[Intro – Sparse keys] Fresh off the boat, passport proud, But the mirror shows the same cloud. [Verse 1] They land with dreams and distance in they eyes, “Back home we had class—no chains, no whips, no lies.” Look at us born here like field hands in disguise, Treating brothers lesser ‘cause their ships missed the Middle Passage ride. Chase the pale dream, perm the edges, lighten load, “I’m not them,” they whisper while reaping what we sowed. Subways, cities, freedoms built on our backs and bones, Yet they point at our struggles like we built them on our own. [Chorus] We built this—blood and brick—you just walked in the finish, Now you look down like the dirt on our hands is your business. “I’m not them, I’m not them,” chasing white approval, Same skin, same cage, cousin—same removal. Blame the chains we never chose for the weight we still fight, Riding waves we died to make, claiming it’s your birthright. Truth in the groove: the whip cracked for us all, You just got here yesterday, still dodging the call. [Verse 2] Model minority flex, quote the flag like you wrote it, But when the badge hits, it sees the same threat, don’t you know it? Identify with the oppressor, laugh at our pain in code, Systemic smoke in your eyes, still pointing at the mirror’s load. Forgot the hands that laid these rails, raised these towns, Now you step on shoulders, then debate why we’re down. [Bridge – Slow, jazzy] Thought you escaped the plantation—just a different floor, Mask slips one day, welcome mat ain’t for you no more. Same blood in the soil, same fight in the vein... [Chorus – Final, layered] We built this—blood and brick—you just walked in the finish, Now you look down like the dirt on our hands is your business. “I’m not them,” chasing approval that’ll never come, Distant cousins... recognize what we overcome. [Outro – Fading] Same hue. Same truth. Wake up.
