[Intro]
5AM on Maple, cold breath, city lights blink
Clock ticks, last paycheck folded in my jeans — I think
(Yeah) Hear the subway hum, the alley whispers plans
I lace the beat with my heartbeat, steady hands
[Verse 1]
Feet on cracked pavement, sneaker-soles preaching patience
Concrete sermons, corner stoops got faded faces
Last paycheck in my pocket, rent due on the board
Mama said keep faith, Papa said sharpen the sword
I move in multisyllables, salvage a syllable of gold
Pavement to salvation, every step a story told
Grind like gears, gears grind clear, steering through fear
City breathes heavy, but my vision's in high gear
I say hustle with a heart, hustle with a hymn
Turn the static to a symphony when the margins slim
Counting missed calls, burned bridges, half-full jars
Trading small dreams for stadium beams and bigger stars
[Pre-Chorus]
Every scar's a signature, every loss a ledger turned
I learned from the low notes — now watch the chorus burn
[Chorus]
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Rise — yeah!)
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Grind — we go!)
Short and sharp, like a skyline line
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Rise — yeah!)
[Verse 2]
Remember nights under porch lights, ramen and regrets
Two-dollar wisdom, the kind success never forgets
Had a boss say I won't make it, landlord knockin' twice
Doubted me on paper, but I flipped their calculus with vice
Flashback: 11PM at Pinto's, pockets echoin' hollow
Trade dreams for overtime, borrowed hope onto tomorrow
Now I'm mapping routes from Maple to Main and back
Turning setbacks into setlists, pain into plaque
Opponent? Doubt — the quiet type with velvet lies
I answered with a rhyme scheme, watch the phoenix rise
Punchline: called my hunger 'habit' — I made it a habit
Now they sign autographs where they used to slide past it
[Bridge]
Planting names on the marquee, not seedlings in a pot
Put my autograph where the lights never forgot
This ain't just growth — it's a cityscape takeover
From basements to broadcasts, from whispers to the opener
(One breath) I breathe marquee, (two) I breathe loud
I'm carving my dent in the sky, writing my name in cloud
[Chorus - Variation]
I rise, I grind — I own my time (I rise!)
I rise, I grind — I own my time (I grind!)
Call and answer, echo through the night
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Let's ride)
[Breakdown / Rap Ad-Lib]
(Yeah—uh) 95 on the metronome, boom-bap heart, snap the chrome
Space for the bars, let the bass paint the home
(Hey!) Cut the chorus short, let the verse do the heavy
Silence before the last push, streets whisper steady
[Final Chorus]
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Rise — yeah!)
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Grind — we go!)
From 5AM on Maple to marquee lights bright
I rise, I grind — I own my time (Own my time)
[Outro]
Remember the alley that taught me how to speak fire
Remember the nights when doubt was the supplier
Now it's prints on the stage, echoes on the line
I rose, I grinded — now I own my time (I own my time)
