[Intro – City Ambience / FM Static] [Radio Voice] Frequency Eighty-Eight… City never sleeps. Doesn’t mean it’s awake. [Sub-Bass Enters] [Male – Low Spoken Rap] It’s like a jungle sometimes Makes me wonder how we stay above the waterline [Verse 1] Broken lights flicker on the avenue Rent went up, but the ceiling’s leaking through Sirens downstairs, somebody screams Everybody looking but nobody sees Five missed calls and the bill says due Bank wants theirs before the month gets through Fridge half-empty, tank on red Another notification saying prices went ahead Neighbour lost his job back in May Still puts that suit on every weekday Tells his children Daddy’s working late Then sits at the station till a quarter past eight Everybody running Nobody arrives Everybody connected Nobody feels alive [Pre-Chorus – Beat Strips Back] Don’t push me I’m close to the edge Trying to keep these voices Out of my head One more bill One more night One more reason To keep up the fight [Female – Distant] Hold on… [Hook] It’s like a jungle sometimes Makes me wonder how we stay above the waterline City keeps calling City don’t care Million little people Trying to breathe the same air It’s like a jungle sometimes… [Echo] Sometimes… [Verse 2 – Tighter Flow] Kid on the train with a cracked-screen phone Thousand friends but he rides alone Scrolling through lives that he’ll never live Learning what to want before learning what to give Mother works nights, father works days They communicate through notes in the microwave Child wakes up when they’re both away Another little family surviving each day Tower blocks rising where the old shops stood Coffee costs more than a meal once would Luxury windows looking down below On people being priced from the streets they know Everybody selling Everybody sold Everybody chasing Something made of gold You can buy attention You can rent applause But nobody remembers What the silence was [Hook] It’s like a jungle sometimes Makes me wonder how we stay above the waterline Don’t push me I’m close to the edge Still got a little bit of hope left It’s like a jungle sometimes Makes me wonder how we keep from going under [Frequency 88 Interlude] [Radio Tuning] 87.9… 88.0… [Female] Are you still there? [Male] Yeah. [Female] You sound tired. [Male] Everybody’s tired. [Female] Then why do you keep going? [Silence] [Male] Because morning keeps coming. [Heartbeat Bass] [Verse 3 – Faster, Increasing Pressure] Morning comes Alarm goes Coffee burns Train slows Boss calls Rent climbs Phone rings No time Swipe left Swipe right Work days Lose nights Buy now Pay later Debt grows Work greater Smile for the camera Everything’s fine Post that sunset Hide that decline Algorithm knows what you’re thinking about Before you even work out what you’re thinking about Everybody shouting Nobody heard Truth gets buried underneath another sponsored word We built machines to save us time Then filled that time with another deadline Got maps to everywhere Still feeling lost Everything convenient Nobody counts the cost [Beat Cuts] Tell me… How much is enough? [Female Whisper] More. [Male] And after that? [Female] More. [Male] And after that? [Silence] Exactly. [Bass Returns] [Verse 4 – Storytelling] A child gets born with an open mind Doesn’t know money, colour or dividing lines Doesn’t know postcode, status or name Doesn’t know somebody already designed the game First comes school Then comes the score Then somebody tells him he should want more Better shoes Better phone Better postcode Better home Better job Better car Better prove to everybody who you are Twenty-five and already tired Thirty-five and completely wired Forty-five asking where life went Fifty-five still paying interest All those years trying to get ahead Never asked where the road actually led [Female] Where does it lead? [Male] Depends who you ask. [Final Hook – Male + Female] It’s like a jungle sometimes Makes me wonder how we stay above the waterline But I’m still here You’re still here Maybe that’s the message We were meant to hear Don’t push me I’m close to the edge But close to the edge Ain’t over it yet [Female] Hold on… [Male] I’m holding. [Female] Hold on… [Male] Still holding. [Final Verse – Calm] Maybe strength ain’t never being afraid Maybe it’s waking up and facing another day Maybe wealth ain’t everything you own Maybe home is knowing you’re not alone Maybe winning isn’t getting out first Maybe somebody has to make this place work Maybe somewhere underneath all this noise There’s still a human being Trying to find his voice [Music Gradually Disappears] [Male] It’s like a jungle sometimes… But somehow… We’re still here. [Female] Frequency Eighty-Eight. [Radio Voice] People. Places. Possibilities. [Static] [Transmission Ends]
