BEN Album Lyrics by Macklemore

---

CHANT

They told me that I vanished
They told me that I had it
They told me that I'm gone
I told them, "Don't panic"
When you've done it this long
And you've seen magic
And you know it won't kill you
Even when the whole world doubts it
This is my moment
They can't take my talent
They can't take my stripes
They can't erase my hours
I'm from the underground, anything above ground is a mountain
I'm done tryna impress anybody but the heavens where I'm headed
You don't get to hold onto your flowers
I am in my zone, eyes on the throne
20K deep, better pull out your phones
Turnin' the arena to believers every time I hit the ceiling
Ain't nobody ever touchin' my show
Look at where we started, look at where we got to
Almost OD'd that night in the hospital
Wasn't gonna die, more life in the arsenal
Got another shot to pull off the impossible

There's no need to cry for me
I'm a fighter, fighter
You can't take my voice from me
I will rise up, rise up
So what are you waiting for?
I ain't ready to die yet
The pain is where faith is born
Are you alive yet? Are you alive yet?
Are you alive?

On my grave, what quote will be etched in?
Never played the game to be a contestant
Never joined the league to ride benches
The wins hit different when they don't expect it
Yeah, and they they ain't gotta like me
Got my own Nikes, no Nike ID
And I ain't tryin' to stunt, man
But my logo went over the Jumpman
I remember all I had was a bus pass
Sellin' CDs to make a couple of bucks back
And now I'm up in meetings, and you better believe me
Now that we got the arena, the sonics makin' a come back
I'm not a businessman, I got children, man
I treat my city like it is my fam
'Til the residency gets a buildin' man
Think I'm playin' 'bout mayor, but that is my plan
You know what fifty thousand feels like
When you question, "Is this real life?"
The money doesn't buy happiness, that's facts
'Til you take what you made and decide to give it back like that

There's no need to cry for me
I'm a fighter, fighter
You can't take my voice from me
I will rise up, rise up
So what are you waiting for?
I ain't ready to die yet
The pain is where faith is born
Are you alive yet? Are you alive yet?
Are you alive?

I was supposed to be a one hit ringer
Now I got too many rings and not enough fingers
Keep doing my thing, they keep chasin' the wave
Thinking that they're gonna be the one to outpace age
I must got Mick Jagger DNA
Rolling Stone bags, pre-check, no TSA
I'll be seventy-eight, SM58 in my face
Like, "Who wants to go next?" Nobody's touching my stage
Their heads trippin' like a B-Boy head spinnin'
I bench press the industry and I deadlift it
It's been written, I've been runnin', it's been a minute
Been done it, I bet you a hundred that I've been winnin'
The Benz tinted, it's been vintage, yeah, Ben did it
The crib I live in is like Ben Stiller's
An evening at my house, a night at the museum
Trophies, plaques all over and the view's decent
At the end of the day it's like, "Who needs it?"
Play on, player, I gotta keep competin'
Keep dreamin', won't settle for shit
It isn't sport, it's my life, run the championship, I'm gone

There's no need to cry for me
I'm a fighter, fighter
You can't take my voice from me
I will rise up, rise up
So what are you waiting for?
I ain't ready to die yet
The pain is where faith is born
Are you alive yet? Are you alive yet?
Are you alive?
Are you alive?
Are you alive?

---

NO BAD DAYS

No bad days, yeah

I think that I'm lucky, I don't got it made
Everything I got could fit inside a suitcase, yeah
They could try to make me quit, yeah
Stay in your lane, you ain't on my road trip and
It's kind of funny, people throwing shade
I'm just doing me, I don't got no bad days, yeah
They could try to make me quit, yeah
Stay in your lane, yeah, we off that bullshit

Top back, '85, that's the way we like to drive
Doing donuts all the neighbors know us, yeah, we outside
Look alive, the freaks of the city, they come out at night
F*ck a line, Fab Five Freddy, 1989

Time to show off
I'm so Warhol
So sophisticated
Life is bitching, baby
Velvet rope, I'm ducking
Looking regal when I come in
And the peacoat, it's so London
I'll be leaving with the duchess, ah
New city, f*ck it up (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Here for one night, stay a month (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Spent my whole life on a bus (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Show time, run it up

Nobody wanna say, "Goodbye"
We just wanna stay up, that's right
Don't gotta say, "Goodnight"
If you never wake up (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I think that I'm lucky, I don't got it made
Everything I got could fit inside a suitcase, yeah
They could try to make me quit, yeah
Stay in your lane, you ain't on my road trip and
It's kind of funny, people throwing shade
I'm just doing me, I don't got no bad days, yeah
They could try to make me quit, yeah
Stay in your lane, yeah, we off that bullshit

