Intro
Corner pole's been humming since before I could walk
Sodium orange, buzzing low, keeping watch, no talk
Verse
Corner of Delridge and Ninth, pole's been bent since spring
Sodium glow flickers slow like a dying amber ring
Desmond ran the block for me back when I was skinny
Fronted me a jacket once, said pay it back when you can
That November night the sirens split the block in two
Desmond in the alley, cuffs cold, breath like smoke askew
Cop asked what I saw, I said nothing but the light
Lie sat heavy on my tongue like a stone rolled overnight
Wasn't lying for myself, was lying for his mother
Third floor window cracked, couldn't bury another
Already lost one son, brother folded in the ground
Wasn't gonna let the system fold another round
So I told the pole instead — steel don't testify
Gave it every detail while the cruisers rolled on by
Been carrying that truth in my chest like a loaded clip
Safety's on, but the weight still shifts with every step I take
Chorus
Blocklight testimony, sworn beneath the buzz
Kept it real for nobody but the corner, cause it was
Watching when the world wasn't, watching when I lost
Blocklight testimony — I already paid the cost
Verse
Five years later Desmond's back, walking with a limp inside
Some scar from county showers, story he won't confide
We dap under the same pole, bulb still stuttering weak
He says I know you kept it quiet, voice barely a squeak
I say wasn't for you, and he nods like he understands
Some debts don't get repaid in dollars, get repaid in hands
Held out mine, he shook it slow, grip like a rusted hinge
Both of us older now, block still wearing the same fringe
New kids run the corner now, don't know the pole's got history
Don't know that bulb's been keeping half the neigh
