Scars of Youth

[Intro] [Verse 1] Mama spun a web of shadows in my head, Said Dad was a monster, left her bruised and begging for breath. They split before I turned one, no memories to keep, But Stepdad One filled the silence with secrets he’d reap. Fists for lullabies, sister’s tears hit the floor, Forced me to play his sick games with the girl next door. He’d b**t me bloody, then whisper, “Don’t tell a soul,” A childhood sold for a devil’s toll. [Chorus] Scars of youth, etched in bone and bruise, Welfare lines, food stamps, hand-me-down shoes. Thirteen years old, scrubbing walls just to prove I could wear my own pride, not the pain that I knew. [Verse 2] California sun burned through the cracks in our door, Mama said, “Want new jeans? Go work, don’t be poor.” So I painted apartments, dust in my lungs, Sweat for a dollar, while kids laughed and hung. The ghetto don’t care if your skin’s pale or blue, Jumped at the bus stop, shot at, stabbed—just for being you. [Bridge] B***d on the pavement, hate in their eyes, Taught me the world’s just a mask for goodbyes. But I’ll stitch every wound into armor tonight, Survivor’s the title they’ll never rewrite. [Chorus] Scars of youth, etched in bone and bruise, Welfare lines, food stamps, hand-me-down shoes. Thirteen years old, scrubbing walls just to prove I could wear my own pride, not the pain that I knew. [Outro]