and girls
Call em human pigeons ignore their poor conditions
Hope they’ll go away soon to indoor rescue missions
Undefiled religion cares for widows and orphans
Poor men, homeless, those without a fortune
Portions in the soup line economic disproportions
Theonomic intervention, seeing Christ in contortions
Look past the distortions see an icon in his face
Homeless and hungry, God bless, show some grace
Starting in this place imma show some kindness
Resolved: never turn an eye of blindness


Summer’s Last Call

Flatline:
We did it right we never slept at night
Our bodies set with the sun
Our summers melt into one

Chunjay:
We some bearded dudes, with carefree attitudes
Chillin’ at the beach and kicking off our shoes
Rocking those flip-flops relaxing with the homies
Mocking wack hip-hop, together feelin lonely?
We some Lone Gunmen, we on that next tip
Makin’ fun of Mike ’cause he’s talkin bout some U.S. ship
Sleep deprived, never stopped nor arrived
We all some broken people but we tryin’ to survive
We’ll be up in this place until the whole thing closes
Axyl Rose is Flava Flav, he’s just in Guns ‘n’ Roses
Barefoot skateboards, true blonde, long-boards
Lyin’ on the sand and hearing all the chords
Cicadas making songs, everything belongs
Peel the freckles from our shoulders and push it along
Thought of things I shoulda said, said things I shouldn’t say
I miss the hell out of that girl but it’s gonna be okay

Flatline:
Time is counted down
The waves should break before we drown
Last call, I laugh, you fall
Summer’s endless nights
We found ourselves beneath the lights
Last call, I laugh, you fall

Flatline, Bridge:
What if the winter loses friends?
There’s a lot I have to think about here right now
When would we say this is the end?
There’s a lot I have to think about there right now


Narrator:
You can actually trick a male cicada into calling for a female by simply snapping your fingers.


Moment of Zen

Verse 1:
Chunjay:
I’ve got something to say so I’m just gonna say it
Been cutting back exchanges with this girl this time I mean it
She quits then she’s in then she’s in a tail spin
And I’m done spinning out I’m sick of all the wailing
Failing forward into success, my eyes are on the prize
Onward and upward til Christ says arise
And the whole world gets reprise, he wipes all the cries
Duck fat fries got me changin subject an the rhyme
In my mid-thirties and I just reached my prime
When I make a whole turkey always prep it with a brine

Flatline:
Word up to grandma for working hard in the kitchen
Making things nice while kids were tumblin’ and bitchin’

Chunjay:
Listen little chump, I don’t bother with no breakfast
Always playing with that fasting and seeking new perspectives
Like Samson in this piece

Flatline:
And I be slamming keys!

Chunjay:
Orthodox enough that you’d think that I’m from Greece

Chorus:
Chunjay:
I got something to say but its not what you’d expect
Flatline:
You make ridiculous claims, at least last time that I checked
Chunjay:
Not Kenny Lamar, not Jay-Z or Em
Both:
Royal Ruckus coming back atcha, your moment of Zen

Chunjay:
I got something to say but its not what you’d expect
Flatline:
You make ridiculous claims, at least last time that I checked
Chunjay:
I’m not Kanye West, not Dre or Rakim
Both:
Royal Ruckus coming back atcha, your moment of Zen

Verse 2:
Chunjay:
I had a pet squirrel for a second I’m not kidding
Shared it with my best girl but ended up quitting
Released ’em both into the wild with well wishes and a smile
Priest said work on me awhile but she makes me such a Grecophile
Grew a beard for a year cause Mike and I were bored

Flatline:
Girls both praised and sneered and a few had hoped to score

Chunjay:
Remember Mandy Moore?

Flatline:
I hear she’s free again
We could open for her tour but someone’d have to phone it in

Chunjay:
Bless her with a beer, restart my rap career
And make a chick flick starring Mr. Belvedere

Flatline:
Charles in Charge at 7:30, Full House at 8 o’clock

Chunjay:
I know it’s hard to swallow but I’m still Jimmy from the block
Used to have a little, now I save once in a while
Dudes asking how can you afford your rock n roll lifestyle?
Mostly poor budgeting, Dave Ramsey books on credit

Flatline:
Should probably spend more time reading money tips on Reddit

Verse 3:
Chunjay:
Yo microphone check one two…

Flatline:
What is this? Piece of the nice guy rapper pie stimulus?

Chunjay:
Knowdaverbs had the syllabus, homie was my friend
Cruisin’ round in his jalopy needed a heater and a tint

Flatline:
I miss KJ-5 and T-Bone who would pretend
To remember our names, but it didn’t offend

Chunjay:
Penned all the raps but never lived to up the dream
Don’t really give a crap

Flatline:
Joke’s on you for listening!

Chunjay:
East Bakersfield, [G-Rhymez!] land of the cap peel
Raised in a six bed house and scared of Oildale
My mom once lived in Compton so that makes me half street

Flatline:
You coulda been Ice Cube but instead you grew up sweet

Chunjay:
My liver’s paying dearly for life’s magic activities
I quit eating sugar so I never get a cavity

Flatline:
On tour with Cure and Billy Idol tribute bands

Chunjay:
Pigeon John wont text me back, he’s rapping in Thailand


Time for Us

Maddy Montes, Chorus:
Is there time enough, is time too fast?
Time enough to make it last?
Another chance to say that we should stay
We’ll have time another day

Time enough, is time too fast?
Time enough to make it last?
Another chance to say that we should stay
But we’ll have time another day

Verse 1:
Flatline:
I can’t say with confidence I’ve never been here before
It’s familiar, not like I’ve never slept on the floor
The door is always open golden minutes getting stolen
And prying existential observations never spoken
Kids will always ask when will they get to be old
I rolled out of my bed already bought, already sold
I’d ask my neighbor if he needed help with the climb…
If I indulge in all my vices will there ever be time?