Truck stop, gas station, always up to something
Highway 99 and we getting money
Desk job, cubical, nah, it wasn't for me
Rather crash and burn, go hella hard and live to tell my story
Bon fires
Running around the woods, you know we pulling all nighters
And I'm a dreamer with my people, bunch of songwriters
Oh yeah, we up now, sun down
Karaoke singing oldies out at some lounge

Nobody wanna say, "Goodbye"
We just wanna stay up, that's right
Don't gotta say, "Goodnight"
If you never wake up (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I think that I'm lucky, I don't got it made
Everything I got could fit inside a suitcase, yeah
They could try to make me quit, yeah
Stay in your lane, you ain't on my road trip and
It's kind of funny, people throwing shade
I'm just doing me, I don't got no bad days, yeah
They could try to make me quit, yeah
Stay in your lane, yeah, we off that bullshit

Wee-oh
Wee-oh
Wee-oh
Wee-oh (ah)

---

1984

Standing in line (standing in line)
As we wait outside (waiting outside)
The rush, the high
The dance floor's open waiting for us to collide
We are king, we are queen (we are king, we are queen)
We are living a dream (living a dream)
This is not what it seems
This is ours for the taking
You are the lady for me

And we've seen it all before
Sweat falls down to the floor
Tonight, I'm all yours
Let's live like it's 1984

Baby, give me the green light
Don't you break my heart
Your love is a freeway
I wanna ride it to the stars
I wanna do this forever
You dancing in my arms
Always be yours
Just me and you on the floor
Like it's 1984

Pretty woman in a white dress (oh-oh)
Feel like I'm drowning, need a life vest (oh-oh)
Overdramatic, overreactive, nah, nah
You make me manic, you make me panic
And I said, "Big hair, don't care"
Dance like nobody else here, hell yeah

You're mine tonight
Heaven in those eyes
We won't die
Let the DJ guide the night

And we've seen it all before
Sweat falls down to the floor
Tonight I'm all yours
Let's live like it's 1984

Baby, give me the green light
Don't you break my heart
Your love is a freeway
I wanna ride it to the stars
I wanna do this forever
You dancing in my arms
Always be yours
Just me and you on the floor
Like it's 1984
Like it's 1984
Like it's 1984

Fire burning in my soul (oh-oh)
I don't want to be alone tonight (oh-oh)
Meet me in the sky
I wanna take you home
Or anywhere you want to go tonight
We're running out of time
1984

Baby, give me the green light
Don't you break my heart
Your love is a freeway
I wanna ride it to the stars
I wanna do this forever
You dancing in my arms
Always be yours
Just me and you on the floor
Like it's 1984
Like it's 1984
Like it's 1984

---

MANIAC

I don't wanna dance with a maniac
'Cause the moment we touch, it's a heart attack
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah
I could give a damn, you're a maniac
And you're talkin' like a killer, got me on my back
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah

I fell in love with her moonwalk
Dancin' in the kitchen in her tube socks
I shoulda saw the signs, but refused, dawg
How am I supposed to ever move on?
Why is this so complicated? You said that you didn't love me
Said you workin' on yourself, you ain't been to therapy since 2020
Somethin' isn't right, see it in your eyes
Always give advice, never takin' mine
When I say goodnight, I'm thinkin'

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
You get on my nerves, I'm a foo-ooh-ooh-ooh
You better reimburse all the things you do-ooh-ooh
Put me in a hearse, we both coo-coo, coo-coo
It's never gonna work

I don't wanna dance with a maniac
'Cause the moment we touch, it's a heart attack
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah
I could give a damn, you're a maniac
And you're talkin' like a killer, got me on my back
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah

I think we need some space, I think we need a break
I think I need to move, I think this isn't safe
Why the hell you follow me to Walmart?
Gotta know everythin', you ain't Nardwuar
Dress up on Friday nights, turn up 'til Sunday mornin'
I'm mister-probably-right, ignoring all the warnings
I shouldn't wanna kick it, too many red flags
I knew you were problematic, 'cause all of your exes are mad
Somehow, I'm back in your arms, told you, "Get back in my car"
I know you don't really love me, you deserve actin' awards
As long as the night is young, go crazy, I got your back
I'll be posted by the jukebox watchin' you dance
Thinkin'

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
You get on my nerves, I'm a foo-ooh-ooh-ooh
You better reimburse all the things you do-ooh-ooh
Keep me down to Earth, we're both coo-coo, coo-coo
But somehow it works (let's go)

I don't wanna dance with a maniac
'Cause the moment we touch, it's a heart attack
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah
I could give a damn, you're a maniac
And you're talkin' like a killer, got me on my back
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah

I don't wanna dance with a maniac
'Cause the moment we touch, it's a heart attack
You know I love you, honey, but you got me runnin', yeah

