[Intro]
Cold plate
Open fridge light
Same stain
On the same white tile
Keys gone
Rent due last week
Pray sleep
Hits harder than the heat
Fan hums low
Like it’s running scared
Counting hours
‘Til the daylight cares
[Verse 1]
Bus stop breath
On a cracked-screen map
Rain in my shoes
From a long way back
Three jobs deep
Still the math don’t match
Every check gone
Before it hits my hands
Loose-change living
In a zip-top bag
Whole life packed
In a borrowed backpack
Clock ticks loud
Like it knows my name
Every “almost” win
Feels rigged in advance
I don’t dream big
I just plan to last
Tryna stay straight
On a splintered path
[Pre-Chorus]
Count scars
Not stars tonight
Every door locked
Still I try
If the dark starts asking
What I owe
I look away
And I say “not yet”
[Chorus]
That’s how the hungry live
Teeth on a promise
Nothing to give
Eyes on a door that never opens
Hope the shadows don’t know what I’m holding
That’s how the hungry live
Bite on the pain
Swallow the risk
Hands on the flame
Still I keep going
Hope the shadows don’t know
Don’t know it
[Verse 2 – Female Vocal]
Late check text
From a landlord name
Say “one more week”
Like a sacred phrase
Mama’s voice
On a cracked phone line
Says “you sound tired”
I just say “I’m fine”
Bills on the table
Like they judging me
Every number sharp
Like it’s cutting deep
I learned real quick
How to fake a smile
How to sound okay
While I’m barely alive
[Pre-Chorus]
Street learns
Every step you take
Who breaks easy
Who might shake
If the dark starts digging
In my soul
I lock it down
And I don’t let go
[Chorus]
That’s how the hungry live
Teeth on a promise
Nothing to give
Eyes on a door that never opens
Hope the shadows don’t know what I’m holding
That’s how the hungry live
Bite on the pain
Swallow the risk
Hands on the flame
Still I keep going
Hope the shadows don’t know
Don’t know it
[Verse 3]
Morning breaks
Through a boarded blind
Sun feels fake
When you’re short on time
Cup of hope
Half-full, half-gone
Stretch one dollar
‘Til it learns to run
Neighbors move
Like they know the drill
Heads down low
Just to pay their bills
I shake hands
With another doubt
Say “not today”
Then I head back out
If I fall now
Let it not be loud
I’m still standing
I just don’t look proud
[Bridge – Both]
If they see my fear
They can spend my name
If they taste my tears
They can tax my faith
So I tuck my dreams
Where the night can’t see
Under burned-out beams
Deep inside of me
I don’t talk loud
About what I need
Silence costs less
But it keeps me free
[Final Chorus]
That’s how the hungry live
Teeth on a promise
Nothing to give
Eyes on a door that never opens
Hope the shadows don’t know what I’m holding
That’s how the hungry live
Bite on the pain
Swallow the risk
Hands on the flame
Still I keep going
Hope the shadows don’t know
Don’t know it
[Outro]
Whispered plans
In an empty room
One small seed
In a busted shoe
If the dark walks in
Keep your voice low
That’s how the hungry live
Shadows don’t know
Drozalloxx
