Ain’t No Encore Verse 1 Ain’t no trumpet coming, this the block, this the beat, Life don’t knock twice, it drags you down the street. Talkin’ ‘bout “one day,” let it sit, let it wait, But one day’s a rumor, you late to your fate. Plans in your pocket, all folded, all creased, Fear eatin’ first while it’s starvin’ the beast. Sayin’ “I’m close,” but close don’t convert, Soft lullaby lies just to soften the hurt. Pre-Chorus Time don’t stall, don’t stretch, don’t bend, don’t spin, One cut, one take, then the reel rolls thin. No rewind, no splice, no second-look scene, Just a one-shot flick, you know what I mean. Chorus No velvet drapes, no bows, no curtain call, The spotlight’s yours, or it ain’t shine at all. No second act, no backstage lore, Take your cue, hit your line, there ain’t no encore. Verse 2 Askin’ for a sign like the sky gon’ text, Breath in your chest say, “Begin, don’t flex.” Heartbeat knockin’? That’s your cue, that’s legit, Ain’t a whisper sayin’ “try”, it’s a shove: commit. Doubt talk slick, got a smooth little tone, “Stay in your lane, boy, stick to your zone.” Safe don’t stretch you, and it sure don’t build, Just a soft little grave where your drive gets killed. Pre-Chorus Walk that circle, wear the same path thin? Or step out that loop, go all the way in? No coach, no whistle, no crowd to defend, Just you and the moment, face to face in the end. Chorus No velvet drapes, no no bows, no curtain call, The spotlight’s yours, or it ain’t shine at all. No second act, no backstage lore, Take your cue, hit your line, there ain’t no encore. Bridge I talked big too, had the blueprint drawn, Kept it folded in my pocket every cold, dark dawn. Told myself “soon” like soon was a day on the clock, While I perfected my excuses and I tightened the lock. Ain’t preachin’ from the mountain, I been in the mud, Same doubt, same stall, same freeze in the blood. But the curtain don’t care ’bout your reasons why, It rises on the ready, and it lets the rest die. Chorus No velvet drapes, no no bows, no curtain call, The spotlight’s yours, or it ain’t shine at all. No second act, no backstage lore, Take your cue, hit your line, there ain’t no encore.
Keep Watching
Intro
They said you got no shot,
They said nah, ain’t be you,
They said you gonna be forgot.
Oh yeah?
I guarantee
Keep watching me.
Verse 1
I been building in the dark where nobody looks
Turning closed doors into open books
Every setback fed the spark
Every label missed the mark
You saw the fall but you missed the climb
You saw the doubt but you missed the grind
You read surface, skipped the core
Now I’m something you can’t ignore
Pre-Chorus
Grit in my step, grace in my hands
Faith in my chest, I know who I am
No need to shout, no need to run
I’m still here, I’m not done
Chorus
Keep watching me rise, I’m not done yet
Keep watching the climb, I ain’t won yet
Every scar left a mark I respect
Every mile just building the next
I don’t break when the pressure lands
I grow stronger than you planned
Keep watching me rise,
Keep watching.
Keep watching.
Verse 2
I learned patience through the strain
Carried weight through quiet pain
They judged quick, I stayed slow
Built my name where they won’t go
You see now but you missed the cost
You see win but you missed the loss
You saw small, I saw plan
Now I’m more than you began
Bridge
You set limits, I raised lines
You spoke early, I moved wise
You saw walls, I saw doors
You closed one, I found four
You thought slow meant falling behind
I was sharpening my mind
Breakdown
You thought that was my ceiling?
That was my beginning.
Final Chorus
Keep watching me rise, I’m not done yet
Keep watching the climb, I ain’t won yet
Grace in my chest, fire in my hands
Built in the dark, now I stand
From ground to light, I ascend
What you thought was the end,
Was the start of who I am
You Keep watching me rise.
You Keep watching who I am
You Keep watching.
Keep watchin’
Get Out The Green Room
Verse 1
You’re powdered up, pretty in a pre-show pose,
Pocket full of plans, just “maybes” and “suppose,”
Rehearse your lines to an empty chair,
While the clock tap-taps like it’s goin’ somewhere.
