Detention Birds from Margins by Lockerboy

# About This Track: Detention Birds

Fluorescent lights flicker like distress signals across this anthem born from sophomore-year Saturday detention. We scribbled most of the lyrics on desk corners while Mr. Garrison dozed off supervising us last October—that handclap intro? Actually recorded by tapping pencils against the radiator pipes when we weren't supposed to leave our seats.

The cage-rattling energy builds slowly here, like the gradual rebellion that forms when strangers become co-conspirators through shared punishment. Tyler's bassline prowls underneath the verses like someone pacing behind a locked door, while the deliberately absent chorus mirrors the suffocating wait for that final bell.

We left in all the chair squeaks and desk thumps from the demo because they felt like actual characters in the story—the classroom speaking back. The "paper jets" line references Jake's legendary origami skills that nearly got our recording privileges revoked when one landed in the principal's coffee during our hallway interview for the school paper.

Listen for the subtle key shift when we finally hit the chorus—that moment represents everything clicking into place, the transformation from isolated troublemakers to something more powerful. Beneath the surface rebellion lies something more universal: finding your people in the places you least expect them.

Spring cleaning uncovered this gem in a folder labeled "Unfinished Homework," but something about its raw edges made us resist polishing it too much in final production. Some songs just need their scuffs.

Tracklist

4.	Detention Birds	3:08

Lyrics

Flickering bulbs blink twice
Detention, same old price
Desk leg stuck on gum
Pencil marks hum

Plastic clock coughs slow
Windows blink with rain
Birds outside make a show
Fidget shame—can’t explain
Name scratched under tape
Half-smirk, careful escape

Paper jets buzz my ear
Ceramic tile knows my shoe
Floor flicks back a leer
Passing notes—untrue
Rulers click beat by beat
Detention birds won’t retreat

We count down stains on ceiling tiles, trade glances like secrets. The clock’s shaking hands pretend to care. Someone starts a rhythm with a busted pen—something’s breaking out between us, shoving the cage wide.

Glue scars crowning my desk
Glass fog—faces pressed neat
Four empty chairs, grotesque
Snickered rules taste bittersweet
Reflection ripples warped lines
Camaraderie unwinds

Detention birds, we break these bars
Scribbling names, batch of odd stars
Hands slap the desk—sing loud our scars
Don’t need their rules, we write who we are

Detention birds, we break these bars
Hands slap the desk—sing loud our scars
Detention birds stomp, stomp the past
(We write who we are, we write who we are)

Credits

from Margins, released June 15, 2025

License