Sunshine & Superman

[Verse 1]
Met her at the late shift
Name tag read "Karen," yeah that name hit
Coffee in her hand, lil paint on her sleeve
Said she drew to stay calm when her chest couldn’t breathe
I was bussin’ tables, rent due, phone off
Dreams in my notebook, life in a stand-off
We laughed ‘bout the chaos, said “life’s kinda dumb”
She said, “Sit for a second,” like a storm sayin’ “come”
Told me ‘bout her mama, how the bills stack high
How she pray in the bathroom so her brothers don’t cry
I told her ‘bout the nights I ain’t eat till two
She looked right through the front, saw the back of my truth
Next week, same booth, same cheap tea
She said, “Chuckie, you feel like home to me”
Little grin on my face, couldn’t play that cool
Heart doin’ backflips in a broken-down booth
[Chorus]
You my sunshine, Karen, when the sky turn gray
You my sunrise, girl, in my darkest day
When the world too heavy, when I can’t stand
You look in my eyes, call me your superman
We hold each other up when we wanna fall
Side by side, back to back through it all
Storms gon’ come, but we stick to the plan
You my sunshine, girl, I’m your superman (yeah)
[Verse 2]
Fast forward, bills late, fridge almost bare
Boss yelling in my ear like he own my air
I came home fists tight, ready just to snap
She sat me on the couch, traced hope on my lap
Said, “Breathe, babe, look, we been worse than this
We shared one plate, still found room for a kiss
You carried me when I couldn’t leave bed
When the dark got loud in the back of my head”
I remember that winter, she ain’t wanna wake up
Eyes on the wall, cold hands, blank cup
I held her like glass, said, “We still gon’ shine”
Stayed up five nights just to guard her mind
We got layoff letters, car broke, rain poured
Still danced in the hallway on the cracked old floor
She laughed, “You my hero in a thrift-store cape”
I said, “You my bright day in my worst mistakes” (yeah)
[Chorus]
You my sunshine, Karen, when the sky turn gray
You my sunrise, girl, in my darkest day
When the world too heavy, when I can’t stand
You look in my eyes, call me your superman
We hold each other up when we wanna fall
Side by side, back to back through it all
Storms gon’ come, but we stick to the plan
You my sunshine, girl, I’m your superman
[Bridge]
Through the cutbacks, court dates, cheap white rice
Through the bad news calls in the middle of the night (middle of the night)
Through the meds, through the tears, through the fear we had
We turned all that pain to a promise and a path
If I break down, she the first one there (first one there)
Hand on my chest sayin’, “Baby, I care”
If she fade out, I be holdin’ her hand
Like, “You still my sunshine, I’m still your superman” (yeah)
[Chorus]
You my sunshine, Karen, when the sky turn gray
You my sunrise, girl, in my darkest day
When the world too heavy, when I can’t stand
You look in my eyes, call me your superman
We hold each other up when we wanna fall
Side by side, back to back through it all
Storms gon’ come, but we stick to the plan
You my sunshine, girl, I’m your superman (uh)
You my sunshine, Karen, I’m your superman

rap, Warm boom-bap with soulful chopped sample and deep bass; male vocals half-melodic, half-rap. Intimate, close-mic verses over sparse keys, hook blossoms with stacked harmonies and airy pads. Second hook adds subtle choir stabs and extra percussion for lift, last chorus strips to drums and bass for a tender, confident outro.