In the bullpen warm, but you never throw,
Got a fastball future that you never show,
In a holding pattern, circlin’ grace,
Life taxis by, won’t you take your place?
Pre-Chorus
You say “one day”, that lullaby lie,
But the curtain don’t rise on a later “why,”
You been almost ready since way back when,
That’s a masterpiece stalled by a cautious pen.
Chorus
Get out the green room, the stage don’t wait,
No permission needed, it’s already late,
Kick down the door where the dreamers hide,
There’s a whole wide world just outside.
No more “soon,” no more “someday,”
That’s a song that time don’t play,
From the wings to the wild, make your move,
Get out, get out the green room.
Verse 2
Got notes in your pocket you never sang,
Heart full of rhythm but you fear that clang,
You edit your life like a careful scribe,
While the reckless ones just catch that vibe.
Line of souls in a velvet queue,
All dressed in dreams they never pursue,
They sip that doubt like it’s rare, refined
While the bold drink truth straight, unconfined.
Pre-Chorus
Keep your spark in a safety case,
Like a flame might fall if it finds its place,
But a fire that waits goes cold too soon
Strike that match, light the room.
Chorus
Get out the green room, the stage don’t wait,
No perfection needed, no safety gate,
Break that script that you over-rehearse,
There’s a kind of grace in the messy, the worse.
No more “later” in slick disguise,
That’s a trick that time outsizes,
From the hush to the howl, find your groove,
Get out, get out the green room.
Bridge
Tick-tock talk, cheap concierge,
Sellin’ you tomorrows that were never there,
You stall, you scheme, you polish delay,
While the present packs up, walks away.
No understudy life, no second scene,
No rewind button, know what I mean?
One-shot jazz on a live-wire beat
Miss that cue? That’s a lost heartbeat.
Break
No sidelines. No stalls.
No pacing padded halls.
No “wait till I feel right”
Step half-ready into light.
Final Chorus
Get out the green room, the stage is now,
Take your bow in the middle of anyhow,
Let the stumble sing, let the rough be true,
There’s a standing ovation inside of you.
No more waitin’ where the shadows loom,
That’s a velvet-lined, quiet tomb,
From the maybe to the move you prove,
Get out, get out the green room.
Outro
Door ain’t locked, never was,
Just closed up by “just because,”
Take your cue, your time, your tune
And leave that quiet waiting room.
Forever’s Living Through You
Hook / Chorus
Hold up, wait, this don’t fade to black,
It’s not a journey forward, it’s a journey back
To the self that you buried to stay on the track
You don’t die, you arrive, and you can’t send it back.
Yeah, hold up, wait, hear the witness in me,
Not a threat, not a gavel, it’s a map running free,
You keep what you chose when the veil’s finally torn
Eternity ain’t later, it’s the now you were born.
Verse 1
I furnished my faith like a short-term lease,
Kept the walls undecided, called the silence “peace,”
No photos of conviction, just a tasteful doubt,
If anyone pressed me, I’d talk my way out.
But the breath kept preaching in a low, legal tone,
A clause in the contract I’d somehow outgrown,
Saying: Son, this ain’t rental, this is permanent stay,
And the life that you’re living is a debt you will pay.
If awareness don't quit when the curtain is drawn,
If the mind keeps its shoes on when the body is gone
Then every "later" I lazily save
Is a seed in a soil that outlives the grave.
Not fear, too easy. Not guilt, too worn.
More like truth in a tux at seven in the morn,
Put a hand on my shoulder, didn’t argue or plead
Just corrected my posture like it knew what I’d need.
Hook / Chorus
Hold up, wait, this don’t fade to black,
It’s not a journey forward, it’s a journey back
To the self that you buried to stay on the track
You don’t die, you arrive, and you can’t send it back.
Yeah, hold up, wait, hear the witness in me,
Not a threat, not a gavel, it’s a map running free,
You keep what you chose when the veil’s finally torn
Eternity ain’t later, it’s the now you were born.
Verse 2
No lightning signed papers, no sky split in two,
Just a rhythm that knew me better than I ever knew,
Like the end sent a letter back to start from afar:
You’re not going to nothing, you’re becoming what you are.
