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All Of It with Alison Stewart
Lyrics Born's Farewell Album, 'Goodbye, Sticky Rice' (Listening Party)
00:24:40
Lyrics Born joins for a listening party for his final album, 'Goodbye, Sticky Rice.'
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WNYC Studios
Listener supported WNYC Studios.
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Alison Stewart
This is all of it from wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Now it is time for a listening party and it may be the last for artists Lyrics Born but don't worry, he has something else up his sleeve. In 1997, lyrics born debuted as one half of the alternative rap doer Lear mix alongside his partner Latif the True speaker with their project cleverly titled the album. Then in 2003 he launched a solo career with the album later that Day, which Rolling Stone recently named one of the 200 greatest hip hop albums of all time. Now 27 years later, the self proclaimed funkiest rapper alive is releasing his final lp. It's called Goodbye Sticky Rice. The ten track album features songs filled with woody bards and infectious grooves, including tracks titled Girls what Dreams Are Made of and Take It Too Far. Let's Take a Listen to Take It Too Far.
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Lyrics Born
Let'S go I smoke, I.
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Drank I'm supposed to quit but I can't imma take it too far I'm gonna take it too far I'm gonna take it too far I'm gonna take.
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It too far I tried I'm the.
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Highest stark in the sky I'mma take it too far I'ma take it too.
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WNYC Studios
Far Take it way too far I'ma.
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Lyrics Born
Take it too far when they say I'm the best baby that gang line certified from the bank a dray mind we ain't the same cloth it's soft like rayon Talk down on the boy that's a hate climb if I don't feel seen I see my way out no time for ray Charles the M's.
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Alison Stewart
Like 8 our view said the Bay Area legend dives deeper into personal and cultural reflections with this album oftening listeners, offering listeners a thoughtful and highly textured musical experience. And remember what I said about him having something else up his sleeve. He has a cooking show dinner in place. Joining me now for an all of It Listening Party Rapper and producer Lyrics Born Welcome.
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Lyrics Born
Thank you. Pleasure.
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Alison Stewart
Oh gosh, so good to have you here. Where'd the title come from? Goodbye Sticky Rice.
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WNYC Studios
Well, the title was originally just Sticky Rice, but then I just decided, you know what, I'm out of here.
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Alison Stewart
So wait, when did you decide this would be your last album?
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WNYC Studios
You know, I'd been coming up on.
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Lyrics Born
This decision for a long time.
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WNYC Studios
You know, this is my I made my debut as a professional in 1993. My first 12 inch single. I don't know if people remember that. Way back in the 1900s. AD Sorry.
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Alison Stewart
I was born in the 1900s. I get you. I feel you.
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WNYC Studios
I know. That's what my son calls. He calls it the 1900s ad.
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Lyrics Born
He throws the ad in there, which.
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WNYC Studios
Makes it even sound even older.
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Lyrics Born
Hey, you know what?
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Alison Stewart
I'm gonna ask you for a second. We are getting some weird feedback and our listeners are probably like wondering what that is. So let's listen to the first track from the album and see if we can figure it out. And I'll meet you on the other side. Okay, Sounds good.
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Lyrics Born
Thank you.
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Five students dance that's what dreams are made up that's what dreams are made up that's what things are made of when five shooting starts that's what things are made of that's what things are made of 6am you ain't never going.
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Home Raise it up come on, fire it up we got the funky Just scrap around th with us I won't that's enough I won't not to judge it if my brother fall down I'mma prop him up if something from my past keep popping up Remember who you are not much it was I ain't trying to live my life Anonymous we want our flowers now Got posthumous I lock my flowers down inside my blood Clump like the trunk don't snuff another Gus Pumping like a hungry hippopotamus Horning like Rhinoceros's nostalgia Giving that stuff that funky stuff girl Sweet and sticky like your mocha almond Fudged out your tongue deep inside your nose I come to bulk your face down Bottoms up.
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That'S what dreams are made of that's what dream things are made of Things are made up that's what things are made of.
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Billy W with the golden boy baby head bobbing m like a corner horse to fill the group down your legs like some Corolla Toast the board.
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Alison Stewart
With the golden that's what the dreams are made of From Goodbye Sticky Rice. So why did you decide to start the album with that song?
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Lyrics Born
It's a kickoff song. I don't know. I mean, certain songs, they just sound like they should kick the party off, you know, and that was it. So it just. I don't. It just seemed like the most obvious, logical song to start the album off with.
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Alison Stewart
How did the process of creating this album feel different from your past work? You're up to your 16th album, your eighth solo album. What was the process like that was different?