---

DAY YOU DIE

If you knew the day that you would die
Pack your bags and tell your friends one last goodbye
Would you give up all the blame?
Would you f*ck and fight the same?
If you knew the day that you would die

I made some mistakes, some mistakes, yeah, f*ck it
Those ones made me great, made me great when I kicked the bucket, yeah
Know I might be late, might be late, but I'm comin'
Walk through Heaven's gate with a tux like, "What's uppers?"
I was left feelin' unusual
They gon' have some stories at my funeral
Never got accepted into music school
But look what I did with music, fool, ayy
We all gon' die, all gon' die, left some ripples in the tide
I had a pit bull in my mind and I trained him over time
Take off the f*ckin' leash and go and walk around outside
And realize nothing's permanent 'cept birth and death and find some gratitude
Between the two of them, a Gemini, two sides
Cadillac two-tone hearse pulls me down I-5
God callin' me home, I can't leave nothing behind
Life one hell of a ride, we ain't gettin' out alive

If you knew the day that you would die
Pack your bags and tell your friends one last goodbye
Would you give up all the blame?
Would you f*ck and fight the same?
If you knew the day that you would die

Bright lights, big city dreams
Sunglasses at night, I'ma wear them to sleep
Climb the high rocks, hang from the scaffolding
If I fall, then I fall, f*ck it, they'll remember me
I got thirty thousand steps 'til my death ('til my death)
Less than twenty thousand breaths in me left (in me left)
And if this the last night that I get (that I get)
Then I already spent my regrets (no regrets)
Run that motherf*ckin' tab, tell the teller fill the bag
F*ck a mask, I'ma throw all of this cash on the ave
Get my Mercedes keys, put 'em in a stranger's hands
Whisper to him, "Live fast and enjoy it while you can"
This is now, screamin' from my lungs, you can hear my howl
Taste the blood drippin' off my tongue, yeah, it's goin' down
Headed up, loved ones only got a couple hours
To the world, bon voyage, say my vows and I'm out like

If you knew the day that you would die
Pack your bags and tell your friends one last goodbye
Would you give up all the blame?
Would you f*ck and fight the same?
If you knew the day that you would die

---

HEROES

Alright, alright
Nah, nah

When I grew up, criminals were my heroes
The beanie from New Jersey drive over my earlobes
From jump it was always f*ck cops and the bureau
Mixing Casper, Herald Hunton and De Niro
Now I'm with my kids and we watchin' Olaf
And I'm like, "Damn, I used to wanna be like O-Dog"
Tuck the deuce, deuce under the goose, boostin' y'all
Couple screws loose, cashier turns, poof, I'm gone
Seven, I heard NWA in the street
from my older neighbor who was payin', "F*ck Da Police"
'Leven writin' graffiti, fifteen, I'm sellin' weed
By sixteen, I had an MPC
(It was Hip Hop's fault) that I wanted to grow up
Sell drugs, smoke blunts, drink Mad Dog and f*ck
Wanted a windbreaker and some Eastbay kicks
Wanted the perm like DJ Quik
My mama said, "Ben, are you aware your hair is way too thin"
But in my mind I was junior high, Iceberg Slim
Feelin' fine, gettin' high, spendin' time with a bitch
Takin' Heineken sips, this as live as it gets, shit
But me, man, I wanted to be a vandal
Wanted to kick it with the people livin' in the bando
On Third and James by the fountain where they panhandle
Runnin' from the cops, pullin' scandals, those were my heroes

Pick up the mic, put your money where your mouth is
Doin' petty crimes, back in the days
Too much OE, tipsy off the whiskey
Pick up the-the-the-the mic, the-the-the mic
Put your money where your mouth is
Doin' petty crimes, back in the days (drinkin', smokin')
My clique is too great

Back in the days, hit the boulevard on Broadway
Before the downtown turned to a big All Saints
I was rollin' 'round with the forty ounce of malt drink
Posted up in front of the 7-Eleven all day
My heroes didn't look like yours
My heroes didn't look yours, nah, nah
They didn't work a 9 to 5, they worked a 5 to 4
Wake up at three and recordin' more
See my heroes died of overdoses, rider for the culture
Mind tied to psychosis, all the lies of show biz
My heroes shot dope and inhaled blow in their noses
Got locked up, got out and did some more shit
I got the Devil in me and a bunch of Henny with me
And we f*ck up any city, heavy hittin' any innings
Steal the pancakes off your pate and then I'm robbin' you at Denny's
And the Plymouth that is tinted and the Sherman's got me spinnin'
You don't want it with this, put the truck in his ribs
We don't fight fair, f*ck that, we jump in, get our licks
Reds and whites flash, do the dash, hop the fence
Wake up, smoke a bunt, hit the park and do it again for my heroes

