Verse 1 I came up where the nights had a pulse and a problem, Dreams in my pocket, but hope kept on dodgin’. Mama said, “Time is a loan, pay it honest,” So I scribbled my pain till the page felt conscious. Every scar was a sentence, every loss was a comma, Life paused me mid-thought, then resumed with the drama. I learned silence can scream louder than violence, And confidence grows in the cracks of defiance. I watched heroes turn ghosts chasing clout in a flash, Burning bridges for a spark, then drowning in ash. I chose patience over panic, craft over gimmicks, Built a ladder from the rubble, every rung was a limit. Hook I put ink on the clock, let the seconds confess, Every tick is a promise, every bar is a test. I’m not racing the crowd, I’m pacing my breath, If the truth got a voice, I’m placing it next. Ink on the clock, yeah, I’m writing my steps, From the shadow to the sun, from the doubt to the depth. I don’t chase what they want, I become what I meant, When the time tells a story, my name’s in the text. Verse 2 I been hungry but humble, learned the difference quick, Ego eats first, leaves your future malnourished and sick. I kept receipts for the nights when the faith went missing, Prayed to ceilings, got answers in disciplined listening. They said, “Pick a lane,” I said, “Build a road,” I’m allergic to ceilings, got a blueprint for growth. I make art out of pressure, diamonds in the verse, Turn a doubt to a chorus, let it sing out the hurt. I ain’t perfect, I pivot, when I fall, I learn, I put scars in italics, let the wisdom be bold. If the crown feels heavy, that’s the cost of the gold, I wear weight like a jacket when the forecast is cold. Hook I put ink on the clock, let the seconds confess, Every tick is a promise, every bar is a test. I’m not racing the crowd, I’m pacing my breath, If the truth got a voice, I’m placing it next. Ink on the clock, yeah, I’m writing my steps, From the shadow to the sun, from the doubt to the depth. I don’t chase what they want, I become what I meant, When the time tells a story, my name’s in the text. Verse 3 I seen luck get lazy, talent die from neglect, Seen grind turn a whisper to a riotous effect. I speak life to the mirror, it repeats with respect, I’m the author and character, both ink-stained and blessed. I don’t borrow tomorrow just to flex in today, I invest in the hours, compound interest in faith. If they sleep, let ‘em dream, I’m awake in the lab, Turning doubt into data, every failure a map. When the lights hit my face, I’ll remember the dark, All the nights where the pen was the spark in my heart. If my voice ever cracks, let it crack with the truth, I’d rather be real than be rich in the booth. Outro Time talks back when you listen, I answered with bars. Ink on the clock— I was right where we are.
