I was born in the static glow of a tube TV
When Nickelodeon slime was a high mark of prestige
I was raised on Lunchables and Mario Kart
Tamagotchis died daily but we loved with all our heart
We were sippin' Surge on a Saturday afternoon
You colored in my world with a glitter gel pen swoon
Told me all the things that made you cry or made you laugh
Said if you had the chance, if you found a heart like mine
You wouldn’t pass
I was born with a secondhand Walkman clipped on my jeans
Mom yelling “Don’t run with that!” while I lived out my dreams
I was born on the edge of dial-up tones
When AOL said “You’ve got mail” I felt known
We were skating sidewalks with our hearts on blast
You played me No Doubt like it was made to last
Told me all the things that your diary never dared
Said if you had the chance, if you found a heart like mine
You’d keep it spared
I was born in the flannel years, deep in grunge
When Nirvana taught us pain and made it sound like a plunge
Into something real—raw, beautiful, and true
Even our angst had charm, even our bruises knew what to do
We were lighting sparklers in a trailer park of youth
You kissed me like a mixtape, full of homemade truth
Told me all the things that you never told the rest
Said if you had the chance, if you found a heart like mine
You’d give it your best
We were sippin' Surge on a Saturday afternoon
You colored in my world with a glitter gel pen swoon
Told me all the things that made you cry or made you laugh
Said if you had the chance, if you found a heart like mine
You wouldn’t pass.
I’ll die in the glow of a soft, synthetic sun
With playlists from the past and my memories on the run
Maybe they’ll upload my soul, or maybe I’ll just sleep
With Surge in my veins and a promise to keep
They’ll say he loved loud, and he held things tight,
He danced in the ‘90s and faded in the light
If you ever loved me, if you knew my kind of rhyme
Know I’d choose your heart again—
Every damn time.