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1. |
Not Sorry
01:48
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I would probably begin with an apology
If I did not believe in quality over quantity
A lot of fools try to zoom through the odyssey
I'm taking baby steps until I'm steady on my feet
The path zig-zag, I'm walking wobbly
It doesn't bother me; still I can't stand the thought of being
Just another wannabe trying to hit the lottery
So I'm watering roots 'til I can see the fruits blossoming
In all honesty, I'm trying to live responsibly
And do whatever's best para mi familia y mí
So I don't mind the gaps in the chronology
I cherish every minute I'm given; that's all it means
No half-assing, I want to give it all of me
And honor the art form's forefathers properly
Leave behind the toxic ideologies
Peace and equality over violence and misogyny
Proper Channels cut through dead air and static
Raw like Stretch and Bob, clean like Kidd Kraddick
Get up on the stage, applause automatic
But that is not the reason we wreak havoc
We do this 'cause we've had it
These back-stabbing labels ain't respectable
Extract a rapper's cash, slap 'em in the trash receptacle
From the mainstream to the sub-terrestrial
Vultures want to get the dough, and yet they don't respect the culture
Tomfoolery, dead fucking serious
Used to rap for laughs up in school cafeterias
Funny how it happened, now they call your dude a lyricist
Using the music to communicate human experience
But I'm just another story written in the infinite
A piece of the puzzle depicting all existences
A brick in the wall, but we all got gifts to give
Peace, Love, and Rhythm's what I got, y'all, here it is
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2. |
Company Time
04:31
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[Verse 1]
I whistle while I work; never done it different
Even when the customers are jerks, and the money isn't shit,
It's another day, another $7.25 an hour,
Another chunk of time spent trying to figure out how we're gonna pay the rent
Plus the power, plus gas,
Plus Uncle Sam and his buddies trying to fuck me in the ass
Plus food, clothes, medicine, and if I'm lucky, maybe save up a couple bucks just in case of a rainy day
Meanwhile, staying sane, thanks to the games we play
Making funny faces like Damon Wayans in Major Payne
Crumple up a receipt, peep the fadeaway
We make ends meet and still manage to keep the pain away
In the kitchen, cutting up on the line
In the back alley grinning, just busting a rhyme
In the bathroom, shitting on your company time
If I said this wasn't any fun, I must've been lying
Still, the end of the day comes just in time
'Cause all work and no play makes Tommy lose his fucking mind
Pretty simple, ain't nothing to it
Plus the music helps me through it, and it goes a little something like...
[Chorus]
Push through the stress and the grind, and take it one step at a time
Go home, relax, and unwind; just take it one step at a time
Pinch pennies while they nickel and dime, and take it one step at a time
Move forward, never pressing rewind when we take it one step at a time
[Verse 2]
Walking through the waking life, making strides, 'cause the aim is to make it like my dreams
Taking time to appreciate what's nice is the key to alleviate the aches and strife; it seems
Like everyone's an expert on the economy, please!
Direct your lectures to anybody but me
Yeah, I went to college, and I got a degree
Still I'm at the pizza shop, and I'm a father-to-be!
Playing background jazz periodically
To big-wigs and fat cats of the bourgeoisie
For free food, plus some cash, hundred dollars apiece
Not to be rude, but that's a water drop in the sea
That I'm swimming in. Still, living in poverty beats
A nine-to-five in a box like a colony bee
Behind them cubicle walls, I'd always long to be free
No disrespect, it's just not the best option for me
I need the freedom that allows me to practice my craft
So when I go home, I'm home, not just back in the lab
Best believe on deliveries, I'm rapping on tracks
Wrote this whole song at work, as a matter of fact, I just...
[Chorus]
Push through the stress and the grind, and take it one step at a time
Go home, relax, and unwind; just take it one step at a time
Pinch pennies while they nickel and dime, and take it one step at a time
Move forward, never pressing rewind when we take it one step at a time
[Outro thing]
(Take it one step at a time)
Time flies when you're having a blast
Be careful 'cause you might get trapped in the past
The present is a gift, never let it slip away
Tomorrow isn't waiting to become today, we say:
Time flies when you're having a blast
Be careful 'cause you might get trapped in the past
The present is a gift, never let it slip away
Someday never comes, so get it done today
Time flies when you're having a blast
Be careful 'cause you might get trapped in the past
The present is a gift, never let it slip away
Tomorrow isn't waiting to become yesterday
Time flies when you're having a blast
Be careful 'cause you might get trapped in the past
The present is a gift, never let it slip away
Someday never comes, so get that shit done TODAY.
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3. |
Drop in the Bucket
03:06
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I just want to make a difference
I want to be a bright light shining in the night like diamonds in the sky
I want to stand with conviction
A concrete pillar of truth, and instill in the youth the will to ask, "Why?"
