Legacy of Pain lyrics

Don't know what I did to earn these cold eyes on me Walking through the block like I carry family history They step aside, heads turn heavy with disgust Karma ties my name to the dirt, to blood and rust Grandfather's shadow long, he taught the trade of pain Mama scrubbed her hands and still the stains remain Crime ran through the lines like an old, cursed song But I'm trying to change the chorus, trying to right the wrong They whisper my last name like it's a loaded gun Every door stays closed until the daylight's done I keep my head down, choosing streets that stay clean Refusing to repeat what I was raised to be Inherited the struggle, but I'll rewrite the code Break the chain of sorrow that was passed down the road They gave me a legacy of pain and broken homes I'm building something better from these heavy stones All my cousins ran the path that led to graves Dreams cut short, buried under shallow waves Neighbors point fingers, say it's in my blood to fall But I'm learning how to rise while they obey the call I hustle in the light, hustle with my honest hands Plant seeds in the yard where only famine stands They sold their futures for quick cash and darker nights Now the block remembers names turned into lights I feel the weight of years, like chains around my chest But I pray for freedom, pray my children get the rest This karma ain't my script, I refuse to play that part I'm rewriting destiny with every honest heart Inherited the struggle, but I'll rewrite the code Break the chain of sorrow that was passed down the road They gave me a legacy of pain and broken homes I'm building something better from these heavy stones Old sins echo loud, but new voices come to heal I found the strength to quit the gun and pick the wheel One life to change a thousand, I carry that belief Turn the curse to covenant, turn grief into relief Now I teach the kids not to worship the quick sin Show them how to count their blessings, not the things they never win I bring food to the table, bring books instead of blows Open doors that once were bars where frozen sorrow froze The ghosts of my kin still walk these cracked pavements, true But I'm living for the ones that never even knew If blood is a compass, I choose a different way Trace a new direction where my tomorrow can stay They say you can't escape the past, I say you can rewrite One honest step at a time, bring the city back to light Inherited the struggle, but I'll rewrite the code Break the chain of sorrow that was passed down the road They gave me a legacy of pain and broken homes I'm building something better from these heavy stones Karma's heavy, names remain, but hope is in my hands I walk away from what they were, to make new promised lands From cursed roots to planted seeds, I'll change what I was shown Break the cycle, heal the block, make this legacy my own