[THE ONES WHO STAYED] [INTRO - Cheftee Neftee] Funny thing about the journey... Everybody remembers who showed up when the lights came on. I remember who stayed when there weren't any lights. Pull up a chair. This one's for the ones who helped us cook when there wasn't much in the kitchen. [VERSE 1 - Cheftee Neftee] Started with a vision and a half-empty pantry Little bit of faith, whole lot of “can he?” Pressure on the stove, had the whole pot dancing Recipe looked crazy, but the flavor started happening Had to season every setback Let the patience marinate Burned a couple batches Had to learn to regulate Some wanted the plate Never asked about the prep Some wanted the credit Never helped with the steps But you stayed by the counter When the kitchen got hot When the timer hit zero And the whole thing looked lost You said, “Chef, keep stirring” So I stirred that pot Now everybody smelling what We were cooking on the clock [PRE-CHORUS - Nova Rae] I see you now Through every chapter we survived Every storm that tried to take us Every reason we're still alive Some names don't need a spotlight Some hearts don't need applause The people who stood beside us Were the reason we kept going on [CHORUS - Nova Rae] To the ones who stayed When the room got cold To the ones who believed Before the story was told When the lights went down You were still around To the ones who stayed This is your song now [VERSE 2 - Cheftee Neftee] I learned timing from the pressure Learned flavor from the failure Had to chop the dead weight Dice the doubt real fine Fold the lessons in the batter Let 'em rise with the grind Little faith in the bowl Big dreams on the counter Heat getting higher But the crew getting stronger We ain't rush the recipe We let every layer speak Some nights tasted bitter Still we came back next week Now look at the spread Every scar got a story Every plate on the table Got a little piece of glory If you helped build the kitchen Then your name's in what we cooked [CHORUS - Nova Rae] To the ones who stayed When the room got cold To the ones who believed Before the story was told When the lights went down You were still around To the ones who stayed This is your song now [MEMORY VERSE - Cheftee Neftee] Remember them nights when the room stayed quiet? One mic, one dream, we were still gonna try it Old school speakers with the bass turned high Laughing at the future like, “Watch us get by” Back when the vision was bigger than the budget Back when we had nothing But refused to call it nothing Every little win felt larger than life Every setback taught us how to sharpen the knife I can still hear those voices... Still feel those nights... And I remember thinking... One day... WE'LL MAKE IT... [Cheftee Neftee - LONG SUSTAINED NOTE] MAAAAAAAKE IIIIIIIIIIIIT... [INSTRUMENTAL DROP] [Cheftee Neftee - Soft] And we did. [BRIDGE - Cheftee Neftee] Anybody can eat When the table looking lavish But who was washing dishes When the night got tragic? Who held down the kitchen When the orders wouldn't come? Who said, “Keep cooking” When we thought the heat was done? That's family. Not the ones who clap When the cameras turn around. The ones who pull a chair up When nobody's around. [Nova Rae] No spotlight... No headline... Could ever tell the whole story. [Cheftee Neftee] The best recipes Ain't written on the menu. They're written in the moments Nobody else knew. [STACKED VOCAL BUILD - Cheftee Neftee] We kept the fire... Kept the faith... Kept the love... Through every change... [LONG SUSTAINED NOTE - Cheftee Neftee] STAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY... [FINAL VERSE - Cheftee Neftee] Bring the plates out Let the whole room taste it Years in the making Ain't no way we gonna waste it Pressure made the diamonds Patience made the flavor Lost a few ingredients Still improved the whole creation From an empty refrigerator To a table full of proof Every “no” became seasoning Every scar became the truth If they ask who cooked it Tell 'em everybody did I brought the recipe And taught the pot how to live Cheftee Mode... Apron on... Heat high... If you stayed through the hunger You can eat when we rise. [FINAL CHORUS - Nova Rae] To the ones who stayed Let the whole world know Every hand that held us Every heart that wouldn't let go When the lights came on You were already there Before anybody noticed Before anybody cared To the ones who stayed You helped us make the way [FINAL VOCAL PEAK - Cheftee Neftee] We came from the bottom... We carried the weight... We cooked through the pressure... And we still made a plate... [LONG SUSTAINED NOTE - Cheftee Neftee] WE... STIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILL... MADE... IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! [DROP TO SILENCE] [Cheftee Neftee - Soft] For the ones who stayed... Dinner's served. [OUTRO - Nova Rae] And we know where we came from.