I want to sing songs of redemption, attempting to reconcile the objective insignificance of this existence
With the simultaneous recognition that every decision made remains written in the infinite
Lend me your ears...or whatever you got to give
Lost minutes from the years you forgot to live
I've learned appreciation for each grain in the hourglass
Not trippin' that our vision's limited to the bottom half
A lot of masks just covering the same face
Take the paved jogging path, run into the same place
I'd rather go the road less traveled
Leave my footprints in the gravel
Grab a sharp rock, carve my name in the bark
(Maybe that'll make me feel like I didn't go out without a battle)
Then happily take the dive into the river
With sunglasses, a silly hat, and a six-pack; no paddle
Just a little backstroke, floating in the current
No matter which way the winds stir it
I know I'll be okay; and even if I'm not
That won't stop this cold world from turning
I used to weave, bob, dip, duck, dive, and dodge obstacles
Now I just run through them like I'm unstoppable
It's no optical illusion
If you can convince yourself it's possible, then it's possible
Sisyphus with the boulder
Citizens in the streets being treated like enemy soldiers
Politicians sold for a pocket full of gold
To the old man in the back stacking chips on his shoulder
Sisyphus with the boulder
Little kids praying they even get the chance to grow older
Atlas carrying the weight of the world up on his shoulder
Zipping his jacket as the weather gets colder
If you're a high roller or low budget,
Throw your hands in the sky like you're trying to touch it
And live like you love it
'Cause every single one of us is just another drop in the bucket
If you're a high roller or go low budget,
Throw your hands in the sky like you're trying to touch it
And live like you love it, 'cause when it's all said and done,
Every one of us is just another drop in the bucket
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4. |
Mark It with an "E"
02:00
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5. |
Good
06:59
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I’ve been thinking way too much lately
I’ve been drinking more than I should
I’ve been wasting time going crazy
When it’s all good
I’ve been hanging ‘round with my baby
‘Cause she’s the one who treats me just right
And even though sometimes we get angry
That’s all right (it’s all right)
We’re all right (we’re all right)
But soon she won’t be my only baby
‘Cause she and I’ve got one on the way
And she gon’ grow up, and be her own lady
One day
Some day
Well right now, I’m just trying to be patient
So I can be the best I can be
And I don’t mind if you want to hate it
That don’t bother me
Sometimes, I let life get the best of me
Sun shines, but the bright side I forget to see
Too focused on this cloud above my head, it keeps
Chasing me around and showering down heavily.
Sometimes, it’s like the world is my enemy
Potholes all over the road up ahead of me
Sometimes, I think I’ll never be successful, even
With all the ingredients, I don’t know the recipe
But somebody told me when I was a younger man
Something I knew but didn’t truly understand, said,
“You better do your damnedest to fix what you can, but there’s
No sense in tripping about what’s out of your hands," so
I've been trying to stop sweating petty things
‘Cause stressing everything never brings anything ‘cept
Depression, anxiety, depleted self-esteem
I think I need to let it be, ‘cause
I’ve been thinking way too much lately
I’ve been drinking more than I should
I’ve been wasting time going crazy
When it’s all good
I’ve been giving way to frustration
When things don’t go the way I thought they would
But I don’t got no time for complaining
When it’s all good
Swelling with the negative energy ’til I
Cry me a river I can float down merrily
“Ain’t nothing but a dream,” said the melody
So I go with the flow and don’t dwell in the memories
Move steadily, forward trajectory
Progression’s the objective irrespective of your destiny
Full speed off in the wrong direction, honestly could
Never beat creeping at a positive velocity
Baby Steps, yeah, that’s the philosophy
Gotta crawl before you walk, before embarking on the odyssey
You gotta speak before you’ll ever spit the hottest heat
Gotta get your ticket if you want to win the lottery
Gotta be deceived to appreciate the honesty
Gotta feed the seeds right so they can grow properly
Gotta see the light to navigate through the atrocities
I’ma let it shine, and nobody's stopping me...
I’ve been thinking way too much lately
I’ve been drinking more than I should
I’ve been wasting time going crazy
When it’s all good
I’ve been freaking out on the daily
'Cause fear and doubt been clouding my mind
But now I know those things won’t restrain me
When I leave ‘em behind
So I’ve been trying not to be lazy
'Cause time don’t stop when I close my eyes
So I can’t sit here wondering, “maybe”
No, I’ve gotta spread my wings and fly...
But I’ve been thinking way too much lately
Or maybe not as much as I should
I breathe when things don’t seem so amazing
‘Cause I know it’s all good
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6. |
Blossom
02:54
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Back in the days when I was a teenager
Before I had status updates up on the Facebook
You could see me strumming the six-string, second nature
Pops used to say it reminded him of Jimmy Page, but
That old Stairway to Heaven decayed,
So I went my own way trying to catch the elevator
A Nowhere Man, probably still trying to understand my plans,
But I promise I'ma see you on my way up
Pay up my dues, watering the roots for later
So by and by, maybe I can taste the fruits of labor
Stakes is high, nobody knows it more than I
That's why I won't deny my gifts in the name of playing it safer
And it's easy to find something to be afraid of
For me, music's fundamental like free throws and layups, so
I'll take the risk 'cause the reward is much greater,
And if nothing else, I'll show myself what I'm made of
So here's to all of y'all following your calling
Patiently waiting while the heavy rain's falling
Upping the ante 'til your chips are all in
Hoping someday those flowers gonna blossom
And I was still a kid when I found out I was having a kid
Scared me to life like you might imagine it did
A radical shift in paradigm happened so quick
And half the time, we didn't have the time to sit and try to fathom it
Still rapping in the storms, mostly sunny weather
Feel like Paul McCartney, yeah it's always getting better
And all of my fear disappeared the day we met her
Call me Dad from 2016 'til forever
And never seen my family as a limitation
If anything, their love fuels my inspiration
The motivation that I hadn't felt before
I'm 24 going on 'til I can't go on no more
Can't stop, won't stop 'til it's finished
Life is music, it's up to us to write the lyrics
So when it's all over and I'm gone,
You can listen to my spirit living infinitely in these songs
This one's for all of y'all following your calling
Patiently waiting while the heavy rains falling
Upping the ante 'til your chips are all in
Hoping someday those flowers gonna blossom
Peace to all of y'all following your calling
Patiently waiting while the heavy rains falling
Upping the ante 'til your chips are all in
Knowing someday those flowers gonna blossom
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