Punchlines on the Block

[Intro] Right then, blink and you miss it, urban chess with a blingy twist Dark corners, neon drip, I’m narrating the risk list Grimy boots on cold stairs, clock ticks like a snare London fog, and the shadows got stories to share [Verse 1] I’m dicing with the night, gliding through sirens’ lullabies Track suit poetry, I spit truth, not surprise Hood battlements crumble as I trade in the grime Laugh at the danger, still I count every dime Masks on the faces of the folks in the queue A caricature of fear, with a hint of mischief too Snitches in the wind, talk like they know the score But I wrote the script with a pen that bleeds folklore [Pre-Chorus] Grit in my teeth, wit like a dagger’s edge Reality warped in a satirical pledge We bend the truth till it shouts in the night Dark humor flickers, a lamp in the fight [Chorus] Welcome to the block where the punchlines land I’m laughing with the clock, steady hand on the brand If life’s a hustle, I’m selling it slick Hyperbolic tales with a pragmatic kick [Verse 2] Torque of the wheels, chrome teeth in the street’s grin I’ve seen corners fold like a cheap tin tin Code of the alley, written in scorch and ash We swap a curse for a joke, then dash Pavement mirrors show a hundred cracked ways To ghost a problem with a witty blaze Irony sharp as a blade in a velvet glove We survive on punchlines and a stubborn shove [Pre-Chorus] Tongues wag like pigeons, gossip as currency Barbed wit trades in the currency of urgency We paint the portrait with a satirical sigh Street philosophy under a noir sky [Chorus] Welcome to the block where the punchlines land I’m laughing with the clock, steady hand on the brand If life’s a hustle, I’m selling it slick Hyperbolic tales with a pragmatic kick [Bridge] Dark humor, bright scars, we call it resilience The joke lands hard but the truth has brilliance We bluff at the thunder, grin at the rain In the echo of sirens, we chant through the pain [Chorus] Welcome to the block where the punchlines land I’m laughing with the clock, steady hand on the brand If life’s a hustle, I’m selling it slick Hyperbolic tales with a pragmatic kick [Outro] Clock fades to grey, but the punchline stays bright We write our maps in the smoke of the night Cut the irony loose, let the dawn resketch Reality’s gritty, but the grin stays fetch