(Intro — A cage door slamming shut. A crowd murmuring. Knuckles cracking. A deep, steady voice.) They gave me a name in that cage... But names have power... And this one... this one stuck... (beat drops — heavy, grinding, like bones on concrete) --- I ain't step in the cage for glory I stepped in 'cause the world already caged me White walls, bright lights, no rules Just two bodies and a crowd full of fools Who don't know the kid they're cheering for Is fighting himself more than the guy on the floor Every swing at a stranger was a swing at the silence Every dodge was a memory I was trying to fight with Every knockout was a scream at the sky And when I won — I still wanted to die Black Shepherd — that's the name they handed me Not a rapper name, not a gimmick, not a fantasy Came from the fights, came from the blood Came from the rage that I buried in the mud Of a childhood that taught me love was conditional Every scar on my body is a visual Reminder that I survived what they threw But survival ain't living — and I knew The difference early, learned it in the cage Where pain is currency and anger pays the wage --- Split my personality, split my soul One side gentle, one side cold One side holding back tears in the dark One side turning every fear into a bloodstain mark RaveRipper — the name came later Black Shepherd — the origin, the creator Of a side of me that don't flinch at danger That don't care if you're family or stranger That sees a threat and eliminates it That feels no guilt and never explains it But the guilt came after, always did When the adrenaline faded and the rage unhid And I had to face the face I broke And I had to taste the words I spoke And I had to wonder who I was becoming While the crowd kept cheering and the blood kept running --- They don't tell you what the cage costs They don't tell you about the pieces lost Every fight I won took a piece of the kid And replaced it with something that darkness hid Now I got a beast that lives in my chest That wakes up when I'm stressed, that won't let me rest That wants to solve problems with closed fists That wants to burn bridges and call it bliss And I keep it leashed — most days I do But the leash is frayed and the beast knows too That if it pulls hard enough, I might let go And the Black Shepherd becomes the only show --- This the ill mind of the Black Shepherd The protector, the weapon, the lesson That violence ain't born — it's made In the quiet rooms where peace decays In the white cages where boys become blades In the dark ages where rage is a trade I'm not proud of the blood on my knuckles I'm not bragging about the fights or the struggles I'm just saying that when you're backed in a corner You either become the victim or the mourner And I chose survivor — but the cost was steep Now the Black Shepherd don't sleep He just waits... --- (Bridge — Everything drops. Just heavy breathing in the dark. A single voice.) They cheered my name... But they didn't know what they were cheering for... They didn't know that every fight outside the cage... Was nothing compared to the one inside... (beat crashes back — more aggressive, more desperate) AND I'M STILL FIGHTING THAT ONE EVERY DAMN DAY! --- (Outro — Cage door creaking open. Footsteps walking away. A final, exhausted voice.) The cage is empty now... But the beast is still in here... And some days... Some days I don't know who's winning... (footsteps fade) (silence)
