[Verse 1]
Gold dust
On my tongue
Red sand
In my lungs
Concrete
In the Nile
Steel fang
In my smile
Borderline
On my wrist like a cuff
Every scar that I hide
Spells “enough”
Mama praying on a rug
Till it’s rough
While I carve my little kingdom
Out the rust
[Chorus]
I got desert teeth
Bite down, taste blood in my belief
Heat waves
Rattling the wreath
I don’t bow, I break
I don’t beg, I take
Got that east-side fever
In a deep bass quake
I got desert teeth
Every word chip a piece of the reef
Old gods
Sleeping underneath
I don’t bend, I burn
I don’t stop, I turn
Every grain in the glass
Is a lesson I earned (yeah)
[Verse 2]
Black tar
On my sole
Half cross
Half eye of gold
Visa stamp
Like a brand on a bull
Whole world
Still calling me “foreign,” I’m full
Slang twist
Like a blade in the dark
Switch tongues mid-bar
Still sharp
From the block to the bazaar
Same spark
Turn a prayer into pressure
Into art (hey)
[Chorus]
I got desert teeth
Bite down, taste blood in my belief
Heat waves
Rattling the wreath
I don’t bow, I break
I don’t beg, I take
Got that east-side fever
In a deep bass quake
I got desert teeth
Every word chip a piece of the reef
Old gods
Sleeping underneath
I don’t bend, I burn
I don’t stop, I turn
Every grain in the glass
Is a lesson I earned
[Bridge]
[Drums and percussion ride alone, vocal half-whispered]
Dust in my lungs
Ink on my tongue
One foot here
One in the sun
If the gate don’t open
I cut my own key
If the throne ain’t empty
It still gotta see me (woah)
[Chorus]
I got desert teeth
Bite down, taste blood in my belief
Heat waves
Rattling the wreath
I don’t bow, I break
I don’t beg, I take
Got that east-side fever
In a deep bass quake
I got desert teeth
Every word chip a piece of the reef
Old gods
Sleeping underneath
I don’t bend, I burn
I don’t stop, I turn
Every grain in the glass
Is a lesson I earned (desert teeth)