[Verse 1]
Back when my jeans was too long
Cuffed twice on the floor
Walkman skip in my pocket
Made a beat from the door
Flip phone in the lunch line
Snuck a game in the back
Pokemon on the cardboard
And my name on the cap
Mom said, "Come home early"
I said, "Just one more round"
Kickball in the driveway
Dust got kicked all around
[Pre-Chorus]
I was small, but I knew
How to make a whole world
Cardboard box in the yard
Was a castle, not a curl
[Chorus]
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
We was kings in the dirt
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
Every scar was a shirt
No gold chain, no crown
Just a scraped-up grin
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
Man, I miss that kid within
[Verse 2]
Saturday at the corner
Cheap chips and a soda glow
Trading busted game cases
Like we ran the whole show
CDs on the dresser
Burned with a marker pen
One hit on the radio
And we sang it again
Hand me downs from my cousin
Sleeves too short, shoes too wide
Still I stood in that hallway
Like the whole block was mine
[Pre-Chorus]
I was young, but I learned
How to turn broke into bright
Couldn’t buy what I wanted
So I made it tonight
[Chorus]
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
We was kings in the dirt
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
Every scar was a shirt
No gold chain, no crown
Just a scraped-up grin
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
Man, I miss that kid within
[Bridge]
Now the years got louder
Bills in the mailbox pile
But I still hear that laughter
When the screen door flies
And I’m back on the concrete
With my friends in a line
Old bones, same heartbeat
Same wild look in my eye
[Chorus]
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
We was kings in the dirt
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
Every scar was a shirt
No gold chain, no crown
Just a scraped-up grin
Backyard kingdom, backyard kingdom
Man, I miss that kid within