Verse
Four a.m., the space heater humming like it's keeping time
Cracked knuckles on the keyboard, every bar a broken rhyme
Landlord slid a notice, I slid rent from the studio
Sold my old console just to pay the man for one more show
Cousin said the odds are stacked, I said stack them higher then
Every no's a brick I lay, building something I ascend
Momma prayed in kitchens while I prayed in basements too
Same god, different altar, still the vision coming through
Broke phone screen, cracked but working, still I write the hook at dawn
Every setback just a setup, watch me turn it into song
Pre-Chorus
How many nights I told myself just hold the line
How many doubts I buried underneath the grind
Somebody tell me when the rust turns into shine
I already know, I already know
Chorus
Slow fade to gold, watch the dust turn bright
Every hour spent is an hour I'm right
Copper turning gold under low streetlight
Slow fade to gold, I already know
Verse
Studio's a closet, mic hung up with rusted wire
Neighbors banging on the wall, I turn it up higher
They said quit at twenty, said the window's closing fast
I said windows don't close on foundations built to last
Uncle called it foolish, said go find a normal shift
I said watch me turn the struggle into something I can lift
Every dollar that comes in gets planted, not spent
Every hour that I grind is an hour that's well spent
Cracked mirror in the hallway still reflects the same old fire
Started in the basement, now the ceiling climbing higher
Pre-Chorus
How many nights I told myself just hold the line
How many doubts I buried underneath the grind
Somebody tell me when the rust turns into shine
I already know, I already know
Chorus
Slow fade to gold, watch the dust turn bright
Every hour spent is an hour I'm right
Copper turning gold under low streetlight
Slow fade to gold, I already know
Bridge
Ain't no overnight, ain't no shortcut through
Every layer strips away till what's left is true
Used to chase the shine, now I chase the work
Turns out that's the secret that was buried in the dirt
I ain't waiting for the world to see it first
Chorus
Slow fade to gold, watch the dust turn bright
Every hour spent is an hour I'm right
Copper turning gold under low streetlight
Slow fade to gold, I already know
