Hallelujah on the Block

Intro

(yeah) bells ringin', amen, ayy

(Hallelujah) ha, ha, ha

(uh-huh) yuh, yuh

Verse

I paint a manger scene on a sidewalk canvas, chalk and hope, watch me stand less

From block to steeple, every steeple, every single hand blessin' hands, plan, let's expand, yes

A king arrived where the roof wasn't velvet, wrapped in cloth, not couture, not tellin' us to sell it

He traded crown for cradle, fame for frail, traded fortune for a family, love detail, we tell it

I grew up learnin' hustle, winter chill and the double shift, prayers with a rumble

Mama hummed a hymn, we turned the gutters into choirs, turned rumble into rumble of worship

Star over the alley, same light that split the sky for wise-men tides

Guided poor men, rich minds, shepherds watchin' the sheep, now watch the streets' pride

This ain't just a story for books on the mantle, it's a promise on stoops and in cycles

Redemption on replay, Emmanuel in stereo, turn the pain into miracles

I spit gospel with a cadence, like prophets with a beat, prophets with a beat (yeah)

Drop faith in the mix, like vinyl on the decks, let the lost hear what we preach (let 'em hear)

From manger to markets, mercy runs through commerce, forgiveness like a coupon for the confused

He said, "Come as you are," not polished, not posed — come with your bruise

So we gather at midnight with candles and concrete, voices liftin' through the frost

Remindin' every passerby: what was once broken, now is not lost

Skrrt—pull up, bring blankets, bring bread, bring the baby dolls and the prayers

Yuh, the angels came loud, not soft, trumpets in the alleys, hallelujah in layers

Pre-chorus

Hear the carols knockin', pots clank, kids laughin' in the stairwell

Feel the miracle walkin' through the snow with a purpose, like it knows where to dwell (it knows)

Hands up, our hands up, we lift it higher than our rooftops and our fences

Sing it out — every sorrow got a season, every winter finds its mended sentences

Chorus

Hallelujah on the block, hallelujah on the block (hallelujah, hallelujah)

Emmanuel in the spot, Emmanuel in the spot (Em-man-u-el, Em-man-u-el)

Light came down for the lost (light came down), light came down for the lost

Hallelujah on the block, hallelujah on the block

Hallelujah on the block, hallelujah on the block (hallelujah, hallelujah)

Emmanuel in the spot, Emmanuel in the spot (yeah, yeah)

Light came down for the lost (light came down), light came down for the lost

Hallelujah on the block, hallelujah on the block (amen)

Verse

We decorate the stoop with garlands made of testimonies, string the nights with prayer

Neighbors pass casseroles, pass peace, pass the plate, pass down a single chair

Little hands fold in rhythm, big hands open wide, mouths form the same praise

From pew to pavement, every voice becomes a psalm, every step becomes a praise parade

Remember when December meant less hope, more cold? Now w