23

Lyrics

Intro
Yeah
Brum town settings
B23, Erdington
You know what it is

Hook
B23 where the sirens sing lullabies,
Blue lights flash, reflecting in my mother’s eyes,
Erdington raised me, cold nights, gutter skies,
Tryna make a pound while the system scrutinise.
B23, yeah the tension don’t sleep,
Helicopter circlin’ while the whole block creeps,
From Erdington roads where the loyalty’s deep,
But the feds want names every time we speak.

Verse 1
Grew up where the bus routes hum all night,
Concrete playground, youngers chasing fast life,
Corner shop stories, hoodie up, half-light,
Dreams big but the options feel half-sized.

Man said “get a job,” but the bills don’t wait,
Mum stressed out, eviction letters at the gate,
So I stepped in the game, now I’m juggling fate,
One eye on the road, one eye on the estate.

B23 postcode stitched in my chest,
Erdington pride but it’s pain I confess,
Every knock at the door got my heart in my neck,
’Cause the feds want a headline, couldn’t care who’s next.

Stop and search got me late for the train,
Same old questions, tryna put me in a frame,
“Where you been? What’s your name?” like a broken refrain,
Meanwhile I’m just tryna dodge cuffs and shame.

Hook
B23 where the sirens sing lullabies,
Blue lights flash, reflecting in my mother’s eyes,
Erdington raised me, cold nights, gutter skies,
Tryna make a pound while the system scrutinise.
B23, yeah the tension don’t sleep,
Helicopter circlin’ while the whole block creeps,
From Erdington roads where the loyalty’s deep,
But the feds want names every time we speak.

Verse 2
Friends turned ghosts when the cells got cold,
Some man folded, others never told,
Court dates pending, young and feeling old,
Judge looking down like my story’s already sold.

I ain’t glorifying, this life’s got cracks,
Lost too many brothers to the road’s contracts,
Quick cash dreams with the long-term tax,
Now I’m stuck in between tryna cover my tracks.

Every siren sound make my heartbeat race,
Plain clothes lurking, tryna study my face,
B23 stamped on the case file page,
Like Erdington youth just a stat on a page.

But I’m more than a number, more than a tag,
More than a mugshot pic in a clear plastic bag,
I’m a son from Brum with a pen and a pad,
Turning street pain into bars I can brag.

Bridge
Helicopter shadow on the tower block wall,
Youngers on the corner feeling ten feet tall,
Till the cuffs click shut and the empire fall,
Then it’s “free my bro” sprayed across the wall.

Final Hook
B23 where the sirens sing lullabies,
Erdington nights got a thousand untold cries,
Blue lights glow under Midland skies,
Every wrong step got a heavy price.
B23, yeah I carry that name,
From Erdington streets tryna rise from the flame,
It’s more than the hustle, more than the game,
It’s life in Brum — pressure, pride, pain.