Intro
Rooftop door sticks, shoulder against the latch
Chalk numbers on the coop, Nine still got a scratch
Verse
Fourth floor stairwell smells like tar and rust
Wire mesh coop where the feathers turn to dust
My brother built it out of scrap wood and trust
Said every bird we lose is a lesson, not a bust
Cut my palm on the chicken wire, didn't flinch
Wrapped it in a rag, kept working, didn't pinch
Told Mama it was nothing, just a scratch from the door
Didn't want her worried about the roof no more
Number Nine got clipped by a hawk one July
Came back three days later, half his wing gone dry
Nursed him back on breadcrumbs, water in a cup
Brother said that's loyalty, the kind that don't give up
Block was testing everybody, corners getting tight
Offered me good money to sell the coop that night
Said no, kept the birds, kept the blood on my sleeve
Some things you don't cash in, some things you don't leave
Chorus
Scars I kept quiet, wore them like a coat
Didn't need the sympathy, just needed to stay afloat
Every cut's a story that I never had to tell
Scars I kept quiet, carried them so well
Verse
Building got sold, landlord tore the coop down
Watched the wire crumble, feathers hit the ground
Brother's in another state now, chasing steadier pay
Calls me every Sunday, same time, same day
Kept a scar behind my ear from a fall I never told
Ladder slipped on ice back when I was nine years old
