

Prompt / Lyrics
[Intro] Staring at the ceiling Cracks look like maps Every line another story Of the things I never had [Verse 1] Mama folding bills in the dark Rent late, prayers loud Fridge humming like it’s nervous Half-empty, half-proud Shoes by the door, soles talking Miles in the mouths of the old Outside, kids chase a weekend Inside, we chase control I used to draw mansions in margins Desk wobble, heart sore Teacher said “aim for the stars” I was aiming for the store For the discount bread For the long bus ride Pretending that the window Was a way-out sky [Chorus] This is pain I can’t just pray away Got my hands in the dirt every day Every scar, every loss I cradle I grind through the gravel, I grind through the gravel World on my back, but I still don’t break Turn that weight to a step I take Every scar, every loss I cradle I grind through the gravel, I grind through the gravel [Verse 2] Talk tough but I bleed like you Same red on the sink when the stress cuts through Same eyes in the glass, don’t know who’s who Is that the kid I was, or the ghost I grew? Missed calls from my past on the lock screen blinking Old friends sinking, new ones linking Everybody say “change,” but they only mean “winning” They don’t see the nights that begin with spinning Room doing laps round my mind Anxiety tapping on the spine Hope on read, faith on hold Still I lace these shoes and go I’ve been broke in the pockets and the spirit Had to talk to myself just to hear it Voice in my chest saying “stand back up” Every tear on the floor just a seed in the dust [Chorus] This is pain I can’t just pray away Got my hands in the dirt every day Every scar, every loss I cradle I grind through the gravel, I grind through the gravel World on my back, but I still don’t break Turn that weight to a step I take Every scar, every loss I cradle I grind through the gravel, I grind through the gravel [Bridge] Who’s gonna love you when you’re empty? Who’s gonna ride when the tank on E? Who gonna answer when you call at three? Sometimes it’s just the echo and the beat in your teeth So I learn how to stand in the silence Make peace with the bruise and the violence Turn anger into fuel in the bloodstream Turn “never going happen” to a must-be [Verse 3] I seen fathers fade like smoke Kids grow up on a folding chair throne Mama did double-time, triple-shift bones Laughing so we wouldn’t feel alone I carry that laugh like a blade and a shield Cut through the doubt, guard what I feel When the world says “break,” I answer “bend” I don’t fold, I learn, I mend Pain taught me how to read a room quick Who clap for your wins, who hope you miss Who love your light, who love your dim Who drink from your cup, never learn to swim So I move with a smaller circle Big heart, but the trust more careful Still walking through the storm, straight-backed, tearful But every drop on my face make the ground more fertile (yeah) [Chorus] This is pain I can’t just pray away Got my hands in the dirt every day Every scar, every loss I cradle I grind through the gravel, I grind through the gravel World on my back, but I still don’t break Turn that weight to a step I take Every scar, every loss I cradle I grind through the gravel, I grind through the gravel [Outro] One step, then another One breath, then one more If all I ever own is this struggle I’ll still leave richer than before
Tags
rap, Moody, head-nod rap over a slow, grimy drum groove and brooding keys; male vocals spitting tight, poetic verses up close and dry, with subtle octave-doubled phrases on key lines. Sparse bass pulses under the verses, then the hook widens with airy vocal layers and distant choir pads. Energy grows in the last verse with slightly more aggressive drums and ad-libs, then drops to almost a cappella on the final hook for a raw, intimate close., poetry
4:07
No
4/2/2026