Pick up the mic, put your money where your mouth is
Doin' petty crimes, back in the days
Too much OE, tipsy off the whiskey
Pick up, pick up, pick up the mic
Put your money where your mouth is
Doin' petty crimes, back in the days (drinkin', smokin')
My clique is too great

---

GRIME

Ah, nah-nah
Ah, nah-nah

Well, I'm an alleycat, some say, "A dirty rat"
On my side, is my gat, but I'm lyin' 'bout that
Still bumpin' Buckshot
Trench coat, all in matte black
Hat with the curls bangin' right out the back
Facts, I dive in
Open eyelids, f*ck a silence
Big pharma, rest in piss, and get the Heisman
Look in my iris, see the trips where I been
Anti pill bottle, pro psilocybin
Still buyin' bootleg Gucci from China
Donate most but still throw it on consignment
Red carpet, Jeff Goldblum's behind us
And they ain't got a clue that these ain't real diamonds

Don't turn me back to the old me
Backpack, rappin' and battlin' back in Oly
I was studyin' the Carter one right after '03
Marinara, brick oven on the terrace, with the goat cheese
You flatbread from Panera, don't approach me
Coasting
David Blaine on that beat, floating
OGs, don't make a mothaf*cker OD
That outfit, that's a "No" for me
If you gonna to do drugs, I can suggest some
But I wouldn't spend that much of your money on Codeine
I ain't judgin', enjoy your life
But that shit is killin' people and it's overpriced
Hit the club, get the bag
Man, I know that's right
But let me teach you youngbloods how to hold the mic, I'm older, right?
Never had a poltergeist and still slap a rapper like a white Dolemite, ah

I black out, stage dive right into the crowd
I never tap out, and I ain't workin' for a f*cking suit, so don't ask now
That's why I always speak my mind and never back down
Since Pac was behind Shock, up in the background
Shh, shh, shh, watch the cops
Started to rap because I cannot pop and lock
Went from sellin' Nicks in a knot in my sock
To sellin' out arenas where the Knicks throw up shots

Goddamn, that's a hell of a come up
European festival money, that's a hell of a summer
I remember they were sayin' I'd be a one-hit wonder
Forty platinum later, boy, they were wrong 'bout the number, nah-nah
I'm so focused, the pen is so potent
The beachfront look like I own the whole ocean
Pull up in that, skrrt skrrt, the door opens
The mink coat, draggin' on the floor, I ain't even notice
These rappers so emotive
Grown men emoji
Face cryin' all on their socials
And I ain't hatin', I guess I'm just old school
We suppress feelings and scrapped right after homeroom
Old gold, OJ, and some cold shrooms
20 ounce of Faygo to go with the soul food
Look what I made off of Protools
Still remind pops, "Aw, man, yeah, I told you"

Ooh-wee

---

I NEED

I need two bad bitches and a bag of good weed
Need a 80-inch screen, that's a big TV
I need Addies to stay up, I need Xannies to get sleep
God, give me drugs, all the lean that I can drink

All my haters, suck a dick, rest in peace
And to all the opposition you can come and get me
When I finally do some good, I need everyone to see
But please, I need you to pray for me
Had two whips, put them on gold D's
Saw Lil Baby's, I went and bought three
Can't fly commercial, that shit ain't luxury
I need duffles, duffles, Louis, Gucci, and Balency
I need shoes, shoes, all 23
Fill the closet, buy 'em all and I don't even wear these
I need a necklace, I need watches, I need bezels, I need wallets
Need my diamonds to be flawless, matching no canaries
I need more, more, I'll pay whatever fee
Put me on a billboard, face on every magazine
I want it all, run it up, what the f*ck is wrong with me?
'Cause I got everything and I still ain't happy

I got everything I need
So why am I falling to my knees?
I got racks on me, money ain't a thing
All I really want is to be free
Look at me, I got everything I need

So why am I falling to my knees?
I got racks on me, money ain't a thing
All I really want is to be free
Look at me
Look at me

I need a new hairline, I need better abs
My girl a Burkin bag, then BBL her ass (uh)
All the homies jealous, I can't trust none of 'em
So I cut my day ones off like f*ck it, keep 'em coming
I need all new friends, they gotta be famous
Showing everybody that I really f*cking made it
I need a new girl, she gotta be a model
Or a rapper, or a actor, or a f*cking TikTok-er
But we need to breakup, we need to make it public
I'ma call her a slut, make a track, "F*ck that dumb bitch"
And I need to rent a yacht, need to go to Miami
Move to Calabasas, get a private bowling alley
And I don't even bowl, but I'ma make a statement
F*ck you mean? I'ma to say it
I need to be their favorites
Saw the NBA players and I'm on Obama's playlist
F*ck a top five, f*ck them all, yep, I'm the greatest
I need love, love, I'm making history
I need paparazzi popping pictures every place I be
I want it all, want it all
The American dream
I got everything and I still ain't happy

