Gravyn van de Buurt - Borrowed Tongues Lyrics

[Intro]
Words cut deeper than blades in the schoolyard
My tongue twisted between worlds, trying hard
Three languages living inside of my head
But none of them working when fear spreads

[Verse 1]
They mocked my accent like it was a disease
Marcus stepped up, told 'em "Back up, please"
Street slang flowing from his lips like gold
Teaching me survival stories never told
Mixing Dutch with English on these concrete blocks
While they laughing at the way my native language talks
But M showed me how to wear it like a crown
"F*ck their standards, keep your head up, never down"

[Chorus]
Language is my weapon, language is my shield
Switching codes like channels, this is how we deal
Lost in translation but I'm finding my way
Through these streets where words have too much to say
Through these streets where words have too much to say

[Verse 2]
Remember when we used to battle in the rain?
You'd spit bars in Dutch while I'd maintain
Sranan Tongo flowing through my veins
But you moved away, left me here with these pains
Now I'm stuck between these linguistic walls
Missing how we used to break down all these walls
Your voice echoes in my memory still
Like a ghost in every playground, every drill

[Bridge]
Where'd you go, my brother from another tongue?
The lessons that you taught me when we were young
Still guide me through these streets of babylon
Your words protect me when the day is done

[Verse 3]
Now I'm spitting fire in three different ways
Code-switching through these cold and lonely days
Each accent tells a story of its own
About a kid who never felt at home
Until you showed me how to make it right
Turn my difference into power, into light
Now I wear these languages like battle scars
Proud marks of where I'm from and who we are

[Outro]
Words cut deeper than blades in the schoolyard
But now they heal me, every syllable, every scar