And I stood there, still stylish, oh, I play that part well
Half a joke, half a jolt, trading heaven for shell,
Making small talk with the infinite, keeping it light
Like a man at the mirror who’s afraid of his height.
Then it broke, no, it opened, quiet, sudden, severe:
Immortality’s not something that appears year to year,
It’s the coat I’ve been wearing since before I had skin
And the life I’ve been living is the lining within.
Hook / Chorus
Hold up, wait, this don’t fade to black,
It’s not a journey forward, it’s a journey back
To the self that you buried to stay on the track
You don’t die, you arrive, and you can’t send it back.
Yeah, hold up, wait, hear the witness in me,
Not a threat, not a gavel, it’s a map running free,
You keep what you chose when the veil’s finally torn
Eternity ain’t later, it’s the now you were born.
Bridge
I stood there confessing to the mirror I’d dressed,
With a joke in my pocket and a hole in my chest,
The man who deflects with the cleanest of lines
Is the man most aware of what the silence defines.
One way, the seeing turns the seer into flame,
The other, the shadow lets you hide from your name
Same soul, same current, just a different reply
To the knock that keeps knocking from the other side.
Final Hook / Outro
So, hold up, wait, let it land where you stand,
This ain’t fear, this is fire in the flat of your hand,
You can warm what you’re given or get burned by the flame
Either way, you’re eternal, better learn how to aim.
Yeah, hold up, wait, I made wit do the work,
Kept the sermon in syllables so the truth wouldn’t hurt,
But the truth don’t stutter, and it don’t miss its cue
You don’t live toward forever.
Forever’s living through you.
Needle Finds The Groove Again
Intro
Yo, slide that wax, slide that wax,
Feel it, feel it, yeah,
Here we go, here we go,
Verse 1
Needle hit the groove, that’s devotion
Spin it full circle, pure motion in motion
Velocity on vinyl, like waves in the ocean
Every drop precise, no random commotion
Technically slick, rhythmical, smooth
Soul in the pocket, ain’t nothing to prove
Hands on the wax, fingers approve
Feet in the pocket, body can move
Tiny line, big vibe, open wide
Crowd lean in, can’t run, can’t hide
Every beat talking, every note collides
You don’t chase the groove, you just slide
Hook / Chorus
The needle finds the groove again
And the whole room move
Not luck, pure skill, my friend
DJ in the groove
The needle finds the groove again
And the whole room move
Not luck, pure skill, my friend
DJ in the groove
Velocity on vinyl, gold in the streets
Hands on wax, heart on fire
Feet don’t ask, they just hit the beat
Ride the rhythm, that’s the groove you acquire
Verse 2
Backspin crisp, let the record talk
Crossfade smooth, now watch it walk
Left hand cut, right hand knock
Heartbeat synced to the ticking clock
Crate full heavy, breaks and beats
Velocity on vinyl, gold in the streets
Find the pocket where rhythm meets
Where the bassline drops and the melody greets
Ain’t guessing, you feel that line
Perfect drop, perfect place, perfect time
Crowd lean forward, that’s the sign
You in the groove now, the rhythm divine
Hook / Chorus
The needle finds the groove again
And the whole room move
Not luck, pure skill, my friend
DJ in the groove
The needle finds the groove again
And the whole room move
Not luck, pure skill, my friend
DJ in the groove
Bridge / Breakdown
Check it,
It ain’t about forcing
It ain’t about speed
It’s knowing the moment
Before it’s a need
Slip that needle, light and smooth
Too early, you miss it
Too late, you lose
Right in the middle, that’s the prove
Not a record, that’s the mood,
Verse 3
Anybody can play a track, that’s easy
But not everybody bring it back, believe me
Loop the break till the spine reacts
Stretch the second, layer the stacks
Wax to air, conversation rare
Needle whisperin’, “Yeah, we there”
You and the rhythm become a pair
Beat was waitin’, now you aware
Final Hook / Chorus
The needle finds the groove again
Now you can’t refuse
Not chance, it’s locked-in flow, my friend
Nothing left to lose
The needle finds the groove again
Now you can’t refuse
Not chance, it’s locked-in flow, my friend
Nothing left to lose
Velocity on vinyl, gold in the streets
Hands on wax, heart on fire
Feet don’t ask, they just hit the beat
