[Intro]
Clock on the wall
Red light on
Lawyer on hold
Case still on
[Verse 1]
I did six up in Rahway
Cold tray, cold day, same hallway
Northern State, four walls, one mind
Thought I left that cell in the long grind
Now I’m back in the booth with a warrant out
Missed court, wrong date, they gon’ sort it out?
Public defender say, “Calm, let me talk it down”
But I still feel cuffs when I hear that sound
Third gun case on my back like a tattoo
Judge read stats, I can see how they tag you
File thick, whole past in a manila
Name on the docket like a bullet in the pillar
Mama on the phone say, “Baby, just pray”
PO on the phone say, “Boy, just stay”
Bag by the door, shoes tied, heart raw
Half wanna run, half wanna face law
[Chorus]
Facing warrants, I ain’t running this time
Got a third strike, still I stand on mine
Did six straight, came home, rewired
Now I fight fire while the past on fire
Court date circling, fear on my chest
But I won’t fold, I confess, I’m stressed
If they want me back, they gon’ see my eyes
I’ma walk through the doors, not live in disguise (yeah)
[Verse 2]
I remember count time, keys in the latch
Slab as a bed, dust in the latch
Rahway yard, cold wind in the metal fence
Reading law books tryin’ cut through the ignorance
Northern tier, whole tier full of lost names
Talk about appeal like a ball game
Said I’d touch grass and never come back
Yet I’m here on the edge of the same trap
Lawyer say the paperwork dirty on the last raid
Chain of evidence shaky, that’s a pathway
Prosecutor paint me like I’m still that dude
Same mugshot, different years, same attitude
But I got a niece now, she just turned two
Promise I would show up whenever she do
So I suit up, tie tight, heart bruised
Walk in that courtroom, I’ma speak my truth (yeah)
[Chorus]
Facing warrants, I ain’t running this time
Got a third strike, still I stand on mine
Did six straight, came home, rewired
Now I fight fire while the past on fire
Court date circling, fear on my chest
But I won’t fold, I confess, I’m stressed
If they want me back, they gon’ see my eyes
I’ma walk through the doors, not live in disguise
[Bridge]
Every knock on the door feel like raid day (hey)
Every unknown number feel like chain day
But I’m tired of the ducking and the back routes
Tired of the whispers and the blacked out
Future on trial for the past that I lived
Still I raise my hand, that’s the vow that I give
If they take me, they take me, but I still won’t bend
‘Cause a man ain’t his record, he the way he end
[Chorus]
Facing warrants, I ain’t running this time
Got a third strike, still I stand on mine
Did six straight, came home, rewired
Now I fight fire while the past on fire
Court date circling, fear on my chest
But I won’t fold, I confess, I’m blessed (yeah)
If they want me back, they gon’ see my eyes
I’ma walk through the doors, not live in disguise (uh)