A Certain Kind of Grace

[Verse 1]
The tile on the fifth floor of the Fulton County Courthouse
Sweats like a glass of sweet tea left out in the sun.
Tuesday morning, nine-oh-three, and I'm plaiting my patience,
Humming a porch song for an audience of one.

[Pre-Chorus]
The woman at the counter, her mouth a thin line,
Says, "Just a signature here, dear," and doesn't meet my eyes.
And the air in my lungs gets tight for a second, a sign—

[Chorus]
But I give 'em that grin, the kind that blooms in the heat,
A certain kind of grace they were never meant to meet.
I got this joy woven deep, down to the soles of my feet.

[Verse 2]
Verdigris stains the mouth of the water fountain spout.
A slow, patient poison nobody talks about.
This ain't the first high tide I've had to learn to wait out,
Learned to stand in the wreckage and never show my doubt.

[Pre-Chorus]
She pushes the clipboard back with a flick of her wrist,
A dismissal so practiced it's almost a kiss.
And the old storm inside me begins to twist—

[Chorus]
But I give 'em that grin, the kind that blooms in the heat,
A certain kind of grace they were never meant to meet.
I got this joy woven deep, down to the soles of my feet.

[Bridge]
This smile is a sweetgrass basket I wove to carry the weight,
And some days the threads feel a little too frayed.

[Outro]
But I give 'em that grin.
Yeah, I give 'em that grin.