Chunjay:
One foot in front another, one climb beside a brother
Longing for my mother but it’s been a few long summers
Runners sprinting through life, not stopping for the breeze
Leaves crunching under foot and cicadas in the trees
Freeze the moment if I can but instead I’m on a plan
Drifting through this life with my eyes on the second hand
Life isn’t what we planned but every moment is a chance
To make it right, live in the light, and have another dance

Chunjay, Verse 2:
(sigh) It was a late afternoon one mid-September
We were bout to walk the aisle an’ light a fire from the embers
I remember the flowers and that beautiful dress
I remember the showers and the hopefulness
But it died…faster than the fire was stoked
We cried, and we lied, and our hearts were broke
Hope dashed on the rocks, caught a few more knocks
Took a road trip to clear out my mind and my clocks
Broke the locks of the bond, love died with the con
Three years of more tweaking and we were still on
But barely squeaking by is not the way to live
It’s a miracle that we found a pathway to forgive
But like nectar in a sieve we never got a harvest
Ran fresh out of time ’cause time couldn’t be harnessed
Our time is on loan and our time has gone bust
But it’s through, it’s done, no more time for us

Bonafide, Verse 3:
Time waits for no one
I kinda wish it did
Still tempted by my adolescent ways as a kid
All grown seeds sown stunted growth under lid
Of a fitted new era old terror war within
(Time for us…)
It’s been a long road, a lot of game told, a lot of truth sold
A lot of plated gold
But it never turned green
So I rock it like science
Till the end meet means
(Time for us…)
Meaning that I’m a prisoner of war in battle daily
Cheating death till the Lord come back
To settle score, exercising all authority
Lack, never no more, my cup spill on the floor
(Time for us…)
Cause life is a gift and every moment got a purpose
Every challenge brings balance for defining who you spose to be
Seeking first the kingdom cause the promise never said there’d be…
(Time for you and me…)


Narrator:
Only male cicadas make the sound they’re famous for, though females makes their own sound in response to males. Males make different calls for different reasons, and each species has a unique sound.


Making Nice

Flatline:
Why do you want me?
Why do you want me to be?
It’s better when we just sit back and see
You want me
Why do you want me to be?
It’s better when we just sit back and see

Chunjay:
I can be what you want me to be
Anything but me, if you want me to see
I’ll try to see what is wrong with me
Making nice, making marks, making mends, believe

Got off track, taking things back
I’ll color in the lines and I’ll bend the hacks
Fill in, refine what we lack lack lack
But we never settled out our reflection cracks

Flatline:
So set off we’re making mends with the ends
I’m better and so are most of our friends
I’m better and so are most of our friends
I keep running back and talking back to a thing that never settled itself

Chunjay:
I swear to you I’m better than before
I fear you think we’ve already settled the score
But there’s more to this mess than the stress and the chore
Can’t ignore this test, I know what a pyre is for

Running back, burning back, it all falls off
Choking down reality ’til the chains fall off
Broken old me trying not to call it off
Token old me longs for all that wasn’t off

Flatline:
Why do you want me?
Why do you want me to be?
It’s better when we just sit back and see
You want me
Why do you want me to be?
It’s better when we just sit back and see
I keep running back and talking back to a thing that never settled itself

Chunjay:
Doesn’t matter how many times we go back to the beginning
Doesn’t matter how much we repeat another inning
Clocks tick time, time is never ending
Seasons cycle in our mind, a garden needs tending

Our friends are better now it’s written on their faces
Pain and joy and frowns turn into frontal spaces
Mends with the ends within my frantic paces
Minds burn and bend, setting off to new places

Flatline:
So set off we’re making mends with the ends
I’m better and so are most of our friends
I’m better and so are most of our friends
I keep running back and talking back to a thing that never settled itself


Coulda Swore I Saw You

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Coulda swore I saw you at Whole Foods yesterday
Brown hair and eyes you had that smile on your face
The one I’ve seen in place like a thousand other times
Except on this occasion, your smile wasn’t mine
I dipped into an aisle didn’t want to catch your eye
I didn’t want to ask why an I didn’t wanna lie
And I didn’t want to hear you talk about some other dude
Not trying to be rude but it was you who walked away
I gave you my heart you know I’d give it back again
The Summer of Cicadas was the summer of my Zen
And it was a funeral hymn one of the hardest things I’ve done
The death of our love when we’d only just begun
I know I wasn’t dumb we were on the same page
We were lovers we were friends, we weren’t actors on a stage
Imma try to act my age and stand on solid ground
Can’t make any promises… but I’ll be around…

Pigeon John, Chorus:
Whenever…I’ll be around round round
I’ll be around
Whenever…You know down down down
You know down
Whenever… yeah…
I coulda swore I saw you just the other day
Whenever…I’ll be around round round round
I’ll be around
Whenever…I’ll be around…

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Coulda swore I saw you driving by the church
If it wasn’t “Salt” I can tell you it still hurt
I was in the shirt you know what I’m talking bout
I wish that you could see my growth I think that you’d be proud
I guess I owe a lot to you for stirring up my soul
Bursting up my bubble now I’m learning to be whole
Learning to be me, learning to be free
I may be yearning for your touch I’m making peace with this debris
I may look a little funny with these ashes on my face
I may be a little hungry from the splashes and the chase
Thought it was a race at first, fought you and embraced the curse
Brought you in my world til you stopped and hit reverse
…taking care of business
Got a lotta love for you as God as my witness
Forgiveness is yours and you know that I am down
We can make it better… I’ll be around…

Chunjay, Verse 3:
Coulda swore I saw you down at the brewery
No, I know I saw you cause you hugged me in a hurry
Wave an a side hug, you were on your iPhone
Cicadas be noisy bugs, diamonds turned to rhinestones
From in-zone to friend zone don’t really know how
Feelin kinda silly when I put my hand to the plow
Push through the mess, trying not to stress out
Spending all my time second guessing all your doubts
I spent too many days thinking what you thinking on
I went into a phase I was drinking too much drink and on
I don’t really see what I’m spending all my time for
At some point you became a pretty little eye sore
I guess that time is now, I’m really sick and tired
I gave you 100 but everything backfired
Loved every ounce of you—my efforts have been drowned
I wish you all the best… but I can’t be around…

Pigeon John, Outro:
I’ll be down for you, you’ll be down for me…


Narrator:
The sixty days of a cicada’s life are the sixty years of a man’s life. The creature which spends so long in preparation for life accomplishes much living once he has begun. A man needs sixty years to accomplish so little because he prepares for nothing. He is thrown into life and he does not know what it is about. The man longs to live a year as thoroughly as the cicada lives a single day.