I got everything I need
So why am I falling to my knees?
I got racks on me, money ain't a thing
All I really want is to be free
Look at me, I got everything I need

So why am I falling to my knees?
I got racks on me, money ain't a thing
All I really want is to be free
Look at me
Look at me

I wanna be seen, I wanna be loved
I wanna be felt, don't wanna be judged
I need some healing 'cause I cannot feel it, so pour up another double cup of mud
I do not know who the hell I am, done so many drugs I lost who I was
Every person I let in my circle is secretly lurking and out for blood
I got forty thousand tucked under my mattress
And a ratchet in case anyone'll figure out the address
Security system in my attic, staring at it
I'm still flexing on the 'Gram just to show 'em that I have it
This the f*cking price of fame
Ain't never going backwards
But none of this is working, where's the purpose in this palace?
Pop a Perc-30, girls twerking, just another purchase
Spiritually sick, I didn't even know I was malnourished
Everything is desolate
Botox my forehead, they can't see how stressed I am
Everything I ever wanted, the trinity
Money, power, respect
In the end were the three things that lead me to death

---

LOST / SUN COMES UP

I wonder what celebrities will tweet, "R.I.P."
When it's announced that I'm dead on TMZ
Bury me with a million likes
And put me in the algorithm like a million times
Across the table from my girl and don't look in her eyes
She's got to compete with me looking at these other lies
Uh oh
What I would trade for the dollar sign
Tag me so I can be happy, get a follow, guys, like and subscribe
I don't need Funk Flex to drop a bomb on this
I need some influencers on TikTok, you bitch
I made a whole ass album, I worked hard on it
Fifteen tracks, we don't last fifteen seconds
We got A.D.D. and if it's passed that, we exit
We just stare at memes, laugh, and we hit the next one
And our self esteem is so messed up and threatened
By other people's means and their perceived successes
The likes ain't hitting like they used to
Texting while I'm driving and I can't connect to Bluetooth
Tell me to engage, post more to get the views, dude
To keep up with the new dudes
You really need a news crew just to trend on YouTube
We're obsessed with our public image
More than staying connected to our f*cking spirit
And if you listen nowadays, you can f*cking hear it
Same drums, same melodies, and f*ck the lyrics

Scroll (scroll)
Refresh (refresh)
Turn it off (yep)
Now do it again
That's the dance now
Scroll (scroll)
Refresh (refresh)
Turn it off (yep)
Now do it again
That's the dance now

Lost, bum bum ba dum bum
Lost, bum bum ba dum bum
Lost, bum bum ba dum bum
Lost, bum bum ba dum bum

Scroll (scroll)
Refresh (refresh)
Turn it off (yep)
Now do it again
That's the dance now
Scroll (scroll)
Refresh (refresh)
Turn it off (yep)
Now do it again
That's the dance now

It's getting darker outside
These insomnia nights
So call me in the morning when the light wakes up
Let me know I'm alright
My million mile an hour mind
Let's my insecurities drive
So call me in the morning when the light wakes up
Let me know I'm alright

Been trying to fill that void
I been trying to purchase joy
I been trying to fill the space inside
Quiet the noise
My friends dying off those opioids
So say a couple Hail Mary's for my friends
The ones reaching for heaven but never got in
I wake up and say a couple prayers under my breath
And then I get on my phone and check all my DMs
Like, what kind of life is this?
Looking up the ladder and I'm wondering how high it is
If I only had this and that I'd be alright again
Social status and all of the power in the fight against
Feeling like my life ain't shit
Looking in the mirror, like, what happened to us?
Got distracted, acting like, maybe I could buy love
The lies the mind weaves as we run through the mud
Thinking that who I am today isn't enough, fill the void

It's getting darker outside
These insomnia nights
So call me in the morning when the light wakes up
Let me know I'm alright
My million mile an hour mind
Let's my insecurities drive
So call me in the morning when the light wakes up
Let me know I'm alright

Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh, I'm alright
Ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh, I'm alright

---

FAITHFUL

Feel like I'm runnin' out of time, know the sun won't shine forever, forever
I got my mind on my money, on my money, man, f*ck it, whatever, whatever
Sometimes I wake up on the wrong side, I don't even feel like gettin' up
But this depression on my brain, hope it change but the rain ain't lettin' up

