Verse 1)
Got a shopping cart frame and a busted-up fan
Couple wires I don’t really understand
Duct tape dreams and a stolen spark
Tryna build me a way out the dark
Neighbors say I’ve lost my mind
But they never looked up at night
Never felt that pull in their chest
Like gravity’s a kind of test
(Pre-Chorus)
Every bolt I twist in place
Feels like I’m escaping space
Before I even leave the ground
I’m already not around
(Chorus)
I’m a backyard astronaut
Going places I was not
Supposed to reach, supposed to see
But that don’t matter much to me
If it breaks, if it burns
At least I took my turn
Lit a fire in the black
And I’m never looking back
(Verse 2)
Helmet made from a fishbowl dome
Cracked reflection but it feels like home
Countdown whispered, outta breath
Laughing right in the face of death
Mama’s voice in the back of my head
“Boy, don’t fly where you can’t be fed”
But I been starving down here too
For something real, something new
(Pre-Chorus)
Every second ticking loud
Like a dare I said out loud
If I crash or if I soar
At least I’m something more
(Chorus)
I’m a backyard astronaut
Going places I was not
Supposed to reach, supposed to see
But that don’t matter much to me
If it breaks, if it burns
At least I took my turn
Lit a fire in the black
And I’m never looking back
(Bridge)
Three… two… wires sparkin’
One… heart’s racing, dark and—
Then a shake, a scream, a light
Whole world shrinking outta sight
Or maybe I just closed my eyes
And felt the ground apologize
For holding me so long
Like I was ever meant to belong
(Final Chorus)
I’m a backyard astronaut
Even if I never launch
I still dreamed beyond the fence
That’s gotta count for something, yeah
If I fall, if I stay
Still I almost flew away
And that’s enough to know I tried
To touch the endless sky
(Outro)
Rust and smoke in the morning air
Shopping cart just sitting there
But in my chest, I swear it’s true—
I flew further than I ever knew