Intro
Yard gate rusted red like dried blood on the latch
Granddad's whistle split the dark, three strays ran to match
He said feed the pack before you touch your own plate
Said hunger builds a loyalty that's stronger than hate
Verse
Scrapyard off Delmar, chain-link kissed by frost
Three dogs on a trailer chain, counting up the cost
He'd walk the fence line nightly with a bucket full of bone
Whistle twice for Diesel, once for the one called Stone
Winter of eighty-four, thieves came for the copper wire
Dogs ate first that evening, kept the whole block from the fire
He told me watch the porch light, not the moon up above
Said the pack protects the hand that feeds it more than love
Momma said he loved them dogs more than his own blood
He said blood don't guard a gate when the water floods
Taught me how to read a growl before it turns to teeth
Said silence is the warning waiting underneath
Sold the yard in ninety-five, kept the whistle on a chain
Wore it like a medal through the joy and through the pain
Say I got his eyes now, cold and steady, never blink
Learned to feed the ones who guard me first, before I think
Hook
Wolves ate first, that's the oldest law I know
Feed the ones who guard the gate before you eat alone
Empty plate don't mean you're starving, means you paid the toll
Wolves ate first, and that's how a man gets old
Verse
Now I run my own yard, different kind of chain
Corner boys instead of Rottweilers, same refrain
Youngest on the block eats first before I touch a dime
Learned that from a man who read the dark like scripture, line by line
Blanket and a plate for the one who holds the door
Loyalty ain't cheap, but it's the only thing that's sure
Seen a man get fat on promises and starve on trust
I'd rather owe a debt in meat than leave a debt in dust
Diesel died at twelve, buried by the fence he used to guard
Granddad cried just once — that's the only time I saw him hard
Said even wolves know grief, just don't let it show its teeth
Strength ain't never loud, it's just patient underneath
Still keep the whistle in my pocket, brass gone half gray
Blow it when the block gets thin, remind them of the way
Ain't about the money first, it's about who's fed and who ain't
That's the difference between a king and a man who just paints
Hook
Wolves ate first, that's the oldest law I know
Feed the ones who guard the gate before you eat alone
Empty plate don't mean you're starving, means you paid the toll
Wolves ate first, and that's how a man gets old
Bridge
Some nights I go hungry and don't tell n
