[Intro — spoken, raspy, almost a whisper] Before I opened my mouth, they’d already judged the address Before I made a move, they’d already called it reckless Funny how a zip code writes your whole résumé Funny how they never ask what you survived to get here today. [Verse 1] Grew up where the lights flicker like a warning Where the block wakes up angry every morning Momma locked the door but the noise crept through the walls Learned to read a room before I could read at all Watched my cousin trade his future for a corner spot Watched the badge roll slow, watched the whole block stop They don’t see the hunger, they just see the threat They wrote my story wrong before the ink was set [Pre-Chorus] But there’s a spark they couldn’t drown A weight that only builds a crown Every wall they stacked up high Just taught me how to climb, not die [Chorus] This is the block that tried to bury my name I turned the ashes into a flame They said I’d rot here, said I’d never leave But look at the roots — look what they couldn’t see I’m the branch that broke through the ceiling of stone I’m the voice they tried to silence, grown This is the sound of a kid who wouldn’t fold Made of fire, made of gold [Verse 2] Studied by candlelight when the power went out Dreamed in silence ‘cause dreaming was loud They said “stay in your lane,” I built my own road Every rejection letter just added to the load I ain’t chasing escape, I’m chasing the truth That where you’re planted don’t decide your roots Every hustle I turned legit, every hour I gave Wasn’t running from the block — I was climbing my grave [Spoken interlude — almost whispered, slow, with weight] Nobody tells you how heavy it is to want more than what raised you. Nobody tells you the guilt of leaving people you love in the same fire you escaped. Every application, every interview, every “we’ll call you back” — I carried like armor. Not because I was chosen. Because I refused to be forgotten. That’s the difference between lucky and relentless. [Bridge — raw, half spoken / half sung] I crossed through static, crossed through steel Turned every scar into something real They handed me statistics, handed me chains But chains don’t know the weight of what remains I forged myself from borrowed light From secondhand dreams and sleepless nights And now I stand where they said I’d drown Living proof that roots can wear a crown [Final Chorus] This is the block that tried to bury my name I turned the ashes into a flame They said I’d rot here, said I’d never leave But look at the roots — look what they couldn’t see I’m the branch that broke through the ceiling of stone I’m the voice they tried to silence, grown This is the sound of a kid who wouldn’t fold Made of fire, made of gold [Outro — raspy, fading, almost whispered] They asked me where I’m going… I said “wherever the fire leads me.” Still climbing… Still climbing… Still whole…
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