[Verse 1 — Rap]
Balmy night, corner store lights, I count a little pay
Two-dollar dreams, one cleared check, that's how I defray
Mama sewed a jacket with a stitch still holding prayers
Ignominy on the porch, neighbors whispering their stares
Cataclysm in the head but I learned to move past the crash
Farce on the block—laughs turned to echoes of the past
I kept a pocket of hope, coins clinking like a drum
Giddy at the small wins, every step's a kingdom come
Internal rhymes, internal fights, I sharpened up my line
From stained shirts to studio nights, turned pennies into time
I won't kowtow to the noise, won't bow for hollow crowns
This city's hot and humid, but I'm cool in balmy sounds
[Pre-Chorus — Melodic]
Absolve these chains, watch me breathe, watch me fold the page
Roots watered, grown luxuriant, out of soil and out of rage
I defray the debt of doubt, stitch my name into the seam
From backseat whispers to bright stage, from broken to redeemed
[Chorus — R&B Hook] (tight repeatable)
I'm elated — no more ignominy
Won't kowtow — I'm living free
(repeat)
[Verse 2 — Rap]
Night shift hustle, pedal down, studio till dawn
Paper cups, hungry lines, kept my pride on and strong
A kid who heard the farce, now hears the crowd's applause
Giddy with the glitter after nights spent learning laws
I paid the dues, defray the lists, receipts on the fridge
Childhood scars on the sleeve, but I flipped the script, I live
Saw a landlord shake his head the day I signed my name
Turned a cataclysm of doubt into fuel, lit my flame
No more ignominy, I pocket lessons like a map
I move with steady cadence, every setback a comeback
Internal slant rhymes lace the verse like a seam
Concrete details—corner nights, cold coffee, gas-station dreams
[Pre-Chorus — Melodic]
Absolve what they wrote, fold shame into the night
I breathe luxuriant summers in the middle of the fight
Defray the cost of silence, pay in songs and sweat
I won't kowtow to fear — I rise without regret
[Chorus — R&B Hook]
I'm elated — no more ignominy
Won't kowtow — I'm living free
(repeat)
[Bridge — Melodic Ad-libs]
Ooh, ooh—balmy breeze take me higher
Yeah—no more bowing to the fire
Absolve me, absolve me, let the chorus lift me higher
Giddy, giddy—spark the wire
[Rap Tag — Short Verse]
They called it a farce, I wrote the last laugh in the margins
Defray the debts with verses, pay attention to the garden
From ignominy to checks cleared, pockets light but heart heavy
I keep my head in the clouds but my hands on the Chevy
No kowtowing, just owning, I stitch truth into the beat
Balmy nights, brighter lights—watch me move my feet
[Chorus — R&B Hook — Final]
I'm elated — no more ignominy
Won't kowtow — I'm living free
(repeat x2, let ad-libs float over the last repeat)
[Outro — Spoken/Rap Soft]
After the cataclysm I stand, palms open to the sky
Absolve the past, defray the cost, watch my colors fly
This ain't a farce — it's a rise, a story carved in time
Balmy nights, giddy mornings—this glory finally mine