Can't call it, don't know where my head is
Reflectin' on Malcolm and the shit I thought but never said it
To Peter, Robin, to Kevin
All my other friendships that could have, would have, should have
And then they ended
I isolate between happiness and hopeless
Know it makes it worse, still wanna get loaded
Sometimes I feel like I can't control my choices
And somethin' takes over and I can't turn off the voices
Sittin' with these thoughts, can't escape 'em, can't run
Got some bullets in the dresser as I polish my gun
They sayin' they clean as a day one
But I'm holdin' on, prayin' to a god, abandoned
Zonin' on the couch
Starin' at my daughter, know there's a pill in this house
That I'm obssessin' about poppin'
Reservations talkin', the push and pull of the conscience
Should probably pick up the phone and call my sponsor, but don't wanna
When the Percs don't work, Xannies won't calm me down
Not enough liquor in the bar, weed growin' in the ground
Trapped by these walls where my brain can't get out
Wonderin' if my mom might have to put her son in the ground

We still goin' when the day break
Me and the homies on the same page
Find me in the whip, that's my safe place
Feel like I'm gettin' weak, I need some ayy-ayy
Need someone to pray for my soul right now
Everything's lookin' grey and there's no white clouds (ooh)
I don't know what to say, I got nothin' to write down
On my knees, questionnin' God like, "Why now?"
I'm lost but I'm found again

I'm up all night, I toss and turn
I love my life, I got concerns
I've been through hell, on some FML
It's just as well, I might lose it
I need some light, I need some air
I might be broken I need repair
Don't got the answers, think I'm confused
I asked myself, "Who are you?"

I need you right now Mack' to wake up more than ever
Ain't no more weed, alcohol and poppin' pills, etcetera
I know these days gettin' rough but they get better
It's a cold world, let's go to the Gucci store for a sweater
Feel it deeply in my heart, you need this letter
So I pour my feelings out to you, before I go and mail it (before I mail it)
I don't know what I'm sensin' but I could smell it
When you write me back, just tell it, I'ma soak it up, inhale it (inhale it)
Heard you got a daughter, well, I got one too
And she too beautiful, barely see her too (see her too)
Do you hug her and tie her shoes?
Is she reflectin' of you and got a smile that bloom? (Bloom)
Before you load that gun and shoot, just know that she be needin' you
The best version of you too (bah)
I would write more but my day about to break
We can meet up face to face, just let me know if this okay

We still goin' when the day break
Me and the homies on the same page
Find me in the whip, that's my safe place (that's my safe place too)
Feel like I'm gettin' weak, I need some ayy-ayy (I need some ayy-ayy)
Need someone to pray for my soul right now
Everything's lookin' grey and there's no white clouds
I don't know what to say, I got nothin' to write down (nothin' to write down too)
On my knees, questionnin' God like, "Why now?" (Why?)
I'm lost but I'm found again

---

TEARS

It's like
I met you at my parent's house when I was fourteen
Seen you my whole life but never got to meet
You'd always post in the kitchen
I knew the shelf you lived in
Above where the fridge is, but we never kicked it
Finally I decided to pull you down
Had Pac in the background, pulled the shot glasses out
Grabbed you by your neck even though we just met
Held you close, felt the fire burn my throat
Warmth like the Holy Ghost

I remember thinking, "Is this real life?"
I had two and wondered what four more would feel like
Predisposed to having an obsession
Codependent before we even had a friendship
Had a dozen of you, already loved you, I couldn't stop
Got on the metro stumbling to 3rd and Pine block
Hit the Micky D's, puked all over the restaurant
Our first date was already running from the cops, like

I ride with you, lie for you
My tried and true, love I never knew, uh
It kills me to think of a life without you
But sometimes I wonder if you want me to die too

In high school our relationship was abusive
Addicted to being together, couldn't control my usage
We pass out together on a stranger's lawn
Woke up in a random car, too gone to make it to my own prom
But I had to have you even though we'd pass out in bathrooms
Take a month off to show myself
I know myself, don't need no help
Forget the pain, pouring rain
Brown bag full of guilt and shame

Mistress controlling my head
Getting arrested, not remembering anything that I said
And I knew then that I should've left
And I could see that if I didn't leave
You'd lead me to death but

I ride with you, lie for you
My tried and true, love I never knew, uh
It kills me to think of a life without you
But sometimes I wonder if you want me to die too

Bitch, you killed my uncle, you're f*cking trouble
Socially acceptable and oh, so subtle
You ruined my life and I f*cking loved you
Promised relief and left me with a rusty shovel
And some busted rubble
Pieces of my life that you destroyed was once freedom and joy
Was now depression, being unemployed
And I knew I had to change it and face it
And checked into rehab
And twenty-eight days later I remembered who I really was
I remembered where I'm really from
I remembered the beauty of the present moment
That you only get when you connect to the Creator
And the breath inside the chest that fully fills your lungs
I found the people with the same allergy
And what I thought was love was really just my disease
I always thought the problem was you and couldn't believe
When I learned that the whole time my issue was me

I ride with you, lie for you
My tried and true, love I never knew, uh
It kills me to think of a life without you
But sometimes I wonder if you want me to die too

I ride with you, lie for you
My tried and true, love I never knew
It kills me to think of a life without you
But sometimes I wonder if you want me to die too

---

SORRY

It's too late to get the past back
But I'm stuck in the sandtraps
And I thought that I was past that
My eyelids live in a flashback
And I can't heal your trauma
I even said sorry to your mama
But am I the type
The type of man that I want for my daughters?

