Track 7 of the album Second Shift · 2022
Penny Candy Prices, Big City Dreams
by Kane Rivers
“A quarter was a golden key and the corner store was the sea.”
hip hop · groovy hip hop · nostalgic trap · 3:26
Lyrics
Quarter in my fist like a golden key Walked to the corner store, that was my sea Penny candy jars in a glittering row Sour straws and gumballs, picking real slow Man behind the counter with the gold-rimmed specs Called me young chief, never asked for checks Counting out my change on the glass display Sweet little math on a Saturday Now the prices climb but the memory stays Sweet as the sugar from the old school days Penny candy prices, big city dreams Nothing's ever what it seems Penny candy prices, big city dreams Same old corner, brand new schemes Taste of the past in the glow of the beams Dreamed of a car and a house on the hill Dreamed of the day that I'd pay every bill Brother on the block with a boombox on his knee Beats on the sidewalk, that was our TV Chalk on the pavement drawing out a plan Every kid a rapper, every rapper a man Learning how to hustle, learning how to wait Learning that the sweet things take a little weight Now the prices climb but the memory stays Sweet as the sugar from the old school days Penny candy prices, big city dreams Nothing's ever what it seems Penny candy prices, big city dreams Same old corner, brand new schemes Taste of the past in the glow of the beams Back on the block with a few more years Wallet a little fuller, a few less fears Old store's still there with a fresh coat of paint Jar on the counter, and I'm not a saint Buy a bag for the kids on the stoop out front Watch their faces light up, that's the stunt Pass it on forward, that's how we grow Sweetness is something you give to show Money comes, money goes, but the taste remains Sugar on the tongue and the sidewalk rains Dream a little bigger than the jar can hold Fill it up with stories that never get old Penny candy prices, big city dreams Nothing's ever what it seems Penny candy prices, big city dreams Same old corner, brand new schemes Taste of the past in the glow of the beams Penny candy prices Big city dreams