| Time to take it back to the basics
|
| Blank canvas
|
| Wipe the chalk off the board
|
| Go and clap the erasers
|
| Be your authentic self and do the things that you haven’t practised in ages
|
| Boy, it’s time to embrace the changes
|
| But I know that you wanna take it back to the days when
|
| They didn’t even know what your name is
|
| But nowadays nothing comes before music, he actually craves this
|
| And if you know him, and I mean actually know him
|
| Then you know that it’s nothing but facts in his statements
|
| Caught writing bars in the stock room one too many times
|
| Sacked on the day shift
|
| And he was on the crappiest wages
|
| But it was enough to get by
|
| Ironic how he’s bagging up food to suppress the hunger
|
| Pain’s back on the pavements
|
| Middle finger to the scene 'cause he doesn’t ever really give a crap for his
|
| status
|
| Hibernation season so it’s back to the basement
|
| For the young boy who needs to deploy his emotions and actually face this
|
| The sound as the ink transfers to the pad was his only distraction in ages
|
| Hopefully he could be the change in a place with a couple backward arrangements
|
| So let me ask you a question
|
| Think hard what the answer could be
|
| Was this story about him?
|
| Or was this story about me?
|
| What you know about his struggle?
|
| What you know about his pain?
|
| This is the game of life
|
| But is he tryna win that game?
|
| Nah
|
| Does he really wanna live?
|
| I’ll swap the I for an O and ask
|
| 'Cause you know that we can’t sell love
|
| What you know about tryna give your heart?
|
| What you know about tryna benefit from the benefit money?
|
| You don’t wanna leave your bed in no hurry
|
| When your mum thinks «Lord, let my son rise»
|
| But those days never turned out sunny
|
| Tryna find light when I wake in the dark
|
| He stepped out of the yard, went back in a hurry
|
| 'Cause he left his nank on the side and if them man catch him it won’t be funny
|
| Do you know what it’s like?
|
| Tryna fight hunger with sleep
|
| It feels like the floor’s gone from underneath
|
| Constantly fall but never reach the knees
|
| And all he’s got is his word but know that’s something he don’t wanna eat
|
| Now he’s holding his belly with the type of pain that won’t pass with a
|
| peppermint tea
|
| Do you know what it’s tryna hide behind the mask?
|
| To not show your true feelings, same mask that we wear in the dark
|
| So let me ask you a question
|
| Think hard what the answer could be
|
| Was that story about him?
|
| Or was that story about me?
|
| Look, I don’t know but either way
|
| One thing is for certain — tomorrow’s never guaranteed
|
| One sec, let me freeze the frame
|
| Give thanks that I breathe today
|
| No time like now, let me elevate this
|
| I’m so focused on my piece of cake
|
| My school teachers told me I’d never make it
|
| So I smoke weed to relieve the pain
|
| Face isolation, separated, if he ever went class then he’d misbehave
|
| Academically uneducated, but not once did he need the grades
|
| Now he’s picking up keys of grade
|
| And breaking all them keys to Zs, then breaking all the Zs to eighths
|
| 'Cause he’s graduated the streets way
|
| My biggest fear is snakes
|
| And I’m not talking about the ones kept in a tank
|
| I’m talking about the ones you call «bro»
|
| That said they’d never leave and they’d have your back
|
| But they weren’t there, got stabbed in the back
|
| You weren’t even safe in your home fam
|
| So don’t tell me «get with the program»
|
| When I could get stabbed on the way to the shop for a coke can
|
| We tried to steal more time
|
| So we jacked from the road yutes
|
| Your whole life been a low move
|
| So when you need help who do you go to?
|
| I heard you go through what you go through and that’s how you’re supposed to
|
| So stop saying you’re being slept on
|
| You ain’t entitled, nobody owes you |