Act II—Rebirth: The Lone Gunmen


The Pressure is On (Showdown)

Chunjay, Verse 1:
It all began in the west, now I live in the east
I’ve sealed the son to my chest to the day that I’m deceased
Each one, teach one, prepare for the feast
Got my gun and a vest and last rites from a priest
That’ll be the day, that’ll be the day I die
The pressure is on to say those last goodbyes
‘Cause you and I fool we got the same destination
But our use of the tools affects its consummation
Gotta get off the couch, an’ get my life moving
Not a grinch or a grouch, that’s a lifetime of losing
Grim Reaper is a creeper we all got an appointment
To lay back become sleepers and swallow the ointment
‘Til that final day I’ll be holding nothing back
All the way to the front all the way to the attack
I might make a mess but go home an’ get clean
Never acquiesce until I turn in my lien

Flatline, Chorus:
Throw your hands to the sky when you ask, “Why?”
Every man’s born as one, and as one he dies
Into the wind and then you’re gone
The pressure is on, the pressure is on

Spoken Nerd, Verse 2:
All this time you would have questioned my allegiance
Like leaving indecent legions in need of a seedling
You were the anti-hero, equipt with low ceilings
That leave us both feeling under pressure with no breathing
We keep dreaming, but we’re up against sleep demons
Who keep creeping, the lone gunman with a piece pleading
My tea steeping, these feet defeat treason
I seek with deep reason, my Jesus piece gleaming
I leave my people keeping the salt of the earth seasoning
The feeble attempts weaken
We need to feed the healing
We need to keep kneading
‘Cause love is like a rod that I’m reeling
Somebody’s sloppily leaving
Pop Rockadopolis sweeten
I spend a lot of these evenings
On some sort of lottery dealings
Where they charge me for being an antithesis of appeasement
But I’m not trying to please them…or seize them

Max.One, Verse 3:
First day of school I played it cool, friends I made a few
Hated a couple people too but can’t stay in a bubble true
So I avoided cliques like a dolphin in a stew
(blink)

Witnessing the birth of my first child
In awe of my wife and this tiny girl’s smile
(blink)

Four more babies still no more ladies
Standing firm in my convictions
[Chunjay: You’re such a good Christian!]
(blink)

First child is with child… man, this is wild
Just a few bars back I saw her first smile
Now she’s out there in the dark world unprepared for the coming miles
(blink)

Being proud I never cheated on her’s like being proud I never beat her
Really? those are my accomplishments?
Sounds like basic common sense!
Instead I regret the time spent traveling all over
Should have been finding time to hold her, comfort her and rub her head
(blink)

A widower, alone, hurt, grown & insecure
Never more unsure wondering why she had to go didn’t she know
The time away would be made up for once we’d gone gray…

And bald, wearing Depends, wrinkly, et cetera…


Burn It to the Ground

Chunjay, Chorus:
Pull out the match book and grab the gas can
Change your outlook this is your last stand
Rearrange the thangs this ain’t no sleight of hand
Burn it to the ground is next on the plan

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Seriously, Harry, we gotta burn this all down
Way too many things that need to meet the ground
Heaven scrapes the pavement like the homie ManChild
Don’t care if I’m reviled, blessed be the one in exile
Call me Athanasius, it’s me against the world
Not hittin that temptation and I’m coming unfurled
Was whining bout a girl now I’m just walking away
There is a silver lining, I’m sure I’ll see the day
Are you Yoko Ono? ’cause you broke up the band
Got me drinking like a hobo eatin fish out of a can
So I trust you’ll understand when I light up the whole area
Pushin for purity like beer in Bavaria
I made some poor choices and I’m burning ’em all up
Can’t let that mess define me so it’s more like a tune-up
Confess it, got divine peace, sort of a clean-up
Burn the whole thing down before a big build-up

Krum, Verse 2:
Pull the match book on how the past look
And all the feelings that I never let show
They told me move on to write a new song
And burn it down, but it’s hard to let go
Livin in these memories on a loop playin everyday
Everything that happened was prolly my fault anyway
The mirror’s full of fingers pointin all that I felt
Forgive and forget—the problem is forgiving yourself
Scrollin thru the pictures on my phone like a prison
The trash can beggin to eat ’em and start livin
My pride is in control and I been playin it cool
Plus every time I pulled my lighter out it ran outta fuel

Joey the Jerk, Verse 3:
Yo! Far from an arsonist, feel the heat as we start to bust
Leading the fleet like Optimus Prime time like mysogynists
On BET, we three emcees who’ve seen between the lines
With enemies on both sides so let the fire shine
Brightly burnin’ down the town and if I get a little charred
Let me come back more resourceful like an evolved Charizard
Ashes to ashes with batches of bad matches
The flash is fantastic like burning battery acid
Spectacular magic can happen when you burn the bad that’s trapped in
I ain’t talking bout rappin
Talking supernatural action when we burn it down…

Joey the Jerk! On the microphone!
Killin’ emcees, like I been doin, for the last 375 years! Alright!


Still… (Reflections, Part 1)

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Since day one I been Ruckusin’ it up
Making grandma proud by not cussin on the cut
A lot of things have changed in the world of Royal Ruckus
Some relationships estranged and new friends have come among us
Still down with MPWalker, we text all the time
Imma be his friend ’til the day that he Flatlines
Or if I’m going first he’ll hoist me in the hearse
And I’ll pray for him from heaven ’til sadness is reversed
Still eating bratwurst, still drinking Irish stout
Still writin silly rhymes, still wrestling with doubts
Still believing in Christ, still livin this life
Still walking in faith with my eyes on the prize
Still into girls, I’m now into beards
Hash tag no homo, no offense meant to queers
I misused a few years now I’m redeeming the days
Serving food to the homeless soaking up sun rays
From Cali to South Florida, what up Bakersfield?
Still proud of my town, still run in those hills
Still calling my dad, still cool with my brothers
Much love to my sister, my nieces and mother
Still working with kids, still shaping tomorrow
Still finding reasons to laugh—even in sorrow
What else can I say? I’m a steadfast kinda guy
Back in the rap game and not about to say goodbye…
Still!

