[Intro]
(Ad-libs: Yeah, uh, balmy streets)
Balmy nights, neon sweat on my coat, listen—
We came from nothin', turned ash to anthems
(Yeah, let's go)
[Verse 1]
Two-block jump, Bentley idles by the stoop, cash in a paper sack
Corner kid turned kingpin, learned to dodge a crooked track
They talked cataclysm—sirens, glass—used to be my soundtrack
Now it’s mufflers and motels, hustles graduated to fat stacks
Giddy with the scrape, grin when the ledger plays right
Elated at the close, we count daylight like a fight night
Luxuriant tastes but my hands still smell of grime
Concrete roses, gold chains—contrast in every line
They wanted me to kowtow, cuff my pride and fold
Ignominy whispered my name, tried to chill my soul cold
But I flipped the script, defray the dues, pay the way
Half-rhyme, hard climb, two steps forward every day
(Ad-lib: Woo, cash talk)
[Pre-Chorus]
No farce in my story, no clowning in these scars
We chop paper into paper planes, fly past the radar
Balmy on the block while the cold tries to spar
We laugh—fight the cataclysm, pocket stars
[Chorus]
Balmy streets, no farce
Cataclysm behind, future’s ours
Balmy streets (balmy streets), we ride, we charge
Balmy streets—tagline, repeat—make it loud, make it large
(Ad-libs: Balmy! Balmy!)
[Verse 2]
Had a rival on the corner—name was Cruz, cheap suit, cheaper talk
Thought he’d stage a farce, put a price on honest walk
We slid through the alley, contract sealed in a rusted glove
Turned his plot to payola, now my summer glows like love
Defray the losses—paid the lawyer, paid the crew, we paid the way
Every paper trail a story—made the wolves see payday
I don’t kowtow to kings that never earned a crown
I take the field, fumble fear, run it back, win it now
Giddy at the ticker when the scoreboard flips green
Elated—teeth to the sky, shining past the scene
Ignominy belongs to yesterday’s cheap lore
We rewrite names in marble where the sirens sang before
Luxuriant tables, velvet ropes, room with a view
But I never forget the gutter where my brother drew
(Ad-lib: Aye! We did it)
[Bridge]
Absolve me from these chains, now I bring the heat
(Ad-libs: Free me, free me—bring the fire)
No more shackles on my verse, no bowin’ when they meet
We made the ledger sing, turned losses into beats
Defray the scars with gold, stitch the hood with new streets
Call-and-response: "You good?" — "I’m good."
(Call: "You done?" — Reply: "We won.")
[Chorus]
Balmy streets, no farce
Cataclysm behind, future’s ours
Balmy streets (balmy streets), we ride, we charge
Balmy streets—repeat the tag—stamp the mark, take the barge
(Ad-libs: Balmy! Balmy! Repeat!)
[Outro]
Scene: corner light flickers, kids pass the story on
We left the ignominy at dusk, broke the night, now the dawn
Luxuriant moments earned through grit, not a circus of lies
We stay balmy, stay sharp, watch our empire rise
(Ad-libs: Uh, yeah—balmy streets!)
[Tag / Final Line]
Balmy streets—no farce, cataclysm behind, future’s ours
(Ad-libs fade: Balmy... yeah)