When you and the moment finally meet
That’s when you in the groove
Outro
Yea
That’s it
slide that wax
Don’t fight it
slide that wax
Feel it
Feel it
Here we go
Yea
That’s it
Unboxing You
Verse 1
Slide the lid slow unwind feel the tension in the line
Every corner every fold something waiting to be told
Hands move gentle fingers trace every edge a kind of grace
Paper walls and velvet space all the rooms where we find our place
Years of wrapping tight and neat all the layers we compete
Till the One who holds the seam says let go and you begin
Not just surface not just shine something deeper in the find
Every fold that falls away is mercy working on its time
Pre-Chorus
No rush no rules let the tension play
Every fold undone every fear gives way
Heartbeats sync like a groove in tune
Step close step in I’m unboxing you
Chorus
Snap it peel it feel it move
Every curve every groove
Every secret you’ve been holding finally breaking through
Shine in the dark reveal what’s true
Take your time make it smooth
Unboxing you
Lift the veil let the quiet speak find the gift you didn’t seek
Every layer peeled in trust is a word you didn’t know you’d need
Glow through night glow through blues
Take a breath take a step
Unboxing you
Verse 2
They see the box not what’s beneath only the outside the motif
But time is patient God is slow and love knows how to linger how to breathe
A life coils back like longing hands the years bend soft like understanding
What was always there just waiting unwrapping more than meets the eye
Slow-motion grace in every fold warmth exchanged and stories told
The surface glints but it’s the depth that finally turns the moment gold
Not performance not the tease something truer, if you please
Every layer every year I’m still learning how to be
Pre-Chorus
No rush no rules let the tension play
Every fold undone every fear gives way
Heartbeats sync like a groove in tune
Step close step in I’m unboxing you
Chorus
Snap it peel it feel it move
Every curve every groove
Every secret you’ve been holding finally breaking through
Shine in the dark reveal what’s true
Take your time make it smooth
Unboxing you
Lift the veil let the quiet speak find the gift you didn’t seek
Every layer peeled in trust is a word you didn’t know you’d need
Glow through night glow through blues
Take a breath take a step
Unboxing you
Bridge
What if holy looks like slow what if sacred starts with wait
What if everything you’re hiding is the gift somebody prays
Fragile can be fearless quiet can be strong
Every layer every fold
Surrendered all along
Outro
Snap it peel it feel it move
Every curve every groove
Every secret you’ve been holding finally breaking through
Shine in the dark reveal what’s true
Take your time make it smooth
Unboxing you
Yeah unboxing you
The Making of a Man
Verse 1
There was a man who feared the dawn,
Lay awake till night was gone,
Felt the sun like unpaid debt
Knocking hard with cold regret.
Mirror showed a thinning face,
A restless soul out of place,
Crowds could cheer and bands could play,
But he still dreaded every day.
Verse 2
He chased relief in borrowed flame,
Gave his hunger gentler names,
Said “I’m fine” and “I’m in control,”
While something fractured in his soul.
Ceiling heard his whispered lies,
Darkness watched through open eyes,
Morning came like courtroom light
Reading back the charge each night.
Chorus
That’s the making of a man,
When he’s empty as he stands,
When the throne slips from his hand
And he learns he never ran the land.
Not by pride or perfect plan,
But surrender where he stands,
That’s the making,
That’s the making of a man.
Verse 3
Collapse don’t shout, it folds you small,
Shrinks the room and dims the hall,
Steals the music from the air,
Leaves you with a quiet prayer.
Helpless is a bitter word,
Clearer than the lies he’d heard,
Paper wings and paper crown
Fall the hardest hitting ground.
Verse 4
So he didn’t swear “This time I’ll win,”
Didn’t flex his will again,
Just opened up a shaking hand,
Signed it over where he’d stand.
No trumpet blast split the sky,
No lightning streaked across his eyes,
Just a different center set
Where his fear and pride once met.
Chorus
That’s the making of a man,
When he’s broken as he stands,
When he lays his kingdom down
And trades his rusted crown.
