Hallways & Hustle

Lyrics

[Verse 1] Back when the sneakers had holes in the sole, Walking through the borough with a backpack full of goals. Bronx mornings cold, train rattling the blocks, Teachers ringing bells while the city watched the clocks. Metal detectors by the entrance every day, Learning multiplication while trouble found a way. Sirens in the distance, noise outside the class, Trying to read chapters while the hours moved fast. Some desks were empty, some dreams disappeared, Some kids wore courage that was bigger than their years. Homework under streetlights when the power wasn’t strong, Still showing up each morning like we knew where we belonged. Drugs handed out within the toilet block Fucked up teens die from that cocaine knock Gun totting gangstas no older than sixteen Pull a trigger in class bang! Shit! That kid was fifteen! [Chorus] From the Bronx to Harlem, we were young and we were small, Trying to build a future in the shadows of it all. Books in our hands, heavy weight on our minds, Running races every day that nobody designed. From the Bronx to Harlem, hear the echoes in the halls, Every scar, every lesson written deep inside the walls. It was hard being children with the world moving fast, But we carried tomorrow while we carried our past. [Verse 2] Harlem on the corner where the stories traveled quick, Old heads talk on teaching lessons brick by brick. School bells mixed with music coming out the open stores, Dreaming of a bigger life beyond the neighborhood doors. Some teachers stayed late, gave us more than a grade, Told us we were diamonds even when we were afraid. Some friends fought battles nobody else could see, Still laughed in the cafeteria, still chased being free. Rain on the windows, pencils tapping to the beat, Trying to write futures while history filled the streets. Pressure came early, childhood came fast, Growing up before we ever had the chance to make it last. [Chorus] From the Bronx to Harlem, we were young and we were small, Trying to build a future in the shadows of it all. Books in our hands, heavy weight on our minds, Running races every day that nobody designed. From the Bronx to Harlem, hear the echoes in the halls, Every scar, every lesson written deep inside the walls. It was hard being children with the world moving fast, But we carried tomorrow while we carried our past. [Bridge] Now we look back and the picture gets clear, Strength was being built in every difficult year. Every late train ride, every test, every fear, Turned into a voice that the world could finally hear. [Outro] Bronx raised, Harlem heart, stories written in rhyme, Children carrying burdens that were heavy for the time. But the halls made fighters, and the struggle made art, And the city left its rhythm beating deep in every heart