Pinky Swear Paid in Full

Lyrics

Ten years old on the stoop with my little brother
Told him I'm gonna make it, gonna buy our mother
A house with a yard and a kitchen with a view
Pinky swear on the curb, said I'd see it through
Sneakers held with tape and a notebook full of rhymes
Told the whole block I'd be somebody in time
Mama working doubles, her feet tired and sore
I said one day, Ma, you won't work anymore

Years went by like cars on the avenue
Never lost the promise, kept it right in view

Pinky swear paid in full
Kept my word, kept it all
From the stoop to the door of the house on the hill
Pinky swear paid in full
Every late night, every fall
Promise kept, and I'm still standing tall

Eighteen, nineteen, bagging groceries at night
Writing bars on receipts under fluorescent light
Rejection letters stacked like bricks in a wall
But the pinky in my pocket never let me fall
Studio on credit, mic from a pawn shop shelf
Mama said have faith, then have some faith in yourself
Brother on the beat with a laptop and a dream
Two kids from the east side, building a team

Years went by like cars on the avenue
Never lost the promise, kept it right in view

Pinky swear paid in full
Kept my word, kept it all
From the stoop to the door of the house on the hill
Pinky swear paid in full
Every late night, every fall
Promise kept, and I'm still standing tall

Now I'm pulling in the driveway with the keys in my hand
Mama on the porch, she can barely stand
For the tears and the joy and the years that we spent
She said I never doubted you, every dollar, every cent
Brother's got the grill, and the neighbors came through
Little kids on the stoop looking up at me too
I tell them make a promise, then work it like a vow
Small hands, big dreams, you can do it now

Some promises are heavy, some are light as air
But keeping them is how we show we care
Hold your word like a hand in the dark
Every promise kept leaves a bright, bright mark

Pinky swear paid in full
Kept my word, kept it all
From the stoop to the door of the house on the hill
Pinky swear paid in full
Every late night, every fall
Promise kept, and I'm still standing tall

Pinky swear, paid in full
Mama, I kept it all