Shelves Stay Bare

[Verse 1] Yo, sun comes up rusty, but the haze still hangs Sirens keep the score while the bus stop bangs No badges on the corner, just fists and a grin If you keep your guard down, they can count you in [Chorus] When the shelves stay bare, folks start thinking bare Every yes gets taxed, every maybe’s a dare Trust gets priced up high, then sold on the spot We keep trading pieces for the scraps we’ve got [Verse 2] Stomachs talking loud in the corner store line Kids learn how to bargain with a half-eaten dime They pass out little favors like a dose of salt Then call you weak for noticing the fault [Chorus] When the shelves stay bare, folks start thinking bare Every yes gets taxed, every maybe’s a dare Trust gets priced up high, then sold on the spot We keep trading pieces for the scraps we’ve got [Bridge] I shut my door hard, said I’d be fine alone But the freezer went dead and the rent came home Found the old crew on the stoop with a busted phone One hand can’t lift a block by stone [Verse 3] Now I catch my face in a pawn shop glass Looks like somebody who moved too fast Am I built like this, or just taught to act? Every hard choice leaves a mark in my back The block stays loud, but I hear one fact: We don’t make it out by going solo like that [Chorus] When the shelves stay bare, folks start thinking bare Every yes gets taxed, every maybe’s a dare Trust gets priced up high, then sold on the spot We keep trading pieces for the scraps we’ve got [Outro] Yeah, the scraps we’ve got, and the lessons learned Another day, another bridge we've burned But the sun still comes up, rusty and slow And the haze still hangs, nowhere to go. Nowhere to go, but we still stand tall Waiting for the next brick to fall. Yeah, waiting for the next brick to fall. Still waiting.