Welcome To The Portland Strip
[Intro]
Neon sign says “Open late”
Faded denim
One-way gate
Cash in the pocket
Heart off beat
[Verse 1]
Welcome to the strip club
Portland
Oregon
Rain on the awning
Line round the corner
Buzz at the door
ID flash
Red stamp on my wrist
Carpet smell
Perfume mist
DJ tucked in a smoky booth
Calling names like truth or dare
[Chorus]
Welcome to the strip club in Portland
Oregon
Bills in the air
Slow motion
Tattooed angels
Spin like hurricanes
Everybody lost
Everybody stays
Welcome to the strip club in Portland
Oregon
[Verse 2]
Barkeep sliding cherry drinks
Eyes meet
Look away
Then think
Stage lights bloom in pink and green
She smiles sharp
Says “You been here?”
Boots hit chrome
Crowd goes hush
Phone screens up
Hearts all rush
Raincoat piles by the speaker stack
Outside storms
In here won’t look back
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Booth in the back
Friends talk big
“I’m leaving early”
But we never did
Tip rail glitter on our shoes
Morning’s coming
We refuse
Mirror in the hallway
Smudged and true
Is it the club
Or is it you?
[Chorus]
Stage Lights On Me
[Verse 1]
Clock in
Gloss on
Name tag says “a different one”
Cash talk
Perfume
Red heels waiting in the room
Neon on my shoulders
Glitter running down my spine
Eyes up in the mirror
Say
“baby
All of this is mine”
[Chorus]
Stage lights on me
I control the view
You can look
You can want
But you don’t touch the truth
I make the rules when I bend
When I move
Stage lights on me
Stage lights on me
I choose
[Verse 2]
Small bills
Big talk
“Where you from?” I laugh it off
Spin slow
Slow drop
Hear the DJ cut the soft
Rent due
Nails done
I can turn your paycheck into fun
You think you see all of me
You’re paying just to chase what you can’t keep
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
First row
Front seat
You don’t even know my real name
Under all this shine
I’m the one that holds the game
Hands on the rail
Heart on the shelf
You throw your money
I’m stacking for myself
[Chorus]
Backroom Manager
[Verse 1]
Count cash
Eyes glass
VIP wristbands
Run it past
Sunday night
Same slow dance
Stale smoke stuck in my jacket
Girls laugh
Drama in the backroom
Pay out
Break up the catfight
Pop two just to get my hands right
Smile on
Bloodshot in the black light
[Chorus]
I’m the manager
I’m the mess
Make the schedule
Make a guess
Who’s sober
Who’s spinning
Who’s stressed
In this big room of tiny regrets
I’m the manager
I’m the ghost
Turn the music up
Toast to the overdose
If the lights came up
I’d never pass the test
I’m the manager
I’m the mess
[Verse 2]
DJ late
Owner callin’
“House fee short
” my jaw keeps lockin’
Bathroom stall
I’m stalling
Red eyes staring at the mosaic
Tip out
Tell ‘em “baby
You killed it” (you did)
Pocket something just to feel it
Walk the floor like I’m still in it
Stage lights spin
Mind keeps spilling
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Who counts the counters?
Who watches the watchman?
I’m comping their shots
Then I’m swallowing my own hand
Phone full of numbers
Names I can’t place
Everybody wants a favor
I just want another taste
[Chorus]
Guard Dog At The Door
[Verse 1]
Stamp on the hand
Eyes on the room
Red dress laughing
Back booth gloom
I’m on that wall
Shoulder to the glass
Clock in my head
Slow count
Fast cash
[Chorus]
I’m the guard dog at the door
Yeah
You don’t cross that line tonight
If you touch her like you own her
You and I gon’ have that fight
She’s at work
This ain’t your playground
You forget what you came here for
You see glitter
I see danger
I’m the guard dog at the door
[Verse 2]
He leans too close
Breath on her face
I read her eyes
“Get him out this place”
Hand on his wrist
“Time to go
My friend”
He talks real tough
But it’s over by the end
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
They call me mean
They call me stone
But they walk out
They get home
I’ll take the names
I’ll take the hate
Her heels are high
So I stand straight
[Chorus]
Backroom Confessions
[Verse 1]
Neon on my name tag
Glitter on my shoes
Laughing in the hallway
Like I got nothing to lose
Line by the bathroom
Card in my bra
Smile like a service
Eyes say “nah”
[Chorus]
I sell sins in the bathroom stall
Cheap perfume
High-priced fall
They say "baby
You could have it all"
But they don't see me at all
I sell sins in the bathroom stall
Lipstick stains on a cracked white wall
Count that cash
Try to stand tall
But they don't see me at all
[Verse 2]
Sink drip
Cold tile
Back against the door
His breath says married
His ring on the floor
I joke
“you’re a regular”
He laughs like it’s true
He forgets my real name
I kind of do too
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Tips in a tip jar
Stories in my skin
Wash my hands raw
Like it cleans what I’m in
Hear the bass thump
While I fix my face
Every little secret
Got a storage space
[Chorus]
Last Call At Center Stage
[Verse 1]
Glitter on my sneakers
Cash stuck to the bar
Your drink’s sweating in my fingers
You’re staring too hard
Stage lights hit her shoulders
They chant her name
I’m lining up the liquor
Counting tips like prayers
[Chorus]
I’m not the one on the pole
I’m the one pouring gold in your glass
You tell your secrets in the smoke
I watch ’em rise and I just laugh
You fall in love with that song
I fall in love with the sound of the till
You chase a dream in the dark
I’m just working this room till it’s still
[Verse 2]
Her lashes in the ice bin
Lipstick on the rim
Manager in the corner
Clock watching
Eyes dim
Bouncer at the doorway
Nods when trouble walks in
I slide him a look and a napkin
Like
“Here we go again”
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Last call hits like sunrise
Neon buzzing low
You’re slurring ’bout your heartbreak
I’m stacking to-go
You ask me if I ever dance
I just raise a brow
I already balance on this edge
I’m spinning right now
[Chorus]