Stone & Steel

They tried to sand down the edges, smooth the rough-cut stone,
But every sharp corner, a history I've known.
This wasn't dead weight on my back, it was ballast, my own,
A blueprint of resilience, from the first seed sown.
From Santo Domingo's blocks to these concrete canyons I roam,
The city's low hum, a heartbeat that calls me home.

[Chorus]
This chip on my shoulder, it ain't going nowhere,
It's the concrete that built me, the truth in this air.
Yeah, this chip on my shoulder, the burden I wear,
My foundation's too solid, can't nobody compare.

Remember cracked pavement, the scent of fresh plantain fry?
That same hunger still drives me, reaching for the sky.
They called it a flaw, a fault line in my soul's design,
But every tremor I weathered, made this structure truly mine.
Used to count pennies, now commas in these new lines,
From a corner bodega to these high-rise shrines.

[Chorus]
This chip on my shoulder, it ain't going nowhere,
It's the concrete that built me, the truth in this air.
Yeah, this chip on my shoulder, the burden I wear,
My foundation's too solid, can't nobody compare.

[Bridge]
Sometimes I trace the old scars, through the neon glow,
A ghost of that girl, just learning to grow.
It's the echo of whispers, in the wind's soft current so low,
Reminding me where the strong roots truly go.

[Chorus]
This chip on my shoulder, it ain't going nowhere,
It's the concrete that built me, the truth in this air.
Yeah, this chip on my shoulder, the burden I wear,
My foundation's too solid, can't nobody compare.

[Outro]
Nah, you can't erase it, this strength I hold dear.
This chip on my shoulder, it's why I'm still here.