Sometimes I wonder if the water remembers

All the faces it watched disappear...

Mama lit candles by the kitchen light

Prayin’ I’d come home and not another fight

Gunshots echo, that’s the lullaby

Sirens sing over babies cry

I used to dream of a safer block

Where doors ain’t locked and the clocks don’t stop

But time froze when my brother went away

Now his name's on the wall where the memories stay

I talk to shadows that walk with me

They know the struggle, the hustle, the heat

Every move’s a gamble, every step a bet

But the dice roll heavy when you’re swimmin’ in debt

I’m just tryna find peace, but it's hard to breathe

In a city where hope’s as rare as belief

But even in the dark, I still find the spark

Even when I’m lost, I’m still playin’ my part

I ain't tryna be a statistic

I ain't tryna be just another name

But they teach you early in this game

To survive, you gotta learn how to fight through the pain

Ashes in the lake, washed away with the rain

Everything we lose, everything we gain

I walk through the fire, but I’m still intact

Every step I take, I’m pullin' myself back

Ashes in the lake, but I still see the light

I’m chasin' tomorrow, but I’m fightin’ tonight

Every scar on my soul, every crack in the ground

I’ll be here forever, won’t let it bring me down

You can see it in the eyes, the pain’s deep-set

But you can’t hide from the struggle you ain’t met

Lost friends, lost time, but I keep pressin’

Every day’s a blessing, but it’s hard to learn the lesson

I’m out here tryna chase what’s left of me

Can’t let the ghosts bury me beneath the streets

I put my trust in these beats and these bars

I wear my heart on my sleeve, battle scars

I ain't tryna be a statistic

I ain't tryna be just another name

But they teach you early in this game

To survive, you gotta learn how to fight through the pain

Ashes in the lake, washed away with the rain

Everything we lose, everything we gain

I walk through the fire, but I’m still intact

Every step I take, I’m pullin' myself back

Ashes in the lake, but I still see the light

I’m chasin' tomorrow, but I’m fightin’ tonight

Every scar on my soul, every crack in the ground

I’ll be here forever, won’t let it bring me down

They say the city don’t forgive, but I’m not here for forgiveness.

I’m here to learn, to grow, to make it out, even if it’s one step at a time.

'Cause in the end, it’s not the streets that define me.

It’s the fight in my heart.

Ashes in the lake, washed away with the rain

Everything we lose, everything we gain

I walk through the fire, but I’m still intact

Every step I take, I’m pullin' myself back

Ashes in the lake, but I still see the light

I’m chasin' tomorrow, but I’m fightin’ tonight

Every scar on my soul, every crack in the ground

I’ll be here forever, won’t let it bring me down

Ashes in the lake... but we still rise.

Keep walkin’, keep fightin’, we still alive.