[Verse]
Cold streets whisper, the shadows know my name,
Lonely grind, a candle fighting against the flame.
Ugly duckling dreams of a swan's embrace,
But the mirror, cruel joker, shows the same old face.
Kindness a curse, they toss it in the gutter,
Words cut deeper, sharper than a boxcutter.
[Chorus]
No one cares, but I keep on climbing,
Heart bruised, soul battered, still I'm rhyming.
She loves the money, not the man within,
But I hustle in the shadows till the bitter end.
[Verse 2]
She said, "Too soft, you ain't got the edge,"
So I built a throne, brick by brick, on life's ledge.
Turned rejection into fuel, now the engine roars,
But the heart still aches behind these iron doors.
Her love's a loan, paid in blood and sweat,
But the interest grows, a mountain of regret.
[Prechorus]
I gave her roses, she gave me thorns,
Now I plant seeds in fields forlorn.
Grinding till the sun forgets to rise,
The hustle's my prayer beneath empty skies.
[Chorus]
No one cares, but I keep on climbing,
Heart bruised, soul battered, still I'm rhyming.
She loves the money, not the man within,
But I hustle in the shadows till the bitter end.
[Bridge]
Ugly’s a mask I can’t seem to shed,
Kindness a chain ‘round a neck that bled.
But my wallet’s fat, now she calls me king,
Funny how love’s a puppet on a green string.