“BORN HERE / NO OTHER HOME” [Intro — whispered over detuned piano] Mama crossed a border. I was born down the street. Backpack by the table. Another form to read. They handed her a paper. She handed it to me. [Drop — guttural] TEN YEARS OLD! WHY WAS THAT ON ME? [Verse 1 — clipped, aggressive rap] Bus stop, lunch box, keys beneath the mat, Mama needs a letter read before I unpack. Small hands, big words, finger on the line, They keep saying, “Hurry up”—I keep asking, “Why?” Dad’s boots, black dust, blood beneath a nail, Worked another full shift, money came up frail. Count once, count twice, staring at the stub, Kitchen clock ticking while he bites back every word. Same block, same school, born beneath this sky, “Where you really from?”—look me in the fucking eyes. I can tell you where I’m from; let the answer stand. Quit treating every sentence like a passport in my hand. [Pre-Chorus — escalating screams] LET HER FINISH! LET HIM READ! You heard their accent— DID YOU HEAR THEIR NEED? [Chorus — rhythmic shouts, half-time guitars] BORN HERE! STILL HERE! Every word you wouldn’t hear! READ THAT! RUN IT BACK! Tell me why the numbers clash! MY NAME! MY LIFE! I won’t sign what isn’t right! NO ROAD BACK! NOWHERE ELSE! THIS IS HOME—WE LIVE HERE TOO! [Verse 2 — double-time rap] School chair, cold stare, translating for the teacher, Talking through my own grades, struggling to reach her. Mama asks a question, teacher gives a sigh, I’m deciding how to say it while I’m trying not to cry. Clinic, front desk, everybody turns to me, Words I haven’t learned for the pain they need to treat. Hold song, dead phone, afternoon is gone, Still got homework waiting when the kitchen light comes on. Missed practice, missed rides, little brother needs a plate, Tell my friends, “I’m busy,” never tell them why I’m late. Love them, feel resentment, feel ashamed of that too— I was tired of being needed, didn’t know what else to do. [Pre-Chorus — fry screams] I LOVED MY FAMILY! I NEEDED REST! Both were true— BOTH LIVED IN MY CHEST! [Chorus — gutturals, gang doubles] BORN HERE! STILL HERE! Every word you wouldn’t hear! READ THAT! RUN IT BACK! Tell me why the numbers clash! MY NAME! MY LIFE! I won’t sign what isn’t right! NO ROAD BACK! NOWHERE ELSE! THIS IS HOME—WE LIVE HERE TOO! [Verse 3 — low, menacing rap] Grown now, same pull, see somebody stuck, Give an hour, give a ride, try to lift them up. Then the favors multiply, then the story starts to bend, Ask a simple question—now I’m suddenly no friend. “Use your name, use your place, don’t be difficult.” Why am I the one who has to answer if it falls? “Just sign, just trust”—why you hiding half the page? Why’s the welcome turning venom when I ask what’s in my name? Felt like they saw a cover they could use to run a fraud. I won’t call suspicion proof—LET ME SEE THE FUCKING LOG! Show the date, show the filing, show exactly what I chose. You don’t get my signature because you think I owe. [Verse 4 — rapid, percussive] Some helped, some stayed, some explained the fee, Some pulled up another chair and made room for me. Keep that in the story; I remember who was kind. I won’t bury honest people just to sharpen up a rhyme. Different homes, different roads, different papers in the drawer, Being born here doesn’t tell you what your parents crossed for. I can speak about my life, I can name what I went through: Someone rushing Mama’s answer. Someone saying, “That’ll do.” Learned to scan a grown man’s face before I spoke my mind. Now I ask another question; now I read another line. If you want my name attached, explain what you need— Don’t get pissed because I finally know enough to disagree. [Bridge — wounded clean vocals, whispered doubles] I wanted to be their kid. Sometimes I had to be their voice. I wanted someone there to help, So helping felt like a choice. Mama, you can finish. Dad, you can say no. I still love you. I was tired. There’s something you should know— [Beat cuts — isolated scream] I NEEDED HELP TOO! [Verse 5 — furious rap, building guitars] You wanna know the difference? This is where my life began, Every street I learned to walk, every friend who knew my name. Take the roof above us, leave our boxes in the rain— Where the fuck you think we’re going? THIS IS WHERE OUR LIVES REMAIN! Some have somewhere else to go, if that door is open still. Some don’t have that option either—I won’t pretend they will. But I don’t have another homeland waiting down the road. Tell me where I’m meant to “go back”—THIS IS ALL I’VE EVER KNOWN! County hospital, first breath, schoolyard down the block, Summer heat, scraped knees, waiting at the bus stop. You can take the keys away; that won’t erase those years. You can leave us on the pavement—WE STILL FUCKING BELONG HERE! [Breakdown — slow slam, cavernous gutturals] CHECK! THE! PAY! Where’d the hours go? READ! THE! PAGE! Take it fucking slow! SHOW! THE! FILE! What’s beneath my name? I! SAID! HELP! I DIDN’T SAY TAKE THE BLAME! [Whisper — bass drone] A smile. A pen. A place to sign. I’m reading every line this time. [Second breakdown — syncopated shouts] MY TRUST— ISN’T YOUR PERMISSION! MY NAME— ISN’T YOUR DISGUISE! IF IT’S HONEST, LET ME READ IT! IF IT’S WRONG, I WON’T AGREE! I CAME HERE TO HELP YOU! YOU DON’T FUCKING OWN ME! [Silence — spoken] And when you tell me to go home— Where do you think I’m standing? [Final slam — guttural] TAKE THE KEYS! TAKE THE ROOF! YOU CAN’T ERASE WHERE I GREW! THERE’S NO “BACK” FOR ME TO GO! THIS IS THE ONLY HOME I KNOW! [Final Chorus — screams, octave backing] BORN HERE! STILL HERE! Every word you wouldn’t hear! READ THAT! RUN IT BACK! I can question what you ask! MY NAME! MY LIFE! I won’t sign what isn’t right! NO ROAD BACK! NOWHERE ELSE! THIS IS HOME—WE LIVE HERE TOO! [Outro — spoken, piano alone] Mama, put the papers down. Dad, pull up a chair. Let’s eat before it gets cold. Tomorrow, we can make the call. I wanted to help people. I still do. But I need to know What they’re asking me to carry. [Final guttural — instruments cut] I WAS A CHILD! I SHOULD HAVE HAD THAT TIME!
