Intro
Corner store lights off, block breathing at three
Guard up, lights low, that's the only company
Every no they handed me still stacked like receipts
I've been cashing out the silence since the day that I left
Verse
Coach said I was too slow to ever run with the pack
Laced my shoes in the dark, ran the block and back
Landlord taped a notice on the door where I stayed
Taped my bars right under it, said watch what I made
Teacher said my future looked like static on a screen
Now the static turned to platinum, ask what that means
Cousin said the booth was just a hobby for the broke
Sawdust floor, cracked mic, that's the seed that I woke
Momma counted quarters while the kettle hissed and steamed
I was counting bars at midnight, chasing down a dream
Sirens on the block turned into snares in my chest
Turned the chaos into cadence, gave the noise a test
Uncle said the rap game chews you up and spits you thin
I said watch the margin, that's exactly where I win
Every "you won't make it" turned into a mantra loud
Guard up, lights low, I turned the doubt into a crowd
Hook
Lights low, guard up, I don't sleep on the doubt
Every shadow told a story, now the story's out
Lights low, guard up, watch the numbers grow
Turned the never into now, that's the only flow
Verse
Studio on Ferris Street, hundred dollar rent a week
Engineer said sharpen up, my flow was still too weak
Slept behind the mixing board, blanket made of coats
Woke up to the sample looping, wrote it note for note
Radio said my sound too rough to ever hit the air
Burned a hundred CDs, passed them out with steady stare
Promoter tried to shortchange me the night the show sold out
I recounted every dollar, made him watch me count it out
Ex told all our friends that I would never leave the block
Now the block got my initials carved into the clock
Bank account was hollow like a drum without a skin
Now it's thick as winter coats, still keep the hunger in
Every skeptic get a front seat when the tour bus roll
Every silence that they gave me turned into the goal
Lights stay low so I can see the ones who kept it real
Guard stay up because the wolves still circling for a meal
Hook
Lights low, guard up, I don't sleep on the doubt
Every shadow told a story, now the story's out
Lights low, guard up, watch the numbers grow
Turned the never into now, that's the only flow
Bridge
Truth is some nights I still hear the old no's ring
Truth is the crown gets heavy when you're carrying everything
But I traded all my sleep for a seat at the table
Guard never drops, even when the story's stable
Every scar's a receipt for a debt that I paid twice
Lights low so the doubters can't read my eyes
Outro
Lights low, guard up, that's the code I keep
Every doubt they planted, watch it bloom while I don't sleep
Guard up, lights low, still the same me at the top
Proved it in the silence, never needed them to stop
