Pattern Repeat

[Verse 1]
The old Sony Ericsson's screen flickers on in the dark.
Just that one five-second clip saved from Brockwell Park.
The plastic clicks under my thumb, a familiar indent.
I know it's a poison, but it feels like a sacrament.

[Pre-Chorus]
And I tell myself it's just a habit I've worn thin,
a poorly-stitched memory I keep letting back in.
Some nights I swear I'm gonna wipe the whole damn drive clean.
But then it's two a.m. and I'm back at the scene, innit.
It just builds and it builds 'til the pressure's obscene...

[Chorus]
And it's just a pattern repeat.
That digital ghost laughing on a loop for me.
Yeah, a perfect pattern repeat,
and for three seconds, the seam is neat.

[Verse 2]
The August air was thick with jerk smoke and Red Stripe spill.
You shouted, "'Clem, you filming this? You're so bloody still!'"
Your jacket was that cheap bomber from Brixton Market,
I saw the condensation on the bus window we'd targeted.

[Pre-Chorus]
And I tell myself it's just corrupted data now,
a low-res echo I should disavow.
My mates think I'm over it, I play the part so well.
But my thumb unlocks this private little hell.
It just builds and it builds 'til I can't break the spell...

[Chorus]
And it's just a pattern repeat.
That digital ghost laughing on a loop for me.
Yeah, a perfect pattern repeat,
and for three seconds, the seam is neat.

[Bridge]
Is this loyalty? Or just a flawed design?
I should just press delete, unravel the whole twine.
I'm so tired of being sad.

[Chorus]
But it's just a pattern repeat.
That digital ghost laughing on a loop for me.
Yeah, a perfect pattern repeat,
and for three seconds, the seam is neat.

[Outro]
The screen goes black. The battery's nearly done.
...Just one more time before the sun.