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Lyrics Born
Oh, I want. I really wanted this to feel like a going away party, you know, and so I approached it that way. And a lot of it was inspired by the mute, like pre hip hop. The pre hip hop music that I, that I grew up listening to like in elementary school. And honestly a lot of sort of like the Good Time 80s sophisticated boogie funk that got me through childhood but also got me through the pandemic as well. So I really wanted to pay tribute in a, in a very full and cohesive way to that era, but also celebrate this era which is me saying bye bye.
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Alison Stewart
So what falls under the heading of boogie funk? What kind of artists?
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Lyrics Born
You know, it ranges everything from confunction to certain eras of Prince and the time Steve Arrington, Slave, that sort of like 80s danceable kind of post post disco but like pre hip hop R and B.
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Alison Stewart
And you know, it was kind of stuck. Our connection wasn't great before, but you did say this was going to be your last album. You're going away album. What made you come to that decision? What made you decide like, you know what, this is it. This is good.
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Lyrics Born
Well, it's been interesting. I mean, you know, this is my 31st year as a professional. You know, I made my first record when I, as a teenager in 1993 and I just, I, I felt like it was time. You know, I have other things on my plate at the moment and I'm, I'm such a Virgo that if I don't give everything my full attention, I tend not to give it my full attention, you know. And so I just wanted to make sure that I didn't have other things competing for my, my creative attention. And so I knew that I wouldn't be able to do other things well if I continue to chop away at this in the same way. Music is a very, it's a very all consuming pursuit if you really want to do it well and you really want to approach it with integrity, like I like to think of that. I do. And so I just knew that I would not succeed at anything else if I didn't approach those things with the same level of intensity.
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Alison Stewart
We're talking to rapper and producer lyrics born. His most recent album is titled Goodbye Sticky Rice. We're having a listening party for this final album. A lot of the songs we've been listening to and others on the album feature your wife. You've made music together for 30 plus years. How did your collaborative relationship begin?
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Lyrics Born
Well, I met her when I was a college DJ at KDBS in. When I was a. We were both students at UC Davis in California and she was a volunteer. And as soon as I saw Her, I was like, oh, wow. And, you know, I pursued her for about a year and a half, and as she will famously tell you, she avoided me for about a year and a half. But finally, you know, I don't know, because I'm a stubborn Japanese man. I think that, you know, we eventually connected, and then the very first time we connected musically was in the studio. I recorded a song called Balcony beach in 1996, and that was, you know, probably my first, quote, unquote hit. And I think. I think it's. We've been recording together ever since. And I'm, you know, I can honestly say I've made my best music with her.
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Alison Stewart
I say, aside from her being a lovely lady, which I'm sure. What unique attributes does she bring to an album as a collaborator?
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Lyrics Born
Well, she's just very, very, very good. I mean, she's a classically trained singer. She really understands music. She can. She's just very. She can nail parts, like, within one take. You know, I rarely have to record more than once or twice, but I think beyond that, the intangibles are that we just have this artistic shorthand. And just from knowing each other and very well, obviously, for many, many years. And so we're around each other so much. She knows what my interests are. She knows kind of what my artistic lean is and take and vice versa. And so, you know, I can throw references at her and she can throw references at me. We just. Again, we just have that. That unspoken understanding, that shorthand of our tastes and our preferences when it comes to music.
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Alison Stewart
And I'm asking you to pronounce your name because I don't want to mess it up.
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Lyrics Born
Gio Velarde.
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Alison Stewart
All right. We're listening to a track featuring Gio Velarde. This is it might not be love.
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Gio Velarde
It might not be love it might not be love but it's something it might not be love it might not be love but it's something it might not be love it might not be love but it's something Something between us.
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WNYC Studios
Baby, I need your company can touch Face to face Comforting and blush Love seat in the club Drink space Anything we dream of no one can see us Raise the vibration so serene Blush this is how I go between us the chase, the pace, the dopamine rush.
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Lyrics Born
Rope it off, rope it off My own private corner in the restaurant that's.
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Gio Velarde
It Rope it off, rope it off.
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Lyrics Born
Test you and me tell them close.
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WNYC Studios
It up that's it, rope it off.
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Lyrics Born
Rope it off Our own quiet corner in the restaurant Overlong your neck like.
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WNYC Studios
This Install overshirt vintage silk Sang the.
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Gio Velarde
Room it might not be love it.
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WNYC Studios
Might not be love but it's something.
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Gio Velarde
It might not be love it might.
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Lyrics Born
Not be love but it's something it.
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Gio Velarde
Might not be love it might not.
