Wake up, city ain't sleepin', dreams we chasin
Sleepin' on cots, but our thoughts are in palatial spaces
Dirty sneakers, got 'em slidin' through the pavement
Life a movie script, we edit, ain't no erasin

Old heads preachin', tryna give us old wisdom
Young bucks wildin', lost in the system
Block's a jungle, and the fiends steady beastin
Couple dreams die while the big dogs feastin
Headphones on, drownin' out the struggle
Beats hit hard, but we dodge life's knuckles
Lyrics like bullets, loaded for the tussle
Pen to paper, our only muscle, no scuffle
Corner store cyphers, stories in the cipher
Every broken heart, lit like a loose lighter
Dodgin' all the sirens, city symphony hyper
Life on the wire, but we tightrope riders
Pockets empty, but our souls overflowin
Vortex of the grind, but we keep it flowin
Eyes on riches, but reality's a slowin
Still we climb that ladder, despite it all snowin
Night's cold, but the block's still lit
Streetlights flicker, dreams never quit
Scuffed up kicks, we hustle through the grit
Rap's our escape, life's ultimate spit