King of His Will

Lyrics

Intro
By the corner store, the whole block went still,
He stepped out at noon with a walk and a will.

Verse 1
Short shorts, white socks, keys on a chain,
Sun on his shoulders, no coat, no shame.
He crossed by the hydrant, slow as a threat,
Like the sidewalk owed him a cigarette.
Mrs. Bell drew her curtain, then drew it back,
Young DeShawn swallowed his joke mid-laugh.
A dog stopped barking, a cab rolled by,
Nobody asked him the question in their eye.

Chorus
He walks that block like he owns every stone,
Bare-kneed boss with a kingdom of his own.
Nobody says a word, nobody dares,
Danger in the silence, danger in the stare.
Short shorts, long reach, cold parade,
The whole neighborhood gives him room to shade.

Verse 2
At the bodega, the bell gave a nervous ring,
He bought one banana like a conquering king.
The clerk said, “Good afternoon,” voice smooth and small,
He nodded once; that was plenty for all.
A kid on a bike had a comment prepared,
Saw the man turn around and forgot what he dared.
He strutted past stoops where the tough guys convene,
With the confidence of someone who’d never been seen
In anything else—and that was the twist:
He had a reputation nobody would risk.

Chorus
He walks that block like he owns every stone,
Bare-kneed boss with a kingdom of his own.
Nobody says a word, nobody dares,
Danger in the silence, danger in the stare.
Short shorts, long reach, cold parade,
The whole neighborhood gives him room to shade.

Bridge
No jacket, no warning, no reason supplied,
Just a man and his knees and the street opening wide.
One whispered, “That’s fashion.” One answered, “That’s fear.”
Then the corner went quiet as he disappeared.

Final Chorus
He walks that block like he owns every stone,
Bare-kneed boss with a kingdom of his own.
Nobody says a word, nobody dares,
Danger in the silence, danger in the stare.
Short shorts, long reach, cold parade,
The whole neighborhood gives him room to shade.

Outro
By the corner store, the whole block stayed still.
He went on down the avenue, king of his will.