Don't lose me now
Hold my hand like the first time outside my house
When life was just a couple miles
Me and you, the world was ours
I never meant to steal your smile
Fill your heart with fear and doubt
I rerun those empty vows
I play the tape and I watch for hours

I won't give up on you
If you won't give up on we
I can't live without you
I hope that you feel the same about me

And I feel lost, I feel safe, all at once
And I'm so tired, feel so angry at the world
Oh-oh, do the best I can and when I mess it up
I say, "I'm sorry"
Oh-oh, when I lose control and make you feel so bad
I say, "I'm sorry"

I made a list of all the reasons why I think that you should stay
And at the top I said, "I promise I'll get better someday," yeah
But all these Sundays turn to Mondays
Empty promises grow cold
And what if someday turns to one day
You get sick of me and go?

I won't give up on you
If you won't give up on we
I can't live without you
I hope that you feel the same about me

And I feel lost, I feel safe, all at once
And I'm so tired, feel so angry at the world
Oh-oh, do the best I can and when I mess it up
I say, "I'm sorry"
Oh-oh, when I lose control and make you feel so bad
I say, "I'm sorry"

Oh-oh, do the best I can and when I mess it up
I say, "I'm sorry"
Oh-oh, when I lose control and make you feel so bad
I say, "I'm sorry"

---

GOD'S WILL

Never turn my back on my birthplace
Leave it to my city, making sure that the dirt's straight
Leave my kids just enough 'cause I'll fail them the worst way
If I raised some rich spoiled white girls in the first place, yeah
Leave a legacy, one worth remembering
In my robe, looking out on Rome, on the Mezzanine, like
Why creators are the last ones with some equity?
Put myself in a position to pass it to my people
And that's why I'm never settling, more capital than Beverly
Before my grandma died, she saw me on Jeopardy
Still think PJs are too expensive
Still don't make music with people I ain't friends with
Still f*ck the industry, and no, I don't mess with
People that my mama wouldn't want to have for breakfast
That's right
The suits, the streams, the snakes, the schemes, the steady
Pursuit of paper over truth and dreams
Loyal to my soil, never change the oil
Kept the motor running, kept my foot up on the gas
And push to start the button
Everything I thought I always wanted, everything it wasn't
Never know that God is everything until you lose sight of Him, yeah
Never know that God is everything until you lose sight of Him

Said it's written on my face, I can't play it off
I got so much on my plate, I can't shake it off
But I'm built for this, I'm built for this
I been staying in my lane, keep my head down
I was losing my faith, but I'm blessed now
God told me, "You built for this"
I know I'm built for this

You weren't supposed to die here
You were supposed to fly here
Look what you built off your imagination
Could've never imagined the places you would've been taken because your ideas
This is in your veins, like where the IV is
My mama's Dodge minivan became my own at sixteen
Before sixteen ever got you a phone
Maybe when I was thirteen, twelve, eleven, who knows
But I was in the back of that motherf*cker writing my poems
On shrooms with the busted boombox
Thinking that this special brew and beater, I was Tupac, nah
If I could go back and give that motherf*cker advice
I'd say it was already written, boy
Keep living your life
Put everything you got into your truth
That instrument you carry around, that is a tool
The most precious one you'll ever have
There's no shortcuts in the craft
Because the craft is actually just a path to discover you
It can get you pussy, respect, money, fame and
They love to call it, "the game," but please do not get it confused
'Cause that's just the temptation that God is gonna put in front of your face
To see how bad you really want the jewel
And you don't run this shit, these are God's words
And when you catch the Holy Spirit, thank God first
Kill the ego, kill the need to keep on pleasing people
Self-centeredness and self-will isn't how God works
We only here for a blink and it's gone
So, what you gonna do with the ink you use in your songs?
Regardless of your deal, or the label that you're on
When you die, the Universe already owns them all

That's God's will
It's all God's will

---

I KNOW

I know, my mama always told me I should drive slow
But I been bending corners with my eyes closed
Feel like I been sleeping on a tightrope
But it's my time though
Run that back again, I would throw it away
One-way ticket, I'ma go M.I.A.
Ain't no bottle big enough to hold all this pain
The world's gonna know my name

