[Verse 1] I was five when they stamped my name Wrong side of the map, same sky, same rain Teacher said “freedom” with her hand on her chest But my father kept whispering, “we a guest at best” Border on a screen, sharp line, cold law Turn it to a wall, to a cage, to a flaw They say “keep order” while they kick in the door Boots on the tiles, kids face on the floor I learned early what a word can hide How “security” can mean “step aside” How “equal” got a small print page And “justice” is a mask they wear for rage [Chorus] Because you were simply born in another country They aim that pretty language like a gun, see Paint their hate in the colors of a court room Call it “justice” while they pour you in a dark room Because you were simply born over that line They twist that word till it strangles your life They say “justice,” “peace,” “keeping you safe too” But “justice” is the excuse they use to hurt you (yeah) [Verse 2] They put flags over fear, call it pride, call it faith But the child in the cage only knows it as pain Judge got a robe, but his eyes got steel Reads out a sentence like it ain't even real Newscaster smiles, picks the softest phrase “Necessary force in uncertain days” My mother just stares at the silent screen Sees a boy like me in the smoke and screams How you sleep when your truth got teeth? Every slogan they chant got a body underneath I don't trust any law till it looks me in the eye And calls my birthplace human, not a crime, not a why [Chorus] Because you were simply born in another country They aim that pretty language like a gun, see Paint their hate in the colors of a court room Call it “justice” while they pour you in a dark room Because you were simply born over that line They twist that word till it strangles your life They say “justice,” “peace,” “keeping you safe too” But “justice” is the excuse they use to hurt you [Bridge] So I spit for the ones stamped “wrong place” For the names they erase, for the lost face If their “justice” needs someone to bleed through Then I'm guilty of asking what it means to be you (hey) [Chorus] Because you were simply born in another country They aim that pretty language like a gun, see Paint their hate in the colors of a court room Call it “justice” while they pour you in a dark room Because you were simply born over that line I swear one day that word will be kind Till then, every verse, every breath I push through Is justice for the ones they chose to hurt too

rap, Moody boom-bap with detuned piano loop, dusty drums, and deep sub. Male vocals, close and conversational in the verses, lifted with doubled hooks and subtle harmonies. Energy builds from a quiet, haunted first verse into an anthemic, defiant chorus, with drops on key punchlines and a low choir pad swelling under the last hook., country

Borderline Justice