Verse
Three a.m., tint down, engine humming low
Six deep in the Civic, same block, same code
Tarek got the aux, playing something we all know
Everybody quiet till the hook hit, then we go
Grew up splitting quarters at the corner store
Now we split the profit, still keep the same four
Marcus took a charge that was never even his
Sat there for a summer, never gave up a name
That's the kind of debt you can't repay with cash
Only way to settle it is loyalty that lasts
I keep the chain heavy, cold steel on my chest
Every link's a name of somebody who passed the test
Pre-Chorus
Some nights the weight get hard to hold
Some nights I think about the ones we lost to the cold
But every time it pulls me down, I stand up straight
'Cause this ain't just metal, this is what I carry, wait
Chorus
I carry the weight of the chain
Every link is a name, every name is a debt I maintain
Through the fire, through the rain
Same six, same steel, we ain't never gon' change
Weight of the chain, weight of the chain
Verse
DeAndre lost his job, we ain't let him lose his rent
Passed the envelope around, nobody asking where it went
That's the code we living by, unspoken, understood
Nobody keeping score 'cause the love is understood
Priya driving through the night just to bring the food
When Jamal was in the hospital, room 202
I remember every favor like a scar up on my skin
Every time somebody bled, we made sure they'd win
Uncle called it weakness, said the loyalty's a trap
Told him watch the chain hold weight when the whole world collapse
Pre-Chorus
Some nights the weight get hard to hold
Some nights I think about the ones we lost to the cold
But every time it pulls me down, I stand up straight
'Cause this ain't just metal, this is what I carry, wait
Chorus
I carry the weight of the chain
Every link is a name, every name is a debt I maintain
Through the fire, through the rain
Same six, same steel, we ain't never gon' change
Weight of the chain, weight of the chain
Bridge
Truth is some nights I want to set it down
Truth is the weight got heavier since Kev ain't around
But his name's still on the chain, right next to mine
So I carry double now, that's just how we designed
Ain't about the shine, it's about who stayed
It's about who showed up when the debt got made
Chorus
I carry the weight of the chain
Every link is a name, every name is a debt I maintain
Through the fire, through the rain
Same six, same steel, we ain't never gon' change
Weight of the chain, weight of the chain
