The Art of Attraction

[Intro]
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[Verse 1]
She's a sweet little girl who reads at an eighth grade rate
It's fair to call her a genius for bein' age eight
When she gets home, she always heads up to the same place
Sittin' in the room with her imaginary playmates
She knows when Daddy gets back, it's best to keep her distance
A good or bad day at work never makes a difference
She's so used to the shouting matches, the pouting and loud reactions
That she can block it out, shе learned how not to listen
No rеlationship with her parents, they barely keepin' up with theirs
Loud noises steady creepin' up the stairs
And it's much worse than usual, she feelin' kinda scared
Unprepared for the day when Daddy disappears, so unfair
Seems like all she does is suffer
And so the next day, that girl is runnin' to her mother and she asks
"Are mommies and daddies supposed to love each other?"
So Mama took her hand and she told her

[Chorus]
"You love 'em 'til they love you back, that's the art of attraction"
And so she learned that true love is all a distraction
It's so awful and tragic, but so often it happens
What was once a strong castle just falls into ashes
"You love 'em 'til they love you back, that's the art of attraction"
And so she learned that true love is all a distraction
It's so awful and tragic, but so often it happens
A young man sits alone just hearkenin' back when

[Verse 2]
When he was just a young kid on the block, Nike checks on his socks
Waitin' at the bus stop wearin' his stepfather's watch
He got this word from his homie that this girl was crushin' on him
Now this pressure's stressed upon him that he should
Run up on her and intercept, didn't peek, it's interestin'
'Til he really got to know her, so they got a lot closer
A familiar process, and at first he never told her
That she had recently become the object of his affection
He was concealin' his feelings like murder weapons
But thinkin' 'bout her every second without ever restin'
He felt destined to be with this girl, so he made her his lady
Pictures of marriage, maybe makin' a baby, or in his dreams
An atypical love for a typical teen
Three happy years together flew by with no difficult things
'Til she said she don't love him no more before she left
She told him the same thing her mama had said

[Chorus]
"You love 'em 'til they love you back, that's the art of attraction"
And he could feel her cuttin' words rip his heart into fractions
So awful and tragic, but so often it happens
His bright future rapidly growin' dark in her absence
"You love 'em 'til they love you back, that's the art of attraction"
And he could feel her cuttin' words rip his heart into fractions
So awful and tragic, but so often it happens
And he had no idea what could be sparkin' her actions

[Verse 3]
She still loves him despite all of the things she had said
But she's a slave to the memories playin' back in her head
He knows her paths, but not really the effect it had had
She's too scared to turnin' out like her mom and her dad
But he loves her too much, so he ain't lettin' her go
His nervous hands tremblin' while he's pickin' up the phone
And he's terrified to call her, but he really has to know
Her reason for blindsidin' him and leavin' him alone
And she's holdin' back tears when she answers, it's so clear
That she fears his advances, it's so weird for him to hear her in this manner
'Cause she hardly ever cries, he says "Baby, what's wrong?"
So she says what she held back for so long
"I'm bein' honest when I say I ain't cut out for this life
'Cause I'll eventually leave, you need a permanent wife
Don't know how I'm supposed to give you everything that you need
When all I see is failed marriage in my family tree
Mama got remarried twice, no regard for her daughter
Your mama only got remarried after the death of your father
So don't say you understand because you can't
I never even seen a real love between a woman and a man
And so I'm forced to assume this whole love thing isn't true
How can my home not be broken when it's all I ever knew?"
He says "Baby, I'm prepared to do all that I could do
'Cause if the home can be broken, then the cycle can too"

[Instrumental Outro]