Not by strength he understands,
But mercy in his hands,
That’s the making,
That’s the making of a man.
Verse 5
Dawn still came, but something changed,
Light no longer felt estranged,
Words he read began to burn,
Pages breathed at every turn.
Storms still rolled and debts still called,
Old ghosts knocked along the wall,
But direction’s a sacred thing,
A compass shift can change a king.
Verse 6
He wasn’t flawless, wasn’t clean,
Still had places rarely seen,
But morning wasn’t dread and shame,
It softly called him by his name.
He rose not dragged by guilt or fear,
But drawn by something steady, clear,
And in that quiet turning span
You could see the forming of a man.
Final Chorus
That’s the making of a man,
Not the fall, but where he lands.
Not the night, but where he stands
When the light moves in.
That’s the making,
That’s the making of a man.
Tombstone Words
Verse 1
When it’s all said and done and the story gets told,
What they put on that stone is worth more than gold.
You don’t write those words, that’s not how it goes,
The life that you lived is what everybody knows.
So bring that energy, bring it every day,
Infectious smile, light up every hallway.
Compete like it matters, give ‘em something to say,
Live it loud enough that the words don’t fade away.
Pre-Chorus
They’re watching how you move, they’re watching what you do,
Not the trophies on the shelf, they’re watching what is true.
You can’t fake the habits and you can’t fake the heart,
That’s what gets remembered when the people start to talk.
Chorus
Play it like it matters when nobody’s around,
Bring the heat to the room when there ain’t no crowd.
Live it like every single moment is deserved,
Only thing they’ll chisel in is Tombstone Words.
Verse 2
You want ceaseless energy carved into that stone,
Fierce competitor who never left the field alone.
Infectious like a smile that nobody could ignore,
The kind of person people love and keep coming back for more.
Style and flair, you brought it every single place,
Generosity so natural it was written on your face.
When they gather at that stone and somebody says your name,
Make sure what they’re saying ain’t just hollow words and fame.
Pre-Chorus
They’re watching how you move, they’re watching what you do,
Not the trophies on the shelf, they’re watching what is true.
You can’t fake the habits and you can’t fake the heart,
That’s what gets remembered when the people start to talk.
Chorus
Play it like it matters when nobody’s around,
Bring the heat to the room when there ain’t no crowd.
Live it like every single moment is deserved,
Only thing they’ll chisel in is Tombstone Words.
Bridge
You don’t get to pick ‘em,
You don’t get to write ‘em,
Every day you’re building ‘em,
Every choice you’re earning ’em,
Not the stats, not the score, not the number in the bank,
The way you treated people, that’s the line they’re gonna crank.
So live it like the stone is getting chiseled right now,
Tombstone Words, you earn ‘em, and here’s how:
Bring that energy,
Show that flair,
Live it in the room like somebody’s always there,
Compete with heart,
Shine in the dark,
Every single moment is a chance to leave your mark,
Chorus
Play it like it matters when nobody’s around,
Bring the heat to the room when there ain’t no crowd.
Live it like every single moment is deserved,
Only thing they’ll chisel in is Tombstone Words.
Outro
Tombstone Words.
What’s yours gonna say?
