[ETHAN, spoken]
I was standing on Monmouth Street in Jersey City
In the middle of a frigid February night
Waiting to meet an unelected, off-the-books
Political operative named Willis Taylor—
The man connected to a thousand local conspiracy theories
And, in this case, the key to perhaps finally bringing down
The notoriously corrupt and famously resilient mayor
[WILLIS]
Let's say you were me
Hypothetically
But instead of your fancy degree
You've been learning at the feet of the local sages
Whose names and ages
Ain't in your white pages
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
Uh uh uh
[WILLIS]
But you got this far
By knowing where you are
And how to strike a bargain
And play the margins
And take the measure
And knowing some people pay extra
For their private pleasure
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
Uh uh
[ENSEMBLE]
You get some information
[WILLIS & SOME MEN]
That could damage a certain someone's reputation
[WILLIS]
Yeah, so you commence a negotiation
To get some compensation
And raise up your station
But just when the parties have reckoned on terms
He has second thoughts and the gentleman squirms
Now you're abandoned
You're left high and dry
With only the silence he failed to buy
[WILLIS & SOME MEN]
Now what do you do in the face of defeat?
[WILLIS]
Do you attack? Do you crack?
Do you backtrack to your shack on the street?
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
Uh uh uh
[WILLIS]
Or do you say information has its price?
If they won't play nice
You can roll the dice
When discussion fails
You can balance the scales
With some well-placed sales
Of a couple details, and now:
I got the wind in my sails
Got the wind in my sails, little brother
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
I got the wind in my sails
[WILLIS]
Got the wind in my sails, little brother
Who's gonna fall? Who's gonna stand?
Who's got the upper hand?
And who's got supply to meet the demand
And the wind
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
The wind, the wind, the wind in my …
[WILLIS]
Uh uh uh
[ENSEMBLE]
Uh uh uh
[WILLIS]
Unh unh
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
You start to spread the word
[WILLIS]
Maybe mention some things you heard
About the man of the hour
The man in the tower
The man with his feet on the pedals of power
The man who was elected to stem the tide of crime
Has been pursuin' some ruinous doings with his time
The brother spends his day with the PTA
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
But at night he gets tight at Monmouth and Bright
[WILLIS]
So you think the voters will understand
If he's seen with some teen between his knees
And a crack pipe in his hands? Ha!
I don’t think so
I think the boys from Channel 4
Will be linin' up out my door
When they see it ain't just talk
It ain't just trash
It's the truth, I got proof if y'all got cash
And now, I got the wind in my sails
Got the wind in my sails, little brother
[ENSEMBLE]
Dot dot dot dot!
[WILLIS]
I got the wind in my sails
Got the wind in my sails, little brother
[ENSEMBLE]
Dot dot dot
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
Who's making threats? (Dot!)
[WILLIS]
Who's making waves?
Who's digging up the graves?
And who can survive
The closest of shaves with the wind
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
The wind, the wind, the wind
The wind in my...?
[WILLIS]
Oh oh oh
[ENSEMBLE]
Oh oh oh
[WILLIS]
Afraid? Fuck that! I ain't afraid!
I've seen how the sausage gets made
I'm gonna get paid before I get played
Or end up on the business end of a blade
See—it's not a story 'bout right or wrong
I said all along it's about who's strong
And who can handle a little pressure—
Sit down, son, I'ma give you a refresher
A is the mayor, C is the people
B is the man in between
A plays unfair, C's unaware
B calls your magazine
A gets defensive, B gets expensive
C starts to fear the worst
So C puts the pressure on A puts the pressure on B, ha!
Who's gonna crumble first?
[WILLIS & SOME MEN]
You want the tape?
You write the story
[WILLIS]
I can show what he did with the kid in the video
But I'm keepin' it hid, yo, ha!
[ENSEMBLE]
Hey!
[WILLIS]
You want the tape?
You write the story
The only leverage I got
In this whole plot
The reason I ain't been shot
You can guess
Is a VHS of the whole damn mess
And the fact that I'm still alive is 'cause I've
[WILLIS & ENSEMBLE]
Got the wind in my sails
Got the wind in my sails, little brother
[ENSEMBLE]
Dot dot dot dot dot dot!
[WILLIS]
I got the wind in my sails
Got the wind in my sails, little brother
[ENSEMBLE]
Dot dot dot dot!
[WILLIS]
Who's gonna fall?
Who's gonna stand?
Who's got the upper hand?
And who's gonna earn a hundred grand
With the wind, the wind, the wind
The wind in my…