Dirt, Verse 2:
Ay yo, the devil tried to choke me but I’m still breathin’
This world throws hard blows, I’m still bobbin’ n weavin’
Still believing, snakes is still deceivin’
But I’m still stopping serpents, givin’ demons a beatin’
I’m still decreasing, while God increasing
The revelations from Heaven are still releasing
Upon the people that will still receive them
So stop sleeping on righteousness for no right reason
I’m still keeping the rhymes red hot
Pause the track, you still feel the aftershocks
Because the epicenter still don’t get no writers block
The Heaven sent to ya, still with Christ cypha unstopped
I’m still sinning and I’m still forgiven
And I’m still concerned with the way that I’m livin’
So I’m still searchin’ Scripture for a way up that hill
Still instilling my soul Biblical, until time stand still

Absent Minded, Verse 3:
I put the ashes of my sister into Oceanside harbor
Moved to Tennessee where we buried my daughter
Life’s torture only makes my heart softer for this culture
If their goal’s to see me hopeless better try harder
Because there’s still light where the Cross is
Kill us off and we’re still coming back with Jesus and swords on white horses
Still go right where the lost is
With the Aveo in San Diego, making these songs hit
Still on tour after 12 years doing it
8 years married still in love like a newlywed
15 years with a busted lung still using it
Healed, re-sutured getting stupid in studios with an axe to grind
Against the masterminds keeping asinine mantras in the back of your mind
and blind to the facts
I’m trying to crack some spines like cat o’ nines, still Absent Minded
And I count carbs these days, still eat these white-bread busters…


These Things Remind

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Got you on my mind but I really probably shouldn’t
Spent too much time on you like a good student
Studying for a test like our life would be the best
The reality is that life with you would be a stress
It hurts me to say and I think that you are great
But cute shorts and fun drinks aren’t a lifetime exchange
Thinking things will change, definition of insanity
A gateway to embrace some kind of deep apathy
I chose chastity—you woulda let me hit it
I wish that we could kiss and I will not forget it when we did
I love you kid and that’s the truth
But you a mixed up girl, I gotta lay new roots
So I wish you all the best and I pray that you are blessed
Need to say these things can’t leave them unexpressed
Hope you figure out all the things you need to do
I love you with my whole heart but I’m letting go of you

Chunjay, Chorus:
(Hey!) She’s on my mind and she’s on my heart (Hey!)
These things remind me why we’re apart
The good things were way up off the charts
But I’m no longer blind so I must depart

Chunjay, Verse 2:
I wrote that “A Las Chicas” and I had the best intentions
But I was a young kid relationships have dimensions
Beyond just loving God it takes more than simple faith
Add works to the plate and kindness to what you pray
I tried never to stray, honored God with my body
Application of the teaching on occasion kinda spotty
Yielded messed up situations broken up by some hottie
But you, my dear, are leagues beyond everybody
I never met another girl who impacted me like that
Your time I enrolled and asked if perhaps
I could get a chance, just to be your shining star
I was whining for a glance to be back up on your radar
You should know the truth I never met a soul like you
I never been so broken up by getting knocked out of the queue
Hope you figure out all the things you need to do
I love you with my whole heart but im letting go of you

Chunjay, Verse 3:
We had a conversation ’bout us on that Sunday night
Amazing your explanations wrecked me without a fight
“That’s what I want too, that’s what I wanna do”
Reading old love letters and pledging to be true
Tried to walk away cried out to be estranged
But I bought your complaints and your pledge that things would change
Have a strange way of changin’ doing more of the same
Blame shifting over texts I saw right through your game
You see it’s quite easy no need for a co-coaster
Loved you freely and deeply, relax I came closer
Wrap my arms around your body and my heart around your soul
Disposition embodied one consistently enrolled
No need for stop and go, no need for ebb and flow
We should drop the show, love shouldn’t take that kind of toll
Hope you figure out all the things you need to do
I love you with my whole heart but im letting go of you


Boca Girls

Willonious, Intro:
Yo, this is Yung Dick. Talkin’ bout Boca girls!

Chunjay, Verse 1:
I broke my iPhone so I went down to the mall
To the Apple Store that other stuff is not my call
I saw this full grown doll, introduced myself and all
Morgan was her name, lovely tan and tall
Spit some game, flirted, then I got the digits
Fell head over heels outside Abercrombie Fitches
Came down with the itches now my left eye twitches
Doctor said I have a fever for the Boca… (Shh…)
Girls—they are a very special type
But the crop tops and the cutoffs are something that I like
Those shorts! Those thighs!
Now I take out Boca girls like every other night
Take her out to Rocco’s, she says she don’t like nachos
Margaritas with the salt and big ole plate of tacos
See two Boca girls I dated sitting at the bar
I should prob’ly find a different place off the Boca radar

Chunjay, Chorus:
Boca girls breaking hearts, then they break your wallet
Shopping at the mall, Gucci bag she bought it (Boca girls!)
Drinking Frappuccinos parties at casinos
Black out drunk, toast the floor with all the dudes that she knows (Boca girls!)

Willonious, Verse 2:
Ridin’ on Glades I’m in the Escapade
You know I’m getting paid, your boy been on a wave
Saw a young babe, I said, “Hey, how are you?”
She had a pretty little smile, her chest say FAU
I’m like, d***, baby, I’m really tryina know ya
I’m really tryina show ya all the finer things
Take you to Town Center, buy all the bling bling
Mmm… even wedding rings
Tryin’ get married like right now!
Take ya to the the Funky Buddha smoke some hookah and vibe out
At Mizner Park after dark, we can talk about you
And what we do, yeah…
Boca boo, Boca boo…

Chunjay, Verse 3:
I got this call from my homie will, a.k.a. Yung Dick
He said he’s on this chick
Said he’s got this Boca boo who goes to FAU
With a booty of a magnitude obscures his view
I said me too, yo I got this girl
She rock my world she like a perfect pearl
She down at that college, gainin’ knowledge
She make me feel great like I still got that ballage
Set up a surprise meet up in Mizner Park
Thought our two Boca boos might friendship spark
We grabbed a brew at the Yard House where a friend was working
Had no idea a surprise was lurking
Ordered up pricey beers (cheers!)
I saw a vision of a woman hot and fierce
Will exclaimed with a grin, “her ring worth a fortune!”
And much to my chagrin it was lovely Morgan…

Chunjay, Bridge:
Can’t tell if I’m a hipster, can’t tell if I’m a jock
Can’t tell if I should golf or hit up the skate shop
Don’t know if I am hip-hop, yeah probably not
But to the girls of Boca will I ever have a shot?


The Lone Gunmen

Uncle Dan: Aye, yo yo. We’re just doing this Boys II Men style, just no cussing, right?

