Intro
Ash settles on the mattress where the radiator dies
Three degrees and counting, but the rent stays on time
Mama's double shift paid the electric last month
Now she's counting pills and I'm counting what I lost
Verse
Fourteen, in the basement sorting copper wire scraps
Superintendent paid me cash, no paperwork, no tax
Fingers split from stripping, built calluses like skin
Learned the difference between earning and the hunger deep within
Every dollar folded neat, slipped under Mama's door
While she slept on broken springs, wondering what for
The neighborhood was shrinking, corner stores boarded up
But the work kept coming, kept the light bulb from going dark
Winter came with no heat, so we wore our coats to bed
Shared one quilt between us, and I thanked God we weren't dead
Saw the fellas on the block, their pockets heavy, chains bright
But I'd seen their mothers' faces when the phone rang late at night
So I kept the basement cold, kept my hands bent and raw
Kept my eyes on what was real, not what the streets saw
Chorus
Ravens keep the count, they don't miss a soul
Every scarred hand buying bread and coal
Ravens keep the count, they don't miss a soul
Every scarred hand buying bread and coal
Verse
Twenty-two, I'm on the warehouse crew, loading pallets till the dawn
Supervisor takes his cut, says that's how the system's drawn
But I'm reading books at lunch, building something in my mind
While the others split their paychecks on the poison and the wine
The city's full of ghosts, men who broke before they bent
Traded their own futures for a moment's rent
I watched my uncle fade, needle in his vein
Said the world don't owe you nothing but the suffering and pain
So I worked the double shifts, saved the triple overtime
Kept my promise to Mama, kept my conscience clean and fine
Now she rests without the worry, and that's worth more than gold
Every scar upon my knuckles is the story that I've told
Verse
Thirty now, I'm running crews, but I remember every name
Of the ones who didn't make it past the winter's weight and claim
I hire the ones the system threw away
Give them hours, give them purpose, give them something real to say
The ravens know the difference between breaking and the bend
They mark the ones who stayed intact and honor at the end
We don't speak in promises, just in what we do
Show the young ones what it means to keep yourself brand new
Mama's got her medicine, her apartment, and her peace
And I'm building something lasting, watch the legacy increase
Chorus
Ravens keep the count, they don't miss a soul
Every scarred hand buying bread and coal
Ravens keep the count, they don't miss a soul
Every scarred hand buying bread and coal
Outro
The ash still settles on the city where I'm from
But the lights stay on now, and the work still gets done
Ravens keep the count, they mark what you're made of
Every hand that holds the line gets its name in the sky above
