[Names used as placeholders: Mia (child), Jace (child), Sarah (their mom), Diane (my mom). Please confirm or provide preferred names.]
[Intro]
Young & Hustlin' — feel the heartbeat, boom-bap in the back
Two kids, one ring, a thousand little tracks
[Verse 1]
Alarm at six, sippy cup puddle by the door,
Diaper bag on my shoulder, keys in hand, out the floor.
Cold coffee in a travel cup, lunchbox zip half-closed,
Two tiny faces in the rearview—daylight still loads.
Crayons on the couch, a crooked sun taped to the frame,
PTA notes on the fridge, somebody's written my name.
Laundry in a mountain, bills lined like marching rain,
Married young, vows on paper, learning how to balance pain.
[Pre-Chorus]
We move in the margins, hustle in-between the lines,
Whispers after bedtime, mapping out the climbs.
[Chorus]
Young and hustlin', Mia and Jace on my mind,
Sarah by my side, steady through the grind,
We grind, we rise, keepin' time.
Young and hustlin', Mia and Jace on my mind,
Sarah by my side, steady through the grind,
We grind, we rise, keepin' time.
[Verse 2]
Diapers in the backseat, gold crayon on the seat,
Dreams folded in my wallet next to last week's receipt.
Mia took her first step on the sun-warmed kitchen tile,
Jace blew out his candle — the room froze for a while.
Sarah wiped the frosting from the corner of his grin,
Late dinners, secret smiles, the way she brings us in.
Phone lights up—Diane on the line with steady hands,
Old stories like armor, giving me better plans.
[Pre-Chorus]
Late-night negotiations with life and with fate,
Hold on to each other, we ain't losin' faith.
[Chorus]
Young and hustlin', Mia and Jace on my mind,
Sarah by my side, steady through the grind,
We grind, we rise, keepin' time.
Young and hustlin', Mia and Jace on my mind,
Sarah by my side, steady through the grind,
We grind, we rise, keepin' time.
[Rap Breakdown — 12 bars]
1. 6AM sippy cup, cereal trails on the floor,
2. Overtime blinkin', dreams scribbled on the door.
3. Stickers on the calendar, doctor's note in a drawer,
4. Diane on the hotline droppin' wisdom from the core.
5. Side gigs after bedtime, beats spun on my phone,
6. Rock-a-bye rhymes while the neighborhood dozes home.
7. Crayon constellations pinned to the fridge's heart,
8. Mia's crooked grin, Jace runs circles 'round the park.
9. Paychecks like postcards, postage due in the mail,
10. We stitch quiet hours into their sunrise tale.
11. PTA by daylight, verses by moonlight's sign,
12. Young and hustlin' — steady hands, steady grind.
[Bridge]
There was a night I stared at the ceiling, counting small defeats,
Coin jars half-empty, soles worn thin on these streets.
Then little fingers curled 'round mine and pulled me back home,
Their breath the metronome; I learned I wasn't alone.
Diane hummed an old lullaby that sounded like a map,
Reminded me of battered hope that never folded, never snapped.
Sacrifice is heavy, love carries heavier loads,
I'd trade a thousand yesterdays to pave their roads.
[Chor
