Hustler’s Lullaby

[Intro] Uh, uh, yeah. Lights low, city hums, I’m in my zone. Listen close, this one’s for the nights we roam. [Verse 1] Mama said, “Keep your head high, watch your back.” The streets got teeth, and they don’t cut slack. Cornerstore legends, puffin’ on cigars, Dreamin’ ‘bout Bentleys while we sittin’ on cars. Nights spent chasin’ what the block provides, From crack in the pavement to the smoke that slides. A ten-dollar dream, but the cost runs deep, Every friend you lose leaves a name you keep. They said, “Boy, you gon’ make it or break apart,” But the game’s all pain—it’ll fuck your heart. I see the light, but it flickers slow, A hustler’s lullaby, the only song I know. [Chorus] I-I hear the city singin’ my name, But it’s all the same. We-we grind ‘til the sun turns black, Ain’t no turning back. She-she told me, “Boy, don’t lose your soul,” But the world moves cold. Hustler’s lullaby, that’s the life I’m told (Yeah, uh). [Verse 2] The stoop stays hot while the nights run long, We write street stories, every line’s a song. A dice roll echoes like a loaded gun, One move wrong, and your story’s done. Mama’s prayers hit my phone at ten, “Keep safe, boy, and stay out the pen.” But the weight on my chest feels like bricks in the rain, Gotta move it fast just to numb the pain. Friends turn ghosts; they don’t leave a sign, Some caught time, others crossed that line. You don’t know trust ‘til it slips away, The block’s a choir; hear the streetlights play. [Chorus] I-I hear the city singin’ my name, But it’s all the same. We-we grind ‘til the sun turns black, Ain’t no turning back. She-she told me, “Boy, don’t lose your soul,” But the world moves cold. Hustler’s lullaby, that’s the life I’m told (Yeah, uh). [Bridge] Uh, we wrote our futures in chalk lines, Danced with devils, but ignored the signs. Mama said, “Sleep don’t come for free,” So I count my steps in the shadow’s reach. Streetlights flicker like they know my fate, The weight of the hustle, man, it don’t deflate. Keep the fire lit, keep the story alive, A hustler’s lullaby just to survive. [Chorus (Final)] I-I hear the city singin’ my name, But it’s all the same. We-we grind ‘til the sun turns black, Ain’t no turning back. She-she told me, “Boy, don’t lose your soul,” But the world moves cold. Hustler’s lullaby, that’s the life I’m told (Yeah, uh). [Outro] Yeah, the city hums, and the shadows sway, Dreams on hold, but we move anyway. A hustler’s life, a hustler’s code, We all sing songs that the streets have wrote.