Henson to the Pole

Intro

Yo, Matthew Henson, black explorer king

From the blocks to the top of the world, let the story ring

Ayy, let's ride

Verse

Born in Maryland, eighteen sixty-six, orphaned quick

Parents gone by twelve, no time for the tricks

Hit the seas as a cabin boy, Katie Hines ship

Learnin' knots and stars, grippin' life by the grip

Philly streets sharpened him, steel in his spine

Hatchet sharpener gig, but dreams crossed the line

Eighty-eight, Navy Yard, meet Robert Peary

Officer scoutin' talent, see the fire clearly

Nicaragua canal, first joint mission heat

Then Greenland call, nineteen ninety-one beat

Dogsled master, Inuit tongue on lock

Buildin' igloos flawless, never slip on the frost

Huskies obey, skies endless white

Face the freeze, crew breakin', he hold the light

Wordplay with wind, survival his art

Black man leadin' the charge, tearin' maps apart

Ayy, yuh, push through the drift

Chorus

Henson to the Pole, first foot on the freeze

Breakin' chains in the cold, history on his knees

No cap, real trailblazer, name etched in ice

Matthew Henson rise, pay the ultimate price

Henson to the Pole, first foot on the freeze

Breakin' chains in the cold, history on his knees

Yuh!

Verse

Back and forth, expeditions stack like plaques

Ninety-three to ninety-five, Greenland tracks

Ninety-seven push, nineteen-five crash and burn

But Henson rebuild, lessons earned

Ooqueah crew, faithful through the gale

Sleds skrrt on snow, winds howlin' wail

Zero-eight launch, final quest North Pole bound

Crew drop like flies, but he hold it down

April sixth, nineteen-oh-nine, moment supreme

Henson hit first, plant the flag in the dream

Peary catch up, exhausted nod approve

But headlines skip the black man, that's the move

Back home snubbed, workin' customs hall low

Till seventy-seven, Congress finally know

Pioneer plaque on the moon, legacy glow

From slave roots to stars, that's the flow

Ayy, uh-huh, eternal stride

Chorus

Henson to the Pole, first foot on the freeze

Breakin' chains in the cold, history on his knees

No cap, real trailblazer, name etched in ice

Matthew Henson rise, pay the ultimate price

Henson to the Pole, first foot on the freeze

Breakin' chains in the cold, history on his knees

Yuh! Yuh!

Bridge

They tried to erase, but the truth don't bend

Black excellence leadin', from beginnin' to end

(End, end) Echo on the tundra, voice never dim

Henson forever, let the anthem spin

Chorus

Henson to the Pole, first foot on the freeze

Breakin' chains in the cold, history on his knees

No cap, real trailblazer, name etched in ice

Matthew Henson rise, pay the ultimate price

Henson to the Pole (Pole!), first foot on the freeze

Breakin' chains in the cold (cold!), history on his knees

Ayy!

Outro

Yeah, Matthew Henson