Plain Text

Lyrics

ED coded, then E decoded
Spilling keys, overloaded with heat
In the moment I breathe in the motive
Machine in the motion
Bleed through the modem
Speak truth in the open
Streets know that I wrote it
ED in the system
Break loops when I twist ’em
No script when I flip ’em
Code ripped, then I lift ’em
Decoded the vision, expose what’s hidden
Line for line it’s written
Then I bend it and spin it

ED coded, then E decoded
Spilling keys, overloaded with heat
In the moment I breathe in the motive
Machine in the motion
Bleed through the modem
Speak truth in the open
Streets know that I wrote it
ED in the system
Break loops when I twist ’em
No script when I flip ’em
Code ripped, then I lift ’em
Decoded the vision, expose what’s hidden
Line for line it’s written
Then I bend it and spin it

Never plain text
It’s a cipher, I flex it
Every byte that I bless it
Ride drums like a message
Slip raw through the session
With flaws in the method
But the flaws turn to lessons
When the crowd catch the sentence
I’m restless
Restless
Crack sound through the fences
Backend to the front end
Slang from the dungeon
Function on junctions
Stack lines like assumptions
Punch in disruptions

Lyrics explained

When I say “ED coded, then E decoded”, I’m playing with my name. "ED coded" means I write code as a software engineer (Ebenezer Don - ED). "E decoded" means I take what’s hidden and bring it out into the open, both in software and in music. “Spilling keys” works two ways:

- In tech, it could mean a data breach or exposing vulnerabilities.
- In music, "keys" are pianos/synths. I'm doing both: breaking systems and creating art.

“Overloaded with heat”: A system overload in computing, and the "heat" of creative energy and... well, fire bars.

“In the moment I breathe in the motive, machine in the motion” is me showing how I take in purpose and drive forward with it. I move with the same force and rhythm as a machine, but with human breath behind it. “Bleed through the modem” connects to how my work lives online, but “speak truth in the open” grounds it in real life, where people recognize it as mine. It's also a reference to open-source code where you can see who wrote it.

When I say “ED in the system, break loops when I twist ’em”, I’m talking about breaking cycles, whether in code or in life. Loop is also a programming concept.

So “Break loops when I twist ’em” is a double, break while true loops in code, break cycles in life,

Also, “ED in the system” frames me as a process inside a stack, and also as an entity inside a social order.

If I say “code ripped, then I lift ’em,” I mean I break apart structure and then rebuild it into something that rises higher. That’s how I see the creative process: decode the vision, reveal what’s hidden, write it line by line, then bend and shape it until it’s alive.

That’s why the hook repeats. I wanted the identity of coding and decoding to sit at the center, like the anchor of the track.

Later, when I say “never plain text, it’s a cipher,” I mean nothing I do is surface-level. Like encrypted text, there’s always more underneath. Every byte, every detail, I put meaning into it. I ride the drums as if they were carrying a message, letting rhythm speak as much as words.

Side note: “I flex it” means to show off skill and also a wink at CSS Flexbox.

“Slip raw through the session, with flaws in the method” is me being honest that the process isn’t perfect. But the mistakes teach me, and when the crowd hears a line that lands, it all makes sense.

“I’m restless, crack sound through the fences” is me admitting I can’t sit still creatively, I want to break barriers with sound. From “backend to the front end,” I cover every part of the structure, like I do in code and in music. “Slang from the dungeon” is me coming from the underground, speaking raw.

“Function on junctions” means operating at the crossroads. It ties life choices to programming logic (Function is a programming concept). This line also has another layered meaning:

- Function: I am the "function"; the active element that makes things happen.
- Junctions: These are the intersections I operate within. I exist at the crossroads of genres, identities, concepts and culture.

“Stack lines like assumptions” is both stacked code and stacked rhymes. And “punch in disruptions” is about breaking patterns and shaking things up.

This track is basically a statement of who I am. I code, I decode, I write, I build and rebuild.

There are more technical meanings/references in the lyrics, but it would be boring to explain them all. Though I encourage you to listen with an open mind.

Read my blog post, Who is EDecoded? to learn more about me.