[Verse 1]
He ain’t never seen no changes - no new opportunities
Ideas stay contagious but still his worth is hard to see
Spent his life bein’ told he’s gonna do great things
But he’ll prolly grow old, never really find his wings
Maybe they ain’t wrong - he’s got some gifts for sure
But a brain don’t make him strong, good job ain’t got worth
Without some struggle to show him the way through his life
Without some hunger to keep him goin’ through strife
Look I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout the wages or all these metal cages
Protectin’ him from the rages of the dangers
They just leadin’ him to some majors
If y’all was makin’ wagers he’s comin’ back the next day
Just makin’ different observations
Never seein’ any changes
Man I gotta think his life would get old
More than ever when the days get cold, and he’s told
He’s doin’ good - but all he’s seein’ is that house down the road
Not supposed to worry about them - that ain’t his part of this world
Nah, they keep him busy at home
Doin’ work to get marked up, smart stuff on his phone
But he never hears a new tone, nobody asks him what’s wrong
No problems here last long, less it’s who brad tried to bone
That’s not acceptable here
But promoting the fear of people different than them?
How many years has that dude spent on the edge of the road
Askin’ for two dozen cents out the millions he owns
Him and his white picket fence
They thought they worked the game, made their world the best for his kids
But they just stopped the change, made their world the next for his kids
He’ll get his house in the suburbs, keep away from the world
Of all them inner city clubbers and hungry little girls
They’ll never see the potential in life without their money
Won’t have any friends who’ll jump in the whip, hit the town, and chase some honeys
The eventful man is running he sees that the game is won
He knows eventually he gon’ have some homies till his life is done
[Verse 2]
But he’s still ain’t never seen no changes - this world is so cold
Life never rearranges - “we’re doin better” he’s told
He looks out his bedroom window, then back down at the floor
Turns and looks through one room, and he can see the front door
Wakin’ up every day, sees the skies are grey
And he’s cold, crossin’ the block, wishin’ winter would go away
Later that day, find’s everybody’s gone
So he sits awake and wonders what’s takin’ mama so long
And while he’s there on his bed, feelin’ so much dread in his head
He wonders why it’s so easy for everyone to get fed
Except him, and his friends, and everybody like them
“I’m ok,” his mama says, but she’s working herself dead
There’s never really the question in the back of his mind
Where is he goin’ in life, where to dedicate his time
But with his brothers he works hard to find
A meaning in the struggle a reading in the bible, they’re leaning on the bubble
Of an uncertain future
Always lookin’ for somethin’ new, lurkin’ behind
Admirin’ the lives of the chosen few
Workin’ every day to secure his next dime
He’s tryin’ to stay strong even though he cries sometimes
This is the life of a kid with lots of opportunity
Comin’ up from so low, so much room to succeed
But when I listen to his story, it ain’t easy to read
And who am I to tell it? I have everything I need
I can sit here and wonder why I was born where I was
Easy for me to be pissed that I’ll never have the life he does
I mean what do I say to him if I ever succeed
Yeah, I came from the top, but you should still respect me?
Oh sure, yeah, try that, godspeed
But my stress will never compare to livin’ on the street
You could say my life is hard, I might live most of it alone
But my story should stay hidden when there’s people without a home