Amazing Grace - Club Version
Intro
Amazing grace, we takin’ it higher
Takin’ it higher
Verse 1
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Lost in the dark, but now I’m found
Blind to the truth, but now I see
Chains fell off, soul set free
Fear in my heart, but grace came near
Pulled me up strong, dried my tears
Precious gift, the first belief
Grace in the rhythm, bringing relief
Chorus
Amazing grace, it lifts me higher
Burns like a flame, holy fire
Amazing grace, breaks every chain
Lights keep flashin’, we praise His name
Verse 2
Through dangers deep, through trials long
Grace kept pushin’, made me strong
Safe thus far, on the narrow way
Grace still leadin’, day by day
The Lord my shield, my hope secure
Love unshakable, steady and pure
Life may fade, but truth remains
Forever His, forever changed
Chorus
Amazing grace, it lifts me higher
Burns like a flame, holy fire
Amazing grace, breaks every chain
Lights keep flashin’, we praise His name
Bridge
Grace on my left, grace on my right
Grace in the dark, grace in the light
Grace in the club, grace in the street
Grace in the rhythm, the bass and the beat
Chorus
Amazing grace, it lifts me higher
Burns like a flame, holy fire
Amazing grace, breaks every chain
Forever and ever, we praise His name
Outro
Amazing grace, amazing grace
Oh, it lifts me higher, higher and higher
Grace in the rhythm, grace in the sound
Lost no more, but now I’m found
It Remains In Your Veins
Opening Hook
They can take everything, leave you with nothin’
But they can’t touch the fire when your purpose is runnin’
You were built for a reason, don’t you ever forget
What remains when it’s gone is what keeps you in it
What remains, what remains
Through the hunger, through the pains
What remains, what remains
Is the meaning in your veins
It remains in your veins
Verse 1
Let me talk to the ones who been stripped to the bone
No clout, no cash, no comfort, no home
The world took the label, removed the address
Left you standin’ in nothin’ but hunger and stress
Yeah they numbered you out, tried to make you a code
But a number can’t carry what the Spirit has known
See the ones who survived wasn’t the strongest physique
Wasn’t the tallest, the loudest, the ones at their peak
It was the ones with a fire that the cold couldn’t kill
A reason to rise when they had nothin’ still
A face they were holdin’ somewhere past the wire
A task left unfinished, an unquenchable fire
So before you decide that the road’s at its end
Let me ask you one question, what you still sendin’?
What’s waitin’ on you that ain’t happened yet?
What love, what work, what promise, what debt?
Hook
They can take everything, leave you with nothin’
But they can’t touch the fire when your purpose is runnin’
You were built for a reason, don’t you ever forget
What remains when it’s gone is what keeps you in it
What remains, what remains
Through the hunger, through the pains
What remains, what remains
Is the meaning in your veins
It remains in your veins
Verse 2
Now listen close ‘cause this part hits different
The last freedom left when your options are missin’
Is the one they can’t see, can’t measure, can’t bind
The choice of how you carry it inside your mind
You can’t control the weather or the hand you’re dealt
Can’t always control the pain that’s been felt
But the angle you take it, the posture you stand,
That’s still yours, and that’s still in your hand
Three places where meaning decides to appear,
First, the work that you do when the vision is clear
Second, love, when another soul lights up your sky
And their bein’ alive becomes your reason why
Third, and this one cuts deep, hear me out,
It’s the attitude you choose when there’s no way out
Not anger, not surrender, not the cynical mask
But a dignified answer to a brutal task
Sufferin’ joined to a purpose transforms
What destroys without meaning just scatters like storms
Bridge
They been tellin’ you forever that success is the goal
That the money and the status gonna fill up the hole
But I’ve seen men with everything still hollow inside
And I’ve seen men with nothin’ still burnin’ with pride
’Cause pleasure fades out
And power runs thin
But meaning, meaning,
That’s the engine within
Life’s not askin’ what you want from it
Nah,
Life is askin’ what you’re bringin’ to it
Answer that,
And watch everything shift
Verse 3
So I’m talkin’ to the youth with the weight on their chest
Who been told they ain’t enough, ain’t passin’ the test
Who been counted out early, dismissed and ignored
Who been handed the struggle without any reward
Hear me, scarcity creates urgency
What you’re goin’ through is buildin’ somethin’ you can’t yet see
The pressure that’s on you is formin’ the diamond
The darkness you’re in is a temporary assignment
Real talk, people follow what they feel is true
They move toward the ones who commit all the way through
So commit to your meaning like your life is on it
Because it is, and the ones who make it own it
Don’t just survive, make the sufferin’ say somethin’
Don’t just endure, let the hard days mean somethin’
Every scar is a sentence in the story you’re writin’
Every setback’s a setup for the next chapter risin’
Hook
They can take everything, leave you with nothin’
But they can’t touch the fire when your purpose is runnin’
You were built for a reason, don’t you ever forget
What remains when it’s gone is what keeps you in it
What remains, what remains
Through the hunger, through the pains
What remains, what remains
Is the meaning in your veins
It remains in your veins
Lyrics © 2026 Scott D. Radtke. All rights reserved.
No claim is made to AI-generated instrumental music.