[Verse 1](#) Twenty years old in a Datsun 280Z Everything I owned chasing what I couldn’t see Van Nuys Boulevard, neon burning bright Flipping burgers on Encino, training at first light City moved fast and I was moving faster Hungry for a life I hadn’t yet mastered [Pre-Chorus](#) Then she walked in on a Friday night Dark hair, quick smile, stopped the room cold Pac-Man and Pong till we got it right Sometimes the best dares are the ones you’re told [Chorus](#) Beneath every uniform there’s a pulse, a story, a cost Report to the Hall of Justice, find out what gets lost Blue slip in my pocket, first pebble of many more Twenty-four years old, holding keys that open and close the door This is where the journey begins [Verse 2](#) Married in ‘85, felt like it was right Our first son arrived, gave me a new fight Provide and protect, be the man he’d need Two weeks of sleep, then off to Whittier to bleed [Verse 3](#) Every morning on the gridiron, hearts pounding loud Drill instructors circling like wolves through the crowd Structured chaos, inspections stretched long But I loved every moment, learned to be strong [Bridge](#) Stress spreads like wildfire, but so does support Her laugh, his crib—they were my last resort When the gridiron threatened to break me down Those voices in my head kept me around [Chorus](#) Beneath every uniform there’s a pulse, a story, a cost Graduated on fumes, but I never got lost First assignment: maximum security, I wanted the test Twenty-four with keys to lives—no time to rest This is where the journey begins [Outro](#) Los Angeles hit me like a heatwave back then Smog and neon, possibility, and a pen with a story I’m still learning to hold Keys and pebbles, a life bought and sold This is where the journey begins Yeah, this is where it all begins. Breath by breath, step by step, I will make it. The journey begins