They told me don't spend too much time looking back
Stare at the future too long the present's what you're looking past
Mistakes can be hard to face in that looking glass
But I wouldn't be who I am if I took them back, nah
Just a kid in the back of the bus in his headphones
Tryna crack at a bad one and not get left off in the friend zone
Put my name at the top in Helvetica where the letterhead goes
I'm rounding third and finally got that go ahead to head home
This is Grandma's cornbread flow
When the album's finished, I'm taking the fam to Venice
And I ain't going to Club Med though
I'm not well read, no quoting Shakespeare off the head
But the mouthpieces always trend and a little more Detroit red though
The talk, Pellegrino, Arrowhead, no
All my dawgs with me like I bought some stock in Petco
Off the leash, all their bark is cheap
I finally cut the strings
I didn't wanna have to dance and sing and answer to Geppetto
Life's too short, whether I like it or not
I don't exist in the dimensions they put 'round my box
Just me, myself, a ceiling, a couple of thoughts
No one on their deathbed regrets the things that they should've bought
The greatest resource is time and you can't buy back the clock
You can't rewind the tape and dub over the things I've watched
Only a matter of time before they pass the rock, give me a shot
I promised my mama I'ma to show the world what I got, like

I know, my mama always told me I should drive slow
But I been bending corners with my eyes closed
Feel like I been sleeping on a tightrope
But it's my time though
Run that back again, I would throw it away
One-way ticket, I'ma go M.I.A.
Ain't no bottle big enough to hold all this pain
The world's gonna know my name

---

TAIL LIGHTS

I see a fork in the road
I don't know what path I'm taking
But my compass is broke
And I don't know if I'ma make it
Yee, yee

Told a lot of lies, pushed the love aside
Tried to drive away, but my hands are tied
Never giving up, always stay and fight for me

I been driving this road
I been driving this road
Uh huh, fork in the middle, got two choices to go
Give the kids a kiss for me if I don't make it home
When I was growing up, we didn't have a diagnosis
We just kept taking more to get the serotonin
Got older and all of my homies overdosing, and therapy
Wasn't an option to process our emotions
Mama always said, "What you afraid of, boy?"
"Everything's good, you got angels, boy"
"Closed mouths go hungry, better raise your voice"
God-sized hole, no replacing the void
We create out of chaos, the music is a seance
The land that our ancestors' grave's on
My favorite artists are my two little girls
I see freedom first-hand in what they make with their crayons
The light, it was always on glow
And when I was lost I was on the right road
Tail lights ahead as I drive slow
Just a right turn then I find my way home

I see a fork in the road
I don't know what path I'm taking
But my compass is broke
And I don't know if I'm going to make it
Yee, yee

Told a lot of lies, pushed the love aside
Tried to drive away, but my hands are tied
Never giving up, always stay and fight for me
I'll follow your tail lights
To wherever they may lead
I'll follow your tail lights
I'll try and match your speed

Virgil said that when you make it to the penthouse
It's your duty to send the elevator back down
Somewhere along the highway I got lost
And I realized God was ahead of me all along
My mind on my business, grind my only mission
Most High, the messenger wasn't quiet enough to listen
My time was occupied, when even dining with my children
It's like me, myself, and I, and I lost sight of the vision
On borrowed time, living in extra innings
Industry survives, I'm glorifying the millions
The playlists and the streams, the album bundles and tees
But they cannot manufacture what resides in the spirit
The Phantom ain't enough if you don't remember all of the countless rides in the Civic
The moments of failure that proceeded this
Not giving a f*ck about other people's perception
That's what freedom is and that's what I'ma to teach my kids
Any moment, peace is available
You just gotta remember to breathe it in
And finally I can breathe again
Anyway, man, I'ma to roll the dice
God got the wheel regardless of where I go in life

I know tonight, it was always on glow
And when I was lost, I was on the right road
Tail lights ahead as I drive slow
Just a right turn then I find my way home

I see a fork in the road
I don't know what path I'm taking
But my compass is broke
And I don't know if I'ma to make it
Yee, yee

Told a lot of lies, pushed the love aside
Tried to drive away, but my hands are tied
Never giving up, always stay and fight for me

I'll follow your tail lights
To wherever they may lead
I'll follow your tail lights
I'll try and match your speed

I don't use turn signals
Windows tinted, got a perfect view
World's ending, I'ma burn with you
Sun going down gotta turn in soon, oh yeah

Looking in my rear view glass
Learning from the past with a beautiful crash
Write my name in the dust on the dash
It fades, but the memories last

Tail lights
Tail lights
Tail lights