Roosevelt Rituals

Verse 1

Jackson Heights heat

Under the heavy iron of the seven train

My linen suit matches the color of a peach pit

Gold on the neck like a pharaoh

Smell the charcoal

Smell the lime

Sizzling beef from a silver cart

Rubbing shoulders with a chef from Puebla

The pig ear is fried perfect

Crispy

Salty

Sweet

Chorus

Down on Roosevelt

Where the world meets for a dollar plate

Pink lights in the window upstairs

High fashion for the low life

Rose water

Cold steel

Silk on the skin for sixty cash

A velvet transition

A secret tradition

Verse 2

The Ecuadorian truck got the encebollado steaming

I sip it slow

Leg crossed like a statesman

Watch the Thai lady peel a mango with a razor

Artistry

Precision

Calculated beauty

Walk a block further to the Colombian spot

Chorizo fat dripping on the pavement

A masterpiece in grease

I handle my business in a suit from Milan

Enter the parlor with a bow

No tension left in the spine

The movement is elegant

The deal is silent

She works with the grace of a cellist

Chorus

Down on Roosevelt

Where the world meets for a dollar plate

Pink lights in the window upstairs

High fashion for the low life

Rose water

Cold steel

Silk on the skin for sixty cash

A velvet transition

A secret tradition

Bridge

I want the spice

I want the oil

I want the ritual

Venezuela on the corner with the white corn

Cheese pulling like a dream

My watch face is a pool of emeralds

I am the king of the transit line

The ghost of the garden

Verse 3

Sixty dollars for the symphony

She hits the pressure point like a diamond cutter

Total release

Polished manners in a jagged place

My aura is lavender

My boots are alligator

Eat the street

Live the suite

Everything is shimmering in the oil

I came

I saw

I conquered the menu

Chorus

Down on Roosevelt

Where the world meets for a dollar plate

Pink lights in the window upstairs

High fashion for the low life

Rose water

Cold steel

Silk on the skin for sixty cash

A velvet transition

A secret tradition

Outro

Keep the change

Stay hungry

Always classy

Roosevelt

Iron lung of the city

Queens majesty

Just another Tuesday for a giant