Broken Silk

[Verse 1] I wake up counting coins like they’re commandments on a sink, Got a fridge light doing stand-up, got a paycheck on the brink, Want a life with linen curtains, clean-cut shoes and better luck, But the rent arrives like thunder saying, “Boy, you’re still stuck.” Can’t decide what hurts me harder, bread or pride or both at once, Got enough for instant coffee, not enough for proper lunch, And my socks got holes like old dreams, letting winter bite right through, While some golden child just wrecked a third black Bentley by the pool. [Dry drums and muted bass, spoken ad-libs in the background] [Pre-Chorus] Yeah, I’m laughing so I don’t go feral, Cheap cologne and survival apparel, Every cracked little plan still carries A flame that the cold can’t bury. [Background choir hums low, tension rising] [Chorus] I wanna live good, not rich in a rumor, Not fake for the feed, not numb with the humor, I want full plates, fresh air, clean sheets, Money for the sandwich and a couple new sneaks. But the world goes slick, all glitter, all guilt, One kid breaks a Bentley like it’s nothing he built, And I’m out here patching daylight, stitch by stitch, brick by brick, Trying to live like a king on a budget that’s sick. [Full band opens up, gang vocals on the last two lines] [Verse 2] There’s a kingdom in the shop window, tailored in a silver gleam, But my wallet starts stuttering every time I dare to dream, I want mornings without panic, want a ride that doesn’t cough, Want to buy what I came for without putting something back off. Got that noble working-class poetry, tragicomic, razor-clean, Making dinners out of effort, seasoning the lack between, And the news keeps serving caviar to people born with padded falls, While we’re choosing socks or supper under flickering hallway walls. [Electric guitar answers each line with sharp stabs] [Pre-Chorus] Still I walk like I own the pavement, Even broke, there’s a pulse, there’s a statement, Every no plants a nerve in the marrow, Every narrow escape makes me narrower. [Choir builds, snare starts rolling] [Chorus] I wanna live good, not rich in a rumor, Not fake for the feed, not numb with the humor, I want full plates, fresh air, clean sheets, Money for the sandwich and a couple new sneaks. But the world goes slick, all glitter, all guilt, One kid breaks a Bentley like it’s nothing he built, And I’m out here patching daylight, stitch by stitch, brick by brick, Trying to live like a king on a budget that’s sick. [Wider harmonies, heavier drums] [Bridge] I don’t need a palace dipped in vanity gold, Just a door that shuts soft when the night gets cold, A table with enough on it, a coat that fits right, And a little less war in the bones every night. Let the high-born crash chrome, let them drown in excess, I’ve got hunger with a heartbeat, I’ve got grime with finesse, And the fire in the poor is a dangerous art, Makes an empire out of scraps and a drum out of heart. [Half-time groove, guitar solo cuts through] [Choir chants “Live good, live good” behind the lead] [Verse 3] So I’m done asking nicely for a merciful break, I’ve been faithful to the hustle, now I’m wide awake, Every blister is a blueprint, every slight a live wire, Every joke about my struggle only feeds the choir. Yeah, I want a better living, and I’ll say it with my chest, Not ashamed to crave abundance when you’ve starved with all the rest, Let the princes total Bentleys, let the headlines call it youth, I’ll be building something honest out of hunger, nerve, and truth. [Drums hit harder, bass turns aggressive] [Final Chorus] I wanna live good, not bow to illusion, Not die in the queue of polite exclusion, I want warm bread, long nights, no fear, Cash for the sandwich and the socks this year. Yeah, the world goes slick, all glitter, all guilt, One fool breaks a Bentley that his daddy probably built, But I’m still here forging thunder, kick by kick, riff by riff, Trying to turn bare survival into something rich. [Full choir enters] [Big guitar lead over the final refrain] [Last chord rings out with crowd-style chants]