Steve Lacy Bad Habit Lyrics

On June 29th Steve Lacy released the second single from his latest album Gemini Rights, “Bad Habit”, and it became an overnight hit. Not only did the song blow up on Tik Tok, but it also debuted on the Billboard 100 at #100 for the week ending in July 16th, making this Steve Lacy’s first time on the chart.

In the song, Lacy talks about about what could have been if he had told the other person his feelings for them, about the relationship they could’ve had. What makes this song so special isn’t just the catchy beat it has, but it really is the lyrics, and the story it tells, because it’s something that everyone has thought about one time or another. So with that being said, let’s dive into the lyrics!

Lyrics To Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit”

Intro

I wish I knew you wanted me

I wish I knew, I wish I knew you wanted me

Verse 1

What you, ooh, uh, what you do?

Made a move, coulda made a move

If I knew I’d be with you

Is it too late to pursue?

Chorus

I bite my tongue, it’s a bad habit

Kinda mad that I didn’t take a stab at it

Thought you were too good for me, my dear

Never gave me the time of day, my dear

It’s okay, things happen for

Reasons that I think are sure, yeah

Post-Chorus

I wish I knew, I wish I knew you

Wanted me (I wish I knew)

I wish I knew (oh), I wish I knew

You wanted me (oh)

I wish I knew, I wish I knew you

Wanted me

Verse 2

Please say to me (please just say to me)

If this could wind up

I wish you wouldn’t play with me

I wanna know (oh no)

Chorus

Uh, can I bite your tongue like my bad habit?

Would you mind if I tried to make a pass at it?

Were you not too good for me my dear?

Funny you come back to me my dear

It’s ok things, happen for

Reasons that I can’t ignore, yeah

Post-Chorus

I wish I knew, I wish I knew you

Wanted me

I wish I knew (wish I knew), I wish I

Knew you wanted me (oh)

Bridge

You can’t surprise a Gemini

I’m everywhere , I’m cross-eyed, and

Now that you’re back, I can’t decide

If I decide you’re invited

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You always knew the way to wow me

Fuck around, get tongue-tied, and

I turn it on, I make it rowdy

Then carry on, but I’m not hidin’

You grabbin’ me hard ’cause you know

What you found

Is biscuits, is grave, babe, ah-ah

Outro

You can’t surprise a Gemini

But you know it’s biscuits, is gravy,

Babe

I knew you’d come back around

‘Cause you know it’s biscuits, it’s

Gravy, babe

Let’s fuck in the back of the mall, lose

Control

Go stupid, go crazy, babe

I know I’ll be in your heart ’til the end

You’ll miss me, don’t beg me, babe

Analysis Of Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit”

Verse 1 Breakdown

In the first verse, Lacy is talking about how he wishes he knew that the person he had feelings for felt the same way. He’s saying that if he knew the feelings were reciprocated he would’ve pursued them.

Often times it’s our own thoughts that get in the way of what we want, especially when it comes to romantic relationships. We think that if we tell this other person how we feel then it’ll ruin things, when in reality that is not always the case.

Chorus 1 Breakdown

In the opening line of the chorus, Lacy says:

“I bite my tongue, it’s a bad habit”.

Often times we bite our tongues when it comes to telling people how we feel, not just in romantic relationships, but in all relationships in our lives. We are so afraid of the outcome that we feel it’s better to just not say anything than take the chance.

In the next part of the chorus, Lacy goes on to list excuses as to why he didn’t tell the other person his feelings.

“Thought you were too good for me… never gave me the time of day”.

It’s often easier to use excuses as reasons for not going after what we want. It can feel a lot safer to go with the easier route when making decisions, but safer isn’t always better. We often miss out on opportunities that we really wanted because of fear of rejection.

Lacy then goes on to say

“it’s ok, things happen for reasons that I think are sure”

The phrase everything happens for a reason is one that comes to mind when I hear this lyric. We may not fully believe it in the moment, especially when it comes to things we aren’t fond of, but it can be easier to tell ourselves this, it gives us a reason to accept something and gain closure.

Verse 2 Breakdown

In the second verse, Lacy is asking the other person to tell them their feelings towards him, to stop playing games and playing with his emotions. It can become exhausting trying to figure out how another person feels about us, it can feel like this never ending cycle.

For some reason though, we still stick around, hanging on to the hope that this could be something, but instead we continue to hurt our own feelings by holding onto a possibility.

Chorus 2 Breakdown

The second chorus is slightly different from the first. Lacy opens this chorus by saying

“can I bite your tongue like my bad habit”.

Lacy is becoming more direct as the song goes on, he’s starting to become impatient with the other person. He’s starting to realize that maybe things could actually work out and that this person may just have feelings for him.

Bridge Breakdown

Lacy opens the bridge by saying:

“You can’t surprise a Gemini, I’m everywhere I’m cross-eyed”.

According to Astrology, Gemini’s are considered to be two-faced. Lacy is implying that no matter what the other person says or does, it won’t catch him off guard because there is always a part of him expecting whatever the outcome may be.

Lacy then goes on in the rest of the bridge to talk about how good the relationship with this other person would be, that they both would be happy, that the other person would be making the right decision by being with him.

At one time or another, we’ve imagined what it would be like to be with the person we are interested in. This is often an ideal picture where everything is perfect, the equivalent to biscuits and gravy as Lacy puts it.

Outro Breakdown

In the outro Lacy is essentially saying everything he said in the bridge.

The only real difference, is he is saying that even though they are not together, that the other person will miss him and regret not taking this chance just like him.