Verse 1:
Chunjay:
Kickin’ down the doors we the crew bringing the Ruckus
Got that moral compass so I’m advocating justice
For the loveless and the loved, rich and poor the weak and toughest
We alone but we’re together and together we some rough necks

Spoken Nerd:
I’m less five-o, more type O-Negative
I’m DIY eating homemade potato chips
8 bit simplish. Quit the quick label it’s
Dripping on my riches like tip toes on a drainage ditch
You’re drenched with the fix
Click, click
The mouse on my computer is the new pistol whip
Attempted merger
My belief is firmer than my grip
On minced meat because the dream is murder

Chunjay:
I got that skin in the game not just talking fussing theory
Others bull with the claims and act so cussing cheery
Getting beery at the pub with my crew and all the rest
Watchin’ footy with a stout, hit up South by Southwest

[White people stuff about peeing and making kombucha]

Flatline, Chorus:
We are the lone gunmen, you should duck at the click
We’ll throw them bar stools, fisticuffs, mics, or a brick
Solidarity and clarity when opposition strikes
This is a lethal composition so I’m passin the mic

Verse 2:
Uncle Dan:
I’m a noobie, ain’t no shame, this is my first official verse
But as a rookie in this game, man, I’ve never been served
I said, “Chun, let’s have some fun, but let’s get it done right”
He said, “Dan, just make a plan, don’t bring a mic to a pun fight”

Chunjay:
Been writing raps since ’92, you better recognize
So I made a batch of songs with trend setter kinda guys
Blue skies be telling lies, letters are in disguise
I’ll be riding fledgling waves until the day of my demise

Max.One:
I literally believe that Adam and Eve were the first to be
To breathe to believe and be deceived
Call me simple-minded
But there’s nothing simple inside it
I complicate the most basic statement
Rearrange it, then erase
Solo: I’m okay
But with brethren: I’m blazing

[Uncle Dan and Chunjay dialogue where the latter figures out when he actually started writing raps]

Flatline, Chorus:
We are the lone gunmen, you should duck at the click
We’ll throw them bar stools, fisticuffs, mics, or a brick
Solidarity and clarity when opposition strikes
This is a lethal composition so I’m passin the mic

Verse 3:
Uncle Dan:
There’s not a lot I won’t do for my brothers in arms
There’s not a thing I won’t brew to do our livers some harm
Sometimes the strength is in the few while many alarm
The higher ups in the pews watching over the farm

Chunjay:
I be that living paradox, I bless and I throw rocks
Eternal member in this mess but I’m counting down the clocks
I rocked suburb malls, the underground and into the boondocks
Freshest sound you found around, plus I’m ancient Orthodox

Kalvin Koolidge:
Too Kool to Kal, international
I rage on stage then take a bow
I’m from the Ville, don’t test my skill
Oh, you think I won’t, best believe I will
I gotta mean streak, a machine freak
Like a teen beat, I’m keeping knees weak
I can go all night, I can go all day
Only go one way, where you at, Chunjay?

Chunjay:
Rough necks on the mic & we shaking suckas down
Fools be catching wreck, we walk off with their crowns
Royal Ruckus rock it right and we did it with the clowns?
Hip-hop, kids, and puppies brought that music to your towns

Uncle Dan:
I’ve run the rat race and I’ve walked on my hands
Watched Chun eat tortillas while I hiked the Badlands
While you’re strolling on the trail daydreaming that you’re slick
My hustle’ll close the gap like my name was Scott Jurek

Uncle Dan and Chunjay:
Wait dude, who the heck is Scott Jurek?
Scott Jurek, man, he won the Western States 100 seven consecutive years. You told me to rap about what I know!
Ughh.
Dude, what? So tacos are hip-hop but running stats aren’t? Do you have any idea how hard it was to rhyme “Scott Jurek”?
Whatever, man. (Laughs)


Rap Is Not Music, Son

Yoda:
Hey, yo man, this is Yoda One, bringing it way back, this is Royal Ruckus! I was down with this crew! We used to do stuff, when the music was real, the music was live. Bringing it back, yo. Chunjay, show ’em who’s alive, get it, boy!

Chunjay, Verse 1:
Up jump the boogie on the b-side rock
Looky like a wookie with my beard Juice like 2Pac
It’s me against the clock I’m not waiting any longer
Feel like several lifetimes, each one I’m getting stronger
Just turned 36, I feel like twenty-five
Been swinging kettlebells reading funny fails on Chive
Power snatches with barbells got me feeling like a god
Happy hour romances got me feeling kinda odd
Yeah that’s the joint, yeah that’s the jam
Got my beats and rhymes on point I’m not flunking the exam
I’m digging eggs and ham for cholesterol and fat
High saturated content, I’m a low carb diplomat
Take it back to the nineties: hip-hop was rightly done
I feel like my dad, complaining, “Rap is not music, Son!”

Yoda:
Eh, yo, man, that might have been too much! That might have been too much! Hey, yo, who’s next on the lineup? Ooooh, it’s my boy Flat, they call him Flatline for a reason, because he kills beats! We used to sit back in the garage, just hanging out, listening to this… Yo, Flat, man, show ’em what you made of, son, tell ’em what you got!

Flatline, Verse 2:
I got wrapped up in this crew in 1998
The Yamaha PSR 520 was great
Sequencing beats on the PC desktop
Stated up late, my escape became making hip-hop
Summer Jams over there, house parties over here
Hello Nasty on CD blew open my little ears
Can’t believe where it took me, made a home in Tennessee
Played shows ’round the country and bless’d the fam’ly tree
Tweedle dee, tweedle dum, rock the mics and the drums
Talent shows, how it goes, happy just to get some crumbs
I can’t work without some pressure but I always deliver
I plant my roots in Texas now and try to earn a little silver
We Ruckus’d Royal rightly under Bakersfield’s sun
While Chunjay’s dad was complaining,”Rap is not music, Son!”

Yoda:
Man, I don’t even know what to say anymore. Man, that was just too much, too much. Yo, we gotta bring him back one more time, ’cause this is his crown, this is his whole moment. Hey, yo man, Chunjay, show ’em what you got, bring back that 1990-no-daddy-like-sound! Uh! (Yeah!)

