Intro
Cousin on the corner, winter coat worn thin
Knew him since the basement, knew him since we'd begin
That's the kind of knowing that don't need a word
Verse 1
Marcus had a pager, kept it on his hip
Seven-digit code meant somebody lost a strip
I was sixteen, hungry, didn't have a job
He said come see me Tuesday, bring your steady nod
Wasn't moving weight, nah, he just kept the line
Between the ones who owed and ones who paid on time
I held the ledger, memorized the names
Thirty-eight accounts, all with different claims
He trusted me with numbers that could end a man
I was just a kid with a Bic pen in my hand
One night he asked me, "You could run this solo?"
I said nah, 'cause running solo means you're broke and hollow
Loyalty's a contract that you sign in blood
Either way you're bleeding when the pressure comes up
Chorus
I keep my word like it keeps me whole
Every debt I hold is a debt I owe
Loyalty that costs you is the only kind that's real
I keep my word like it keeps me whole
Verse 2
Marcus caught a case, fifteen months at most
I was sitting at the lawyer with his mother, ghost
Said the books would hold him, said I'd run the weight
I was twenty-three, thinking that was fate
First three weeks I'm good, third week I'm tight
Fourth week the Feds is asking questions in the night
They knew my name, knew my mother's address
Knew I had a choice between my soul and what was left
I went back to Marcus, told him straight up
Said they want your operation, want to lock me up
He said walk away, that's the real test
Love ain't worth a life spent under arrest
I turned state's evidence, I became the ghost
Lost the only person that I needed most
Verse 3
Now I see him at the corner, he just looks away
We both know the reason, know the price we paid
Loyalty don't heal when you're the one who breaks it
Even when the reason's that you couldn't take it
His sister says he's good, says he's doing time
Says he understands, but understanding don't align
With the way my stomach turns when seasons shift
With the way I'm still collecting all this debt
I got a job now, got a lease, got a name
But I'm still the man who put my brother in the chain
Some collateral you can't afford to lose
Some loyalty you carry like a scar that bruise
Outro
Pager sitting silent on a shelf somewhere
Loyalty that's broken still lives in the air
I keep my word like it keeps me whole