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Lyrics Born
Be love but it's something it might.
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Gio Velarde
Not be love it might not be love but it's something between us, baby it might not be love it might.
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Lyrics Born
Not be love but it's something it.
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Gio Velarde
Might not be love it might not.
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Lyrics Born
Be love but it's something it might.
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Gio Velarde
Not be love it might not be love but it's something it might not be love it might not be love.
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Alison Stewart
But it's something we're talking to rapper producer lyrics Born about his most recent album, Goodbye Sticky Rice. Now, according to the Internet, and you know the Internet, so correct me if I'm wrong, your stage name was originally Asia Born, but you changed it to Lyrics Born.
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Lyrics Born
Yeah, yeah, that's right. I can't. Like I said, my. My debut out, my debut single was 1993 as Asia born. And, you know, you gotta understand we're talking like early 90s when I came out. Coming from where I came from, it's not unusual to be an Asian man in hip hop, in the arts, rapping, producing. But it was rough when I started to tour and I really got my. I'm not going to use the word, but I really got. I got it handed to me in the press, you know, I mean, there was a lot of racial slurs being thrown around and I, you know, I'd heard that pretty much my whole life and I didn't need to hear that anymore. And so, you know, it really felt it was difficult being isolated and singled out in that way, especially when you feel like you're already artistically out on an island and just this desire that I think most people, especially people of color have, where you really want to be evaluated by your merits. And so lyrics Born was always kind of a nickname. And so when we did the next record, when I, When I recorded with Blackalicious, that, that on. On their debut ep, we were listed as. I was listed as lyrics born. And it's just stuck ever since.
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Alison Stewart
When you think about, you know, when you're doing your last album, you go.
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Back and you think about what is.
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You were trying to accomplish as you were a young person when you first started out, your rapping style. How would you describe it and how have you evolved since then?
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Lyrics Born
You know, I think I. My stepfather was a woodworker, you know, I mean, he started off making like, custom furniture, sort of one of one for people. He. At that time, you know, he didn't really make a whole lot of money, but everything. He kind of made all these bespoke kind of, you know, if you wanted a twin bed made out of walnut. Yeah, cool. I got you. You know, give me about six months and here we come, you know. But by the end of his career, you know, he embraced the technology that was available and he started mass producing, and still in a very small boutique way, but he was mass producing other products that were wood. And he sort of branched out, he got better at it and he got more efficient. And I kind of likened my career to that path. That path that was sort of the trajectory that I was on. It was like when I first made. Started making songs and albums, it took me a really, really long time. And, you know, I turned over every rock and tried to evaluate every little move and decision and. And as time goes on and you gain more experience and you embrace technology and tools and so forth, you learn to trust yourself more and you just become more prolific and more versatile. And I think that's one of the things that I've always been able to. That I prided myself on, is that I've been able to evolve and embrace new methods.
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Alison Stewart
You still in the Bay Area?
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Lyrics Born
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Split time between the. Between Berkeley, California, my hometown in la.
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Alison Stewart
Now, what role did the Bay Area play in the album Style?
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Lyrics Born
Yeah, well, I think I. As I said before, I mean, it wasn't unusual, and it's still not unusual for, you know, to be an Asian man in this business and just be involved in hip hop and the arts. And so I think that from day one, right away, most importantly, that aspect of Bay Area culture, I felt emboldened, without even knowing it, to pursue this line of work, this lifestyle. And I think as I got older and I started to tour, I really began to realize how special that actually was and that actually is. And it's just Bay Area culture is not something that you really see anywhere else. You just don't have this kind of mix of thought and politics and culture and history and awareness and interest. You know, you just don't have that in other places. Definitely not in the country. But I would. I've toured quite a bit extensively over the course of my career, and I can honestly say you just really don't have that elsewhere in the world. So I've been very fortunate. I honestly don't think my story could have happened anywhere else.
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Alison Stewart
My Guest is rapper and producer. Lyrics born. The most recent album is called Goodbye Sticky Rice. We're having a listening party. Let's listen to another song. This is titled Shades of Jade.
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Lyrics Born
What's this about Shades of Jade? Shades of Jade is just. It's kind of about my personal experience. I take some time away from the party of the album, and I'm just able to talk about sort of, you know, some of the things that I deal with day to day, emotionally.
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Alison Stewart
Here's shades of jade.
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WNYC Studios
L.B.
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Alison Stewart
Baby.
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WNYC Studios
L.B.
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Lyrics Born
Baby.
