Verdant Vines

[Verse 1]
Old neighborhood corners, they hold the truest pacts,
Not gilded towers where loyalty retracts.
The crumbling stoop remembers, the fire escape still knows,
Who shared the last plantain, watched my ambition grow.

[Chorus]
These verdant vines, they wrapped around my core,
While others withered, vanished, wanting something more.
Now the skyline glitters, a neon luminescence,
But only real foundations built this resilience.

[Verse 2]
When my blueprints were just sketches, under Washington Heights' streetlights,
You saw the steel in my spirit, through those long, hungry nights.
Now every opening act gets a front-row seat,
These fragile facades crumble, chasing the victory sweet.

[Chorus]
These verdant vines, they wrapped around my core,
While others withered, vanished, wanting something more.
Now the skyline glitters, a neon luminescence,
But only real foundations built this resilience.

[Bridge]
The city's hum, a low, persistent thrum,
Whispers the names of those who truly have come.
It's an urban pulse, a bedrock, showing who stuck with us,
Distilling the ephemeral, separating the dust.

[Outro]
Foundations laid, loyalty made clear, yeah.