Chunjay, Verse 3:
I got a mani-pedi from an Asian girl named Betty
Said my name is Chunjay, I don’t eat no spaghetti
Felt a bit unsteady when I skipped any meals
So I dropped the carbs, upped the fat and dialed in the deal
Why be a sugar burner? burn fat like a beast
But I like to sip on IPAs when chowing down a feast
Throw down the gauntlet on this rap thing that we do
Mike and I thought Ruckus deserved a fresh reboot
Don’t dispute I’m not the best, but I’m learning every day
I studied a tape of Eminem and Dr. Dre
Hip-hop hooray, way beyond today’s wack rhymers
I guess I’m on the verge of earning “cranky old rap timer”
Take it back to the nineties! hip-hop was rightly done
I feel like my dad, complaining, “Rap is not music, Son!”

Yoda:
Hey, yo man, that’s it. The only thing I can say is, yo, just drop the mic, you done like James Brown, buddy. 1990-sumpin’, that was when we was in it, we out boy.


Love Slave

kidDEAD, Verse 1:
What does this feelin’ mean?
I’m chained and walked to the guillotine
Been a week or so
And every time I walk out the door
I’m tryin’ to escape your face
But I text you back and say “okay”
Anything you want from me you can have it
I’m bleedin’ and starving and need a bad habit
So I can forget about everything that happened
I’m seein’ the pattern
The pieces are scattered
This sick love just feels so savage
So painful and so tragic
But we still seem to want it back
And this week is wrong
And I don’t feel like a person
Just an emotional slave
I might be broke to the core
But I want that feelin more and more
So I can know that I’m alive
Cause when you’re gone I feel I’ve died
And I don’t believe we go to the sky
There is no heaven for a heartbroken rapper
Just more high maintenance disasters
And hard roads to the casket
Lonely crowds and misguided passion
That leaves you so sad you’re laughing

kidDEAD, Chorus:
All those memories
You got from me
All those broken dreams
You got from me
All those fancy clothes
You got from me
You brought me to my knees with possibly
All those new friends
You got from me
The feeling when it ends
You got from me
The smile you pretend
You got from me
Yet love is not free
And neither are we!

Chunjay, Verse 2:
I thought I would hate my life away from you
Even if free from all your fetters
And debtors
One day I found my trash can full of gifts I gave you
And all our letters
That knit sweater beside banana peels and lint
From my efficiency dryer
Prior
I’d burn the whole trash can up
But I’ve got too much respect for fire
Higher
We could use a funeral pyre
But I’d probably stage my own execution
I got too much to live for
To remove myself from the gene pool of evolution
Here is a solution
Maybe quit treating me like I need to go back to school
Is that cool?
Got me wondering how someone so lovely and fair
Could be so painfully cruel
I guess that’s the way this goes down
Love can be the worst best thing ever
Never
Or the best worst thing, dag, whatever
What we had was simply not wo….rking…
Turning, bursting…
At the seams with kindness
Falling into misguided actions, passions
Catching landings, packing all the trappings
So sad you’re laughing…


Lost Boys

Chorus (Vocal Sample):
“Run, run, lost boy,” they say to me, “Away from all of reality.”

Cookbook, Verse 1:
Yo, right before 2005 my father up and died
Never knew what’s up inside, said he was cool but he musta lied
Mustered up the strength because “I must survive,” muscles aching, so much pain I see inside my mother’s eyes
Mother why? Why did he die? Why did he leave us?
Ain’t we some good believers? We always put our faith in Jesus
He heals diseases, man, I take it back
He took a wonderful life and made it wack, fade to black
In my father’s house we stayin at, we facin’ lack
She start to disrespect my mother, I ain’t taking that, take it back
We made a pact but girl I’m gonna break it
I do what’s best for Jason, she started doing some investigation
You turned my friends against me, you had my father’s blessing
He even lent you money, man I’m bout to learn a lesson
And I’m gonna have to learn it on my own, I’m all alone
My daddy’s gone, and my family’s torn, 2005 and I felt the scorn

Eligh, Verse 2:
We fought about it one evening late
Then I brushed it aside, like nothing
Debate within my brain, between the
Grains of sand…
Time will pass, and she’ll forgive, and
I’ll forget, its nothing big, nothing to
Be concerned about, love is bigger
Than the both of us, I doubt it will
Linger past the fight
But nights and days passed, and she’s depressed
I broke the plain of trust and now it’s dead
Inside her chest, I can’t resuscitate the heart
The part is played
I slayed us both
By letting too much time pass
Laziness, and avoidance killed the dove
And filled the void with doubt, and now
It rots…the consequence of
Abandonment, speak up, or lose her
That’s accurate…

Eligh, Bridge:
Me and you can work this out
If you can find inside
Me and you can work this out
Don’t forget, or abandon me…

Chunjay, Verse 3:
My dad left this world at age 37
Didn’t expect to leave a lifetime of questions
Thought I got my lessons, they’ve all come in sessions
I make my confessions, each one is getting deeper
Tried to be a teacher looking for a leader
Siblings my seniors, mom the cheerleader
Mom got remarried, Mark tried to carry
The burden left behind from the father we buried
No way to understand the weight of a missing man
Or calculate missed time on a second hand
No chance to plan, no way to say goodbye
A lifetime of why and an occasional cry
Too many goodbyes in this life add up
Dips and ties things end abrupt
My soul erupts with a proper corrective
I’m trying to bring myself a fresh perspective


How Does It Feel

Chunjay, Verse 1:
It’s that deep space that dark space that pain
It’s that place where you find the comfort in rain
It’s that pace where your joy fails to maintain
And escapes you devise only nudge toward regain

How does it feel to be real with your spit
How does it feel to be really legit
How does it feel to be chill when you’re hit
And life doesn’t give you a break for a bit

I’ve had a taste, I’ve tried a few times
I’ve eaten in haste and I’ve bitten the rind
Disgraced displaced, and plain run out of time
Some things I’ve faced gave birth to these rhymes

How does it feel to run wild and free
How does it feel to be a child and three
How does it feel to be styled a freak
And when you’re reviled does it change what you seek

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Another transition so it’s time to clock out
Uncomfortable positions bring up your old doubts
Life is intermissions, there’s no use for a pout
Nighttime emissions no respect to your drought

It feels like hell but I must keep going
Some bid farewell but I can’t start showing
Gotta keep my face glowing, an’ inside start growing
Pushing through this spell to that realm past all knowing

