Solid Ground

Intro

Yeah

From the land of the palm trees and shadowed eaves

Where the breeze smells like ocean water and exhaust fumes

It’s a marathon, not a sprint

But the ground is moving

Listen

Verse 1

Sun rises like a warning over the 110

Counting blessings, ghosts of all my kin again

Beautiful and brutal, paradox in the paint

Murals of the martyrs make a sinner look like a saint

Walking lines thinner than edge of a razor

Avoid the gaze of blue lights, the blazer

Concrete got a memory, it soaks up heat

Records every heartbeat that stops on the street

Raised in the "no-fly" zones, clipped wings, all

Learning navigation, rise before the fall

Corner store, sanctuary — alley is a trap

Longitude of hope, I trace it on the map

But that map rewritten by those in towers

We trying to water all these concrete flowers

Chorus

It’s the asphalt tide, pull you under deep

City of dreamers, hustle never sleeps

Climbing up the mountain, see the other side

Pocket full of struggle, heart full of pride

Obstacles tall, long shadows drawn

Turning every weakness into something strong

Verse 2

Check the optics

It’s more than scrambling for bread

Mental gymnastics, wrestling things left unsaid

Paranoia follows, shadow creeps stride

Wonder if the homie’s one to trust with my side

Youngsters staring rim-deep, eyes on gold

Soul’s the only thing never to be sold

System’s a circuit, keeps us locked in the loop

Jumping through fire, land inside the hoop

Lost brothers to pavement, sisters to the wires

Scream their names out, hope the world hears

Rents rise up, ceiling still so low

Trying to plant gardens where nothing will grow

Product of the pressure, diamond in the dust

Finding out survival isn’t enough

Bridge

They want the culture, they don’t want the cost

They count up profit, we count up what we lost

But you can’t bury what’s born to rise

Look them in the eyes

Look them in the eyes

Verse 3

Lace up tight, head to the blue sky

Refuse to be another silent statistic, "why"

Obstacles boulders, I’m water on stone

Carving a path I can finally call my own

From porch to podium, journey is proof

Reclaiming every moment they stole from my youth

West Coast underground, rooted in the soil

Blood, sweat, and tears turning grit into oil

Keep the lamp lit, vision forever clear

Only thing left to fear is the ghost of fear

Outro

Yeah

Keep eyes on horizon

Tide comes in, tide drifts out

Still standing, solid ground

Always