Phantom Wanderer - Ghost Vendor Lyrics

[Intro]
Ancient winds whisper through empty streets
Memories for sale, but at what cost, habibi?
The devil's bargain in Essaouira's heat

[Verse 1]
Old man with a crooked smile, selling pieces of my soul
"Take this oud string, boy, from your grandfather's home"
How many dirham for our stories untold?
Dancing for tourists while tradition grows cold
I've seen Karim trade his father's drums
For a ticket to Paris and kingdom come
Now I'm doing the same, ain't that some shit?
Playing watered-down rhythms that just don't fit

[Chorus]
In the market of souls, we're all merchants now
Trading spirits for survival somehow
Oh, ya Allah, what have we become?
When the sacred beats are coming undone?
(Coming undone, coming undone)

[Verse 2]
Wedding gigs in five-star hotels
Playing fusion shit that makes me unwell
"More exotic," they say, "More mystical, please"
While my ancestors' spirits choke in the breeze
That street vendor knew my shame last night
Offered me photographs in pale moonlight
"Your heritage, brother, piece by piece"
But authenticity's got its own price

[Bridge]
Every note I play
Another piece I trade
Of this desert soul
Getting bought and sold
(Bought and sold, bought and sold)

[Verse 3]
Remember when music was prayer, not show?
Before we packaged our pain for the evening's flow
Now I'm caught between hunger and pride
While culture vultures circle high and wide
The old ones warned us this day would come
When we'd sell our spirits to beat the drum
But what choice do we have in this game?
When survival and selling sound the same

[Chorus]
In the market of souls, we're all merchants now
Trading spirits for survival somehow
Oh, ya Allah, what have we become?
When the sacred beats are coming undone?

[Outro]
Tonight I'll play my father's songs
Pretending they still belong
To the desert winds and ancient ways
Not these neon-cursed modern days
(These modern days...)