Feel it in your gut, feel it in your chest
Feel it in the cuts that created all the stress
How’s it feel? It feels no good
How’s it feel? I feel misunderstood

Unrest expressed when I last confessed
Lay it out for my priest about how we transgressed
I’d like to get this over I’d like to get myself dressed
Together we’re alone until they lay us to rest

Chunjay, Verse 3:
I woke up that morning, she was still in my head
Broke up two days before, I was glued to my bed
Playing tapes over and over of things we both said
And I return to all the places where she and I tread

Finding traces of our memories cute faces and her energy
Carved spaces in breweries muse of the century
Remember nearly every single text and love note
Questions perplexed at sweet things she wrote

How’s it feel? it’s unpleasantly reality
How’s it feel? like my present personality
Is about to crack I want a jumping trains knapsack
Reviewed a year of texts like it was an almanac

Just want a comeback to fix up all the things
Plot to exchange the pain for the joy her face brings
Hope springs eternal but it’s more like a funeral
My heart is in this song it’s my audio rap journal


When Soundwaves Play

Dirt, Verse 1:
We-a drown punks in the flows with no raft or rowboat
Uplift the saint with encouragement embedded in the high notes
Over the drum break, we got what it takes
So we record the lyrics and let the bass carry it away
Carry it by soundwaves into your brain plate
Let your central nervous process it down to your heartwaves
That’s how hip-hop should really be sent and received
But some of y’all snakes come to bend and deceieve
But I keep enigmas coming like wind in trees
And Royal Ruckus keep the engine running like antifreeze
No guarantees you’ll escape these infectious emcees
Who rhyme like chemical warfare, communicable disease
Holy Hercules, look at these beasts
Droppin’ heat lyrics onto hot tracks like fries in grease
Hip-hop has become dull from y’all smokin blunts
We come to sharpen the angles, and devils confront

Dirt, Chorus:
When the soundwaves play, y’all get hype
When the beat drop, the time is right
For hip-hop to spread its light
This is healing music to make everything alright!

Chunjay, Verse 2:
I graduated high school in 1998
That was the same year my girlfriend finished up the first grade
Got a girl in my bed and one in the war
Got a girl that I’m in love with but she’s on the tennis court
Serving other dudes with style, text me on the side
Messing up with nudes, thinking of her smile with a sigh
Just gettin by sometimes, then strivin to thrive
Other rappers derive, I’m cutting mangoes with a knife
Got the ripest avocados, El Pollo on Alvarado
Los Angeles, Annapolis, rockin shows in Colorado
On insta adding hotties like salsa with serrano
Collecting likes from the ladies every time I post a taco
Nacho average emcees, you fools smothered in cheese
Allergic to wack rappers, radio makes me sneeze
You need Rosetta Stone to understand rappers like Drake
Ha! maybe level one for simplicity’s sake

These rappers on some Kim Kardashian stuff…

Chunjay, Outro:
Yo its Dirt and Chunjay make the sound waves play
California in the house he reps the San Diego bay
And I still rep San Jaoquin trying to right all my wrongs
Just a little example how to write a rap song

How to write a rap? start with a boom and a bap
Try to find the words that rhyme and make the people clap
Have a special nick name, make the beat and rhyme strong
Just a little explanation how to write a rap song


Never… (Reflections, Part 2)

Chunjay, Chorus:
I got my mistakes I don’t know about you
I have one set of eyes and my own point of view
I hold onto integrity now that I see
There’s only one person, can take this from me

I got my mistakes I don’t know about you
I have one set of eyes and my own point of view
I hold onto integrity now that its clear
The only one can take it from me, is in the mirror

Chunjay, Verse 1:
A lot of things I am and a lot of things I’m not
A lot of things I planned out never carried out the plot
Never smacked a woman, never been an abuser
Never used smack or meth never been a drug pusher
Never hired a hooker never been an accuser
I’ve written dope raps but was a wack beat producer
Never cussed in my songs but I cuss every day
Never been an agnostic but I struggle to pray
Not one to play, but I’ve been divorced
A couple failed relationships but marriage endorsed
I’m a mixed bag of things, successfully broken
A failure and a champion, always in motion
I live by the ocean, once jumped off a cliff
Taken back words spoken, I can’t roll a spliff
I have my integrity and I have my mistakes
But of those two things, they’re each mine to make

Dirt, Verse 2:
I was arrested, convicted, thrown in jail
But remained free, my soul prevailed
God visits the prisons with his face unveiled
Throws the Gospel into hard hearts like molotov cocktails
I never knew Christ’s love like that
Even though I consider myself a believer from way back
My intelligence reigns supreme
But never seems smart enough to evade Devil schemes
I read the Word like it’s God’s freestyle
But never remember the verses while in the world’s Wild Style
I’m alive but never not dying
Seeking the Truth but never far away from lying
I’m holy, set apart
While never seeming to stop stumbling in the dark
As my misgivings always running amok
I’m not many things but one I am is never giving up!

Manchild, Verse 3:
Never never would I ever pen a letter to the ledger
With a less than better effort like whatever man it’s clever
Never sipped a drop of water after trekking cross the desert
Check the method this is pleasure pain connected on the record
Never…Never would I mother may I ask permission
Man I’m on a mission you can keep the terms and the conditions
Never counted costs I ain’t a statistician
Never called my style free anytime I’m pad and penning
Sometimes I lack the vision never see it all
Trouble climbing on me never see the need to keep it off
Never held the notion life is easy ya’ll
Never knew the loudest voice around was mine and he can talk
Never mind the never mind and checkered past
Saw it slip away and never figured we could get it back
Never would I claim to know the point to you and yours now
Never say never, are you sure now?


Jacked up on These Girls

Chunjay, Chorus:
Jacked up on these girls got me kinda messed up
Packed up in the hills and trying to find what’s next but
I’m stacked up on the thrills so I’m joining the perplexed club
Cracked up from these girls and it got my mind so stressed up

Chunjay, Verse 1:
So I’ve been seeing this girl, let’s call her Sally Cicada
Cause she’s bugging, got my brain vibrating like a theta
Not just something that I made up, strug city for real
Chugging beers with pills simply trying to chill
Losing lots of sleep always tossing and turning
Boozing it cheap, and then always returning
Melatonin for days, in my dreams it’s a haze
Need to boost that serotonin giving her my love gaze
She’s so beautiful from her smile down to her cuticles
Hotter than a crucible! and downright delusional
Always crying, trying to get me to hear
The second that I care she just straight disappears
I start losing weight, and talking like a pirate
I could probably write a book called The Grief Dude Diet
It’d really be a riot with all these anecdotes
That’s it, I quit! just one last love note!

