[Chorus] We survive, we thrive Shoulder to shoulder, we keep hope alive From hard days, we build a better life We survive, we thrive [Verse 1] Mama kept the rent money folded in a jar Dad worked double shifts till his hands were scarred Kids on the front steps trading jokes and dreams Making something out of less than what it seemed Mrs. Cole watched every toddler on the block Uncle Ray fixed every busted door and lock When the winter took the heat from three apartments Neighbors brought hot soup, blankets, and a bargain Nobody had plenty, but everybody shared A ride to the clinic, a braid, a prayer We learned that a home ain't measured by the size It's the hands that pull you up when the trouble arrives [Chorus] We survive, we thrive Shoulder to shoulder, we keep hope alive From hard days, we build a better life We survive, we thrive [Verse 2] School shoes passed down, still polished every Sunday Old heads told the young ones, "Choose your own way" Corner store owner let a kid run a tab Till payday came through and he paid what he had The court had cracked pavement, but the games ran late A coach found a scholarship behind that gate Aunties made a table stretch from wall to wall Every empty chair got filled at the block cookout We knew the sirens, knew the cold stairwell Still we planted small gardens where the weeds grew well Hard life gave us scars, but it never took our name We turned shared pain into a reason to remain [Chorus] We survive, we thrive Shoulder to shoulder, we keep hope alive From hard days, we build a better life We survive, we thrive [Verse 3] Now the little ones are teaching what we taught them How to guard a dream when the world tries to rob them How to speak with respect, how to stand up straight How to leave a door open when a neighbor's running late We don't hide the struggle, we remember every mile But look at these streets when the people reconcile A borrowed phone, a ride home, a plate passed around That's how a broken place gets stronger ground The best kind of wealth is a name people trust A hand on your back when the road gets rough If the whole world turns cold, we know what to do Build a warmer circle and carry each other through [Bridge] [Background Chant] Together, together, no one left behind Together, together, we rise by design Together, together, one heart, one drive We survive, we thrive [Final Chorus] We survive, we thrive Shoulder to shoulder, we keep hope alive From hard days, we build a better life We survive, we thrive We survive, we thrive This is our home, this is our life We survive, we thrive
