Hook
You only live once, then they bury you deep
That means you’ve got one purpose to carry and keep
When it’s all said and done, you and your Maker will meet
You should be the one who God made you to be
See, I’ll live once, then they’ll bury me deep
That means I’ve got one purpose to carry and keep
When it’s all said and done, me and my Maker will meet
I have to be the man who God made me to be—there is no plan B
Verse 1
Man born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble
Though imbued with grace, it seems all we do is struggle
What do we produce from the fruit of our days, this too subtle
Conundrums of the hum drum leaves few with hope so
Some like they ain’t borrowing time
Those living lives by design are growing harder to find
The Architect is divine, few partner with the Most High
They prefer the corporate ladder, knowing it’s an arduous climb
It is appointed once to die, then comes the judgment
By the sweat of our time we’ve won our sustenance
We waste days away chasing what isn’t substantive
Forgetting today is a gift that will never come again
We can’t see the forest for the trees and because of it
We branch after leaving, then get stuck out on a limb
We coexist in the foliage until it plants within our view
We were searching in the branches for what appears in the roots
(This is true)
Hook
You only live once, then they bury you deep
That means you’ve got one purpose to carry and keep
When it’s all said and done, you and your Maker will meet
You should be the one who God made you to be
See, I’ll live once, then they’ll bury me deep
That means I’ve got one purpose to carry and keep
When it’s all said and done, me and my Maker will meet
I have to be the man who God made me to be—there is no plan B
Verse 2
As the economy teetered on the brink of collapse
By God’s sovereignty, I was eating off the fat of the calf
I never thought that job would slink out of my grasp
But within a blink, I was packing up boxes and bags
And within weeks of that
The lad who took the job I once had
He and I, we just so happened to cross paths
Hesitantly we exchanged pleasantries
It was awkward, so we decided leave and just let it be
That’s the moment I began seeing in them severing me
They were setting me free
Because the longer I sat in that office and stewed
The more it became a coffin with a view
For the sake of making a living, I begun to forsake that I was living
It’s the very thing men put in boxes often will do
I had to choose
Whether I could afford the luxury of the drudgery that was crushing me
Or follow God into this other thing
When the average pay of its salary wasn’t paying back Sallie Mae
And simultaneously filling the crying mouths of babes
It’s a predicament hundreds of thousands face
But I decided to follow God, and step out on faith
Hook
You only live once, then they bury you deep
That means you’ve got one purpose to carry and keep
When it’s all said and done, you and your Maker will meet
You should be the one who God made you to be
See, I’ll live once, then they’ll bury me deep
That means I’ve got one purpose to carry and keep
When it’s all said and done, me and my Maker will meet
I have to be the man who God made me to be—there is no plan B
Verse 3
Each morning, God’s mercies are new
These dawnings are perfect to use for what we’re purposed to do
To keep breathing is costing the interest of the purchase to accrue
And forming an accounting of what we’ve worked to produce
As we are coming of age each phase wonders and amaze
But we must learn a way in which we may number our days
Because the days are long, but the years are short
And the conclusion of what we are doing is to fear the Lord
Life is simple; we complicate it
We must live this life as God created
And that goes against how we’re indoctrinated
Because odds are what we posit is often tainted
Please believe while I’m breathing I am seeking a better way
To ensure what I do carries weight when I am buried in the grave
And I can stare into my Maker’s face
And therein hear Him say, “Well done faithful servant, your blessing awaits”
But the world of course wants a metamorphosis to happen
And have me conform to the norms of the images they crafted
I mean, my Momma said she sees Obama in me
The streets see El Hajj Malik
Hip-Hop wants some Common in me
Possibly some Nastradamus in me
And I love all the complimenting, honest indeed
But being me is the most God honoring thing
I have to be the man God made me to be