Chunjay, Verse 2:
Back out on the scene so I got a dating app
Got a knack for conversation but swiping like a maniac
Confirmation it’s a match she looks like quite a catch
Two drinks in—and she’s already attached?
No thanks no how looking for a fire escape
Not hitting home plate on the very first date
Always trying to wait but this beard draws them in
It’s like a lady’s tractor beam, I’m guessing it’s Darwinian
I met this South Carolinian out in my parking lot
Wasn’t weird cause we’re neighbors figured it was worth a shot
Introduced myself to her and my homeboy monastic
Got the digits sent a text, feeling fantastic
Then I saw some guy with her the very next week
Shoulda put a ring, dude, cause Chunjay is unique
Firing texts back and forth, made her LOL
And then she super dropped my texts on the carousel

Chunjay, Verse 3:
Figured I’d try dating someone closer to my home
So i started daily texting this client on her phone
Invited her to the pub but she was way too busy
Soon she joined the club of girls making jamey dizzy
Started going to the brewery an talking to bartenders
Girls without ring jewelry were obvious contenders
This slender girl named Julie started messing with my mind
Then Benni oh so cooly did reconnaissance to find
If she was interested, it turned out that she wasn’t
“She has a boyfriend, she thinks you’re great but she doesn’t
Want to sent a message like she has that Jamey interest”
Maybe I’d have better luck with crafty girls on Pinterest
I knew this blonde kid and she went and done grew up
I took her out to hang, we got that red wine solo cup
My homie j-Qwess thought that we might hook up
Then she insta-posted ultrasounds from her last checkup (doh)


Departures

Jeremiah Bonds, Verse 1:
It took a lot to get here, a lot of long nights
Striving to survive and writing with dull lights
It’s like a long flight, the destination is hard, just warning ya
Thinking how did I get here when I was just in California
It’s especially hard to afford this life of wanderlust
Or moving, ripped from your roots, proving it’s hard to trust
This life that starts from dust, wishing on stars for love
Thinking we’re too far from dusk to spend tonight here
From Waikiki, to Tennessee, to the Isle of Capri
You’ve got to agree that it’s awesome seeing the seven seas
But hey, enough of me, coffee or tea? It’s from Hawaii
Tell me how you’re doing, with jubilee, idiosyncracy
It’s hard to keep in touch, an email here, a text there
Searching for the next air-line ticket fare
Sorry, I gotta go, up early to catch the redeye
‘Cause I have shows in Dubai, Shanghai and Versailles

Chunjay, Verse 2:
(Hey!) I was born in California in the Golden State
I stayed for a couple decades and I loved to skate
Played around with hip-hop, lived in a big house
Put loved ones in the ground when they took life’s bow
You never know how until it comes to you
I moved to Tennessee when I was only 22
Made some mistakes, grew up a whole lot
Friends filled up my soul when life had knocked
Me to the ground, and then this teacher got taught
Biggest pain of my life changed up my whole thought
Got me Orthodox, on the beaches of Hawaii
Can’t let roadblocks get me cryin’ out, “Why me?”
Hit the east coast chased my dreams to Philly
Put my flip-flops on the shelf that place was too chilly
Really meant only the best, but I didn’t do great
The whole event got me growin but I still dropped the plate
Cleared the slate in that sunny state called Pascua Florida
Re-evaluatin’ things, changing up the formula
All of these departures have taught me many things
More lessons ahead, more than ever I am listening

Kalvin Koolidge, Verse 3:
Life gets strange when things get rearranged
People change, the song remains the same
In the back of my brain I hear you saying
That you and me, we would never break the chain
So much older, not much wiser
Still on my grind, still got that fire
Still out in Nashville, still a little crazy
Still tryna figure out how Jesus gonna save me
From town to city, gutter to high sidity
It goes so quickly, and sometimes it really hits me
I’m left behind with mine, a sign nobody gets me
I’m droppin’ dimes in my prime and I’ll be just fine
So many people, things, and places
Spaces in between, the things I seen, I know what grace is
So I be seeing you when I be seeing you my friend
We’ll grab a brew or two and then we do it all again


More of the Same (Epilogue)

David Mathewes:
Remember when I rode to the mountains saying
I’m sick of lookin at this plain
Mile after mile of nothin at all
And every day is more of the same
Only brings more of the same

Lord don’t let me lose my way again
Or forget where I stake my claim
And when the rooster crows in the morning
Please give me more of the same, O Lord
Just a little more of the same

Chunjay:
Life is hard but it’s good
Even when not living the way we should
Put that axe to wood like St. Boniface
Cut Thor’s oak at the base…
Superfluous,
Ridiculous, the things I miss
Distracted from delight cause I missed some kiss
What is this? it’s not what I planned
But I wouldn’t trade my life for five hundred grand
I’m grateful to think that there is no shame
To simply ask the Lord for more of the same

David Mathewes:
Unpin your hair in the kitchen
As pretty as a picture in a picture frame
Look at the fields and the plowing to do and think,
Please give me more of the same, O Lord
Please give me more of the same

I got a cough I can’t seem to shake
Aand a colt I can’t seem to tame
Laying down praying don’t take me yet, Lord
Please give me more of the same
Lord just a little more of the same

Chunjay:
It’s that hard work you didn’t know was joy
It’s that sleepless night from that baby boy
It’s that needless attention you did just cause
It’s that thoughtful mention gave her a buzz
That mournful retention of what was great
It’s that peaceful forgiveness that once was hate
It’s embracing ordinary days, ways of life
It’s facing challenges, takin it in stride
It’s knowing you were wronged but not making a claim
It’s embracing grace, and asking for the same

David Mathewes:
By and by when we meet at the throne
Singin praises to your Holy name
Forever after bathed in the light singin
Please give me more of the same, O Lord
Please give me more of the same

Lord don’t let me lose my way again
Or forget where I stake my claim
And when the sun climbs over the fence
Please give me more of the same O Lord
Please give me more of the same


Lyrics and music copyright 2017 Neopolis Media in partnership with Invisible Library Records. All rights reserved. M. Walker & J. Bennett Artist rights (BMI). 

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