Legacy of Pain

Don't know what I did to earn these cold eyes on me
Walking through the block like I carry family history
They step aside, heads turn heavy with disgust
Karma ties my name to the dirt, to blood and rust
Grandfather's shadow long, he taught the trade of pain
Mama scrubbed her hands and still the stains remain
Crime ran through the lines like an old, cursed song
But I'm trying to change the chorus, trying to right the wrong
They whisper my last name like it's a loaded gun
Every door stays closed until the daylight's done
I keep my head down, choosing streets that stay clean
Refusing to repeat what I was raised to be

Inherited the struggle, but I'll rewrite the code
Break the chain of sorrow that was passed down the road
They gave me a legacy of pain and broken homes
I'm building something better from these heavy stones

All my cousins ran the path that led to graves
Dreams cut short, buried under shallow waves
Neighbors point fingers, say it's in my blood to fall
But I'm learning how to rise while they obey the call
I hustle in the light, hustle with my honest hands
Plant seeds in the yard where only famine stands
They sold their futures for quick cash and darker nights
Now the block remembers names turned into lights
I feel the weight of years, like chains around my chest
But I pray for freedom, pray my children get the rest
This karma ain't my script, I refuse to play that part
I'm rewriting destiny with every honest heart

Inherited the struggle, but I'll rewrite the code
Break the chain of sorrow that was passed down the road
They gave me a legacy of pain and broken homes
I'm building something better from these heavy stones

Old sins echo loud, but new voices come to heal
I found the strength to quit the gun and pick the wheel
One life to change a thousand, I carry that belief
Turn the curse to covenant, turn grief into relief

Now I teach the kids not to worship the quick sin
Show them how to count their blessings, not the things they never win
I bring food to the table, bring books instead of blows
Open doors that once were bars where frozen sorrow froze
The ghosts of my kin still walk these cracked pavements, true
But I'm living for the ones that never even knew
If blood is a compass, I choose a different way
Trace a new direction where my tomorrow can stay
They say you can't escape the past, I say you can rewrite
One honest step at a time, bring the city back to light

Inherited the struggle, but I'll rewrite the code
Break the chain of sorrow that was passed down the road
They gave me a legacy of pain and broken homes
I'm building something better from these heavy stones

Karma's heavy, names remain, but hope is in my hands
I walk away from what they were, to make new promised lands
From cursed roots to planted seeds, I'll change what I was shown
Break the cycle, heal the block, make this legacy my own