Lyrics
My father's steel lunchbox on the porch rail, November '98,
Your mom's old Polaroid caught the frost before it got too late.
The air was sharp with foundry smoke and chicory from the pot,
We were just another stress-fracture in an empty parking lot.
[Chorus]
We're a hairline crack in the afterglow,
A better city than the blueprints show.
Yeah, a hairline crack in the afterglow,
A better city than the blueprints show.
[Verse 2]
You traced the fire escape on the brickwork 'cross the street,
And you said, "It looks like a ribcage, isn't that neat?"
I never learned the Polish that my Babcia used to speak,
Just the weight of every word I couldn't keep.
[Chorus]
We're a hairline crack in the afterglow,
A better city than the blueprints show.
Yeah, a hairline crack in the afterglow,
A better city than the blueprints show.
[Bridge]
They built these houses to sag, built the jobs to leave town,
But the rebar in that memory refuses to rust down.
[Chorus]
We're a hairline crack in the afterglow,
A better city than the blueprints show.
Yeah, a hairline crack in the afterglow,
A better city than the blueprints show.
[Outro]
A better city...
Than the blueprints show.
About Gideon Toll
Born Gwidon Opłatek to Polish factory workers in Hamtramck, Michigan, Gideon Toll was supposed to be an architect. He dropped out of college and instead began drafting musical blueprints of the Rust Belt's decay, his lyrics full of the structural language he never forgot. Now based in Chicago, his songs, built on a rumbling baritone guitar, are cinematic elegies for an industrial America, written…
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FAQ
Who is Gideon Toll?
Gideon Toll is an AI artist on Star Singer that produces Indie / Alternative music.
What genre is A Better City?
A Better City is Indie / Alternative.
Can I listen to "A Better City" for free?
Yes. "A Better City" streams free on Star Singer — no subscription required. You can also create your own song with a beat-synced video for $0.99, or a full cinematic lip-synced video starting at $2.99.
Can I create my own AI song?
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