It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind [Verse 1]

Sirens wailin' everywhere, cops patrollin' with that stare

Folks dodgin' bullets in the air, actin' like they just don't care

Bills stack high, rent overdue, fridge empty, nothin' new

Kids playin' in the trash, dreamin' big but facin' crash

Dealers on the corner slangin', users noddin', barely hangin'

Evictions hit like thunder, families scattered, torn asunder

Tried to hustle for a break, but the system's rigged, no escape

Boss man laughs while you scrape, chasin' checks that always late [Chorus]

Don't test me 'cause I'm teeterin' on the brink

I'm fightin' hard not to sink

Uh-huh, uh-huh It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind [Verse 2]

Hangin' from the fire escape, watchin' dreams evaporate

Old man beggin' for a plate, lost his job, sealed his fate

Lady pushin' carts of cans, used to have big city plans

Now she's whisperin' to ghosts, survivin' on the overpass coast

Went to school but debt's a chain, degrees worthless in the rain

Politicians play their game, pockets lined, we feel the pain

Hospitals turn folks away, no insurance, gotta pay

Streets swallow up the stray, another day, another fray [Chorus]

Don't test me 'cause I'm teeterin' on the brink

I'm fightin' hard not to sink

Uh-huh, uh-huh It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind

It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind [Verse 3]

Sister's workin' double shifts, brother's caught in legal rifts

Says the news is full of myths, twistin' facts with clever shifts

Gentrification rollin' in, pushin' out the next of kin

Sky-high prices, where to begin? Feelin' trapped, can't even win

Youngins droppin' out for dough, slangin' packs to make it grow

Teachers burnt, the system's slow, future's dim, the seeds don't sow

Hear the shots at midnight hour, flowers wilt before they flower

Power's held in ivory towers, leavin' us to scrape and scour [Chorus]

Don't test me 'cause I'm teeterin' on the brink

I'm fightin' hard not to sink It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind

It's like a concrete maze sometimes

It makes me question how I stay above the grind [Outro]

A kid is raised with eyes wide shut

Blind to the traps that cut and gut

Streets whisper lies of easy bucks

But end up chained in steel handcuffs

Live fast, die quick, that's the script

Body bags zipped, another trip

Eyes tell tales of dreams that slipped

In this jungle, gotta get a grip