Rolling Dice Dominoes

Prologue

Streetlights hazy in the cactus dew

Dreams tangled up in agave blue

My cousins raise bottles, laugh at sky-high hopes

Vatos down the block rolling dice, swapping coats

Raised on salsa, told to savor what’s spicy

Ponchos in the breeze, grinding - never dicey

From the gutter, I spit — mouth silver and sand

Mama’s tamales, tequila in hand

Low-rider bass shakes the old alley scene

Leather boots muddy, but my thoughts stay clean

Papers as thin as my patience, I puff till I grin

Barrio hymns, let the new verse begin

Intro

Headlights flicker, southbound miles

Got a pocket full of dreams and files

miles

Got a pocket full of dreams and files

Verse 1

Two words

Dropped like stones, cut bone-deep

My mama's voice in my mind, never sleep

Front porch peeling, paint chips in the wind

Rain mixing with the heat, humid skin

Downtown drifters

Gold teeth, slow speech

My city don’t blink, it just breathes

Moonlight cut corners, I duck in the shade

Muddy sneakers slappin' slow on shattered pavement

Raised by the loud crowd, always too proud

Money talks, but it ain't too loud

I run, never looking

Never lost, just booking

Chasing chi in the night, crooked

Chorus

Tell me where you go when the road gets cold

Tell me why I stay when it hurts my soul

I got scars on scars

Still riding with my squad

Tell me where you go when the road gets cold

Tell me why I stay when it hurts my soul

Post-Chorus

Ooh, still here

Ooh, still here

Ooh, still here

Never disappear

Verse 2

Sunday sunrise

Tires on gravel, wild grin wide

Dreams drag, but my hunger drives

Mama’s old car, war stories in the dash

Laugh lines, every memory stashed

Still got fake gold round my wrist

But I shine every day that I exist

Boys on the corner, plotting, never plan

I walk past, sneakerprints in the sand

Three times I fell

Three old scars, stitched well

Three more miles till I rebel

Stop, start, repeat

This city spits, but I don’t retreat

Chorus

Tell me where you go when the road gets cold

Tell me why I stay when it hurts my soul

I got scars on scars

Still riding with my squad

Tell me where you go when the road gets cold

Tell me why I stay when it hurts my soul

Post-Chorus

Ooh, still here

Ooh, still here

Ooh, still here

Never disappear

Bridge

Run slow

Sometimes, even heroes hide

Run slow

Sometimes, even strong hearts cry

Swear I keep moving, I won’t lie

Hope in my back pocket, that’s why

Chorus

Tell me where you go when the road gets cold

Tell me why I stay when it hurts my soul

I got scars on scars

Still riding with my squad

Tell me where you go when the road gets cold

Tell me why I stay when it hurts my soul

Post-Chorus

Ooh, still here

Ooh, still here

Ooh, still here

Never disappear