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WNYC Studios
Now, people don't know all this, but behind the performances and those poems I spent on the show, those cold I struggle with extreme loneliness Overtures and beds to connect with folks go unnoticed and miss Try holding it in play close to the vest When I scroll through my phone I notice all my closest friends Disappeared like the ocean mist the light along the coast to grow so damn how do I cope with it? All those cliche ways you can think of drink up 1 cup, 2 cups, 13 cups link up with people beneath my frequency My inner circle got in a circles Got inner circles like a tree trunk Thirst to be perfect, be worthy, be enough Hard to keep up I just keep adding beads on the screen Till I'm freed up and one day I'm healed up Pain and uncertainty and free but peace takes evident we ain't guaranteed love.
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Lyrics Born
Cloudy or clear Keep adding on keep adding on first of.
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WNYC Studios
All, Muff could nary beat me Know how I know I could barely beat me Pretty as I am, witty as I am Some can't embrace what ethnicity I am not everybody ready to mentally expand and get beyond whatever There we go.
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Alison Stewart
You listen to music from lyrics born all right, so you have a whole expansion of your career. You've been acting, you've been in. Sorry not to bother your with Boots Riley Always be my maybe with Ali Wong. How does the creative process of acting compare to your performance as a musician?
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Lyrics Born
You know, to me, they're kind of all facets of the same jewel, you know, it's not. It's just with acting, with songwriting, rapping, performing, cooking, you know, dinner in place. I mean, it's all just. Again, it's all just different sides of the same coin in my. In my opinion. So you just use a different part of your brain in a way, but it's all sort of related in the sense that you're. You're. Every time you go out on a limb, creatively, you're trying to show up as that person, you know, whatever. Whatever message that you're trying to convey. It's all an aspect of performance, you know, in my opinion. So it's really helped me be a better, you know, acting has helped me be a better musician, but also being a musician has helped me be a better actor because I can access those emotions, you know, and I can sort of access that. Those experiences. And when you're in touch with those layers of yourself, the better, the more access that you have and the more practice that you have. And in my case, the more disciplines I'm involved in, I found that I have more access and I have more ability to show up in those ways.
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Alison Stewart
Well, people know they can see you on your YouTube series. Dinner in place. Is there going to be a season five?
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Lyrics Born
Wow. There sure is. It's. I haven't been able to talk about it because it's just been. Well, for one reason, we've been focused on the album, but for another, there's just so many really, really big and newsworthy things that have happened within our place over the past four years. And it's. It's all going to culminate in season five. But we're going to announce it very, very soon. We're going into pre production shortly and it's. I think it's really going to blow people away and I'm so proud of how far we've come.
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Alison Stewart
We got a text from someone that says, I've been a fan of lyrics born for years and just wanted to share my appreciation. I'm a member of a local hip hop community and he's very inspirational to me. So there you go.
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Lyrics Born
That's beautiful. Thank you. Whoever that was. Thank you for that random text.
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Alison Stewart
My guest has been lyrics born. The album is called Goodbye Sticky Rice. Thank you for your time today. It was Jason. Jason from Brooklyn. Yeah, goodbye. Well, nice talking to you.
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Lyrics Born
My pleasure. Thank you. Likewise. Thank you.
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Alison Stewart
We're going to go out on can we still be friends?
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Lyrics Born
Can we still be friends? Is it possible Logical I got to know baby can we still be afraid or is it over over I mean like over over baby I prayed about.
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WNYC Studios
It God said let her go I said I think about it now I'm trying to get her home Remember the promise we made back in Colorado we said we'd always stay solid Irregardless if we covet or whether we just platonic and that's a promise I'm an honor till they drop the coffin she got me way out of pocket Burning Palo Sana I ain't forgotten don't want to say I'm the guy that she was safe and softly beat it like an omelet Eat it like chalk.
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Alison Stewart
Tomorrow on the show, we'll speak with Jim Gaffigan and Jude. And that is all of it for today. I'm Allison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here tomorrow.
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WNYC Studios
It's me. We still practice.
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Lyrics Born
Is it possible? Logical I got to know baby can we still be afraid?
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WNYC Studios
She happy now? She ever think about me now? Baby help me Gotta feel like you tapping out this really happening now or is it my attachment style acting?
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Lyrics Born
Wow.
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WNYC Studios
Feelings echo through this empty house I'm here alone hoping you miss.
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Lyrics Born
Since WNYC's first broadcast in 1924, we've been dedicated to creating the kind of content we know the world needs. In addition to this award winning reporting, your sponsorship also supports inspiring storytelling and extraordinary music that is free and accessible to all. To get in touch and find out more, visit sponsorship wnyc. Org.