[Intro] Mama said “Keep your head high But keep that circle small” (yeah) [Verse 1] Came up where the rent late Three jobs in a thin plate Uncle doing bids upstate Still calling just to check safe Grandma with the saints on the wall Prayed over every missed call Told me, “If you rise, we rise If you fall, we all fall” Hand-me-down coat in the winter Dreams in a notebook, splinters Pops never ran, he limped home Feet sore from the night shift blisters They taught me trust is earned slow Respect first, then the bankroll You talk loud, we talk less But we move smart, that’s the code [Chorus] Family first, that’s law, that’s final Die for the name, that’s tribal I don’t bend, I don’t break, I don’t fold Everything I do for the bloodline code (yeah) Stand tall, we don’t run from rivals Hands up for the ones in bibles I don’t bend, I don’t break, I don’t fold Everything I do for the bloodline code (uh) [Verse 2] Cousin got jumped on the A train Whole block slid for the same pain We ain’t talk tough on a screen name We pulled up quiet in the cold rain Auntie raised four in a hallway Food stamps, hope on a small plate Still split the last bite both ways “Eat first, baby, I’m straight” I learned respect ain’t cheap You pay with the secrets you keep You pay with the nights you don’t sleep Watching over while your people eat So when they ask who I ride for Who I’d do that time for Tattoo on my heart, not my arm Every bar I spit’s for my line, for my line, for my— [Chorus] Family first, that’s law, that’s final Die for the name, that’s tribal I don’t bend, I don’t break, I don’t fold Everything I do for the bloodline code (hey) Stand tall, we don’t run from rivals Hands up for the ones in bibles I don’t bend, I don’t break, I don’t fold Everything I do for the bloodline code [Bridge] Who held me down when it got too real? Not friends, just kin, that’s steel You feel that chill when the world turn cold? I feel my people in my backbone [Chorus] Family first, that’s law, that’s final Die for the name, that’s tribal I don’t bend, I don’t break, I don’t fold Everything I do for the bloodline code (bloodline) Stand tall, we don’t run from rivals Hands up for the ones in bibles I don’t bend, I don’t break, I don’t fold Everything I do for the bloodline code (yeah)
