[Intro – spoken, low, menacing]
Yeah…
They don’t teach this in school.
They don’t put this in books.
This that dirt-under-the-fingernails truth.
Turn me up.
(Beat drop)
⸻
[Hook – chant style, heavy 808s]
Chains on my neck ‘cause they chained us first (FACT)
Whips to the back, yeah they made it hurt (DAMN)
Stole our land, then erased our worth (LIES)
Now they mad ‘cause the truth gon’ burst (BOOM)
Pain in the ice, yeah the gold still speak (DRIP)
Blood in the soil where my roots go deep (REAL)
They buried the truth, now the ground gon’ leak
Every time I breathe, yeah the past still scream
⸻
[Verse 1 – aggressive, street cadence]
They said slave ship, but that story fake
We was here when they mapped the states
Before the crown, before the flag
Before the lies they wrapped in facts
They came with guns, they came with God
Called it destiny, called us dogs
Split families, broke the code
Beat the names out our very soul
Iron on the wrist, iron on the mind
Generations whipped into “fall in line”
Now they confused why we don’t feel free
When freedom came with no land deed
Forty acres turned to empty talk
While they passed wealth every time they walk
Now my chain heavy, don’t ask why
That’s inherited pain I monetized
(Ad-libs: “Talk to ‘em!” “Say that!” “Truth!”)
⸻
[Hook – repeat, crowd energy]
Chains on my neck ‘cause they chained us first (FACT)
Whips to the back, yeah they made it hurt (DAMN)
Stole our land, then erased our worth (LIES)
Now they mad ‘cause the truth gon’ burst (BOOM)
Pain in the ice, yeah the gold still speak (DRIP)
Blood in the soil where my roots go deep (REAL)
They buried the truth, now the ground gon’ leak
Every time I breathe, yeah the past still scream
⸻
[Verse 2 – darker, slower pocket]
They freed us broke, that’s a slick-ass crime
No mule, no acres, just a jail pipeline
From cotton rows to concrete cells
Same damn system, new way to sell
Badge and a gun where the whip once lay
Same fear when we walk they way
Profile my skin, say I fit the mold
Like my ancestors wasn’t already sold
They call us violent, call us lost
But never count the generational cost
They stole the land, then charged us rent
Now surprised we got resentment
(Ad-libs: “Uh!” “Think!” “You know!”)
⸻
[Bridge – half beat, chant]
This ain’t hate talk, this is memory
This ain’t rap, this is testimony
You don’t heal trauma by telling us “chill”
When the wound still open, the bill still real
⸻
[Verse 3 – rapid, relentless]
They rewrote books, erased our face
Put European truth in our place
Now they scared when we read between
The lies, the codes, the slavery schemes
From red lines to red lights
Same trap dressed up real nice
They say “move on,” like time erase
Chains in the mind don’t rust away
You can’t preach peace with stolen land
Then act shocked when we take a stand
We still here, still breathing loud
Still kings even stripped of crowns
(Ad-libs: “Still!” “Right now!” “Ain’t gone!”)
⸻
[Hook – FINAL, louder, stacked vocals]
Chains on my neck ‘c
God…
They ask us why the chain heavy on our necks.
They don’t ask
who put iron on us first.
They chained our ankles before we ever walked free.
Chained our wrists before we ever shook hands.
Chained our names, our language, our families.
So don’t get confused by the gold you see.
This chain ain’t braggin’.
It’s rememberin’.
We wore rust before we wore shine.
We wore weight before we wore wealth.
We wore silence while the world ate good.
So when we glow now, it ain’t for vanity—
It’s proof we survived what was meant to erase us.
They chained us to fields.
Chained us to docks.
Chained us to laws that said we wasn’t human enough to mourn.
So if this necklace make you uncomfortable,
Good.
History supposed to be heavy.
Every link say we still here.
Every link say we ain’t forget.
Every link say pain didn’t kill the bloodline.
They say, “Why you still talkin’ ’bout the past?”
’Cause the past still breathin’ on our necks.
Still signin’ our checks.
Still decidin’ who get grace
and who get suspicion.
God…
We didn’t choose the weight.
We learned how to carry it.
So when we say We Tried,
we mean with shackles on.
When we say We Built,
we mean with no ownership.
When we say We Still Here,
we mean against design.
They chained us first.
We just turned survival into symbol.
Turned memory into armor.
Turned pain into presence.
God…
We ain’t flexin’.
We testifyin’.
They chained us first. They chained us first. They chained us first. Fffffffirst
No flexin ffffffflixin testtifyiii n’
God…
We ain’t flexin’.
We testifyin’.
They chained us first.
We just turned survival into symbol.
Turned memory into armor.
Turned pain into presence.
They chained us first.
We just turned survival into symbol.
Turned memory into armor.
Turned pain into presence.