It all started off with poetry in class, Then elevated to church hymns during mass, What can I say I'm just a Music phonetic, Equipped with an old school iPod Classic, Just a millennial kid, with a whole lotta love for kicks, An indigo child, on the verge of a perennial shift, I rarely admit, but terrified of the world and of this submission, Call this message a deposition, dedicated to the moments, I was ready to quit, ready to flip, ready to pack up my bags, I couldn't take the hit, no longer could I commit... Then I, sensed God taking control, Go ahead and chase your goals, Felt the ambition growing inside, He spoke straight to my soul, But I've, been robbed of my motivation, It feels like I've already made it, I deeply regret exposing my dreams, I should've plated them with gold, I should've listened to Cole, I've been shot down... Bullet holes through my denim jeans, Using these words as protection like sunscreen, I'm in a messed up predicament like a pregnant teen, Consciously aware, that pursuing this vision of mine, Will indefinitely change everything like a child or a wedding ring, But I ain't going nowhere, studied the greats for decades, Undeniably prepared for this marriage, sitting on 18 carats, Can't back down from an unexpected miscarriage, I want to live lavish, can't be concerned, With being another average, Still I, second guess myself, don't ever second guess yourself, I told myself every sunrise that I was blessed to see, Currently seven threes, a young mathematician Who stayed in school, "May I have your attention please", Only you would know... It's been a long time, a long time coming, I can't stop, I won't stop running, It's been a long time, a long time coming, I can't stop, I won't stop running, I said, It's been a long time, a long time coming... I just needed some time to vent, some time to repent, Try to decipher what all of these signs meant, But in the midst of things I frequently lost sight of the real light, Cultivated a state of mind that's separated like an apartheid, Vulnerable thoughts contained in an airtight, Spent countless nights, stapling ideas undercover, Three years to be precise, sketching the horizon with my brother, Soon, realised that I still haven't created any music, Quietly, scribbling down these words 'cause it felt therapeutic, Fell, accustomed to procrastinating and making excuses, But, I'm running out of time now, I'm about to lose it, Abused this for far too long now, it's time to power through and use it, Only you would know... It's been a long time, a long time coming, I can't stop, I won't stop running, It's been a long time, a long time coming, I can't stop, I won't stop running, I said, It's been a long time, a long time coming.

[Intro: Phone Ringing] [Hook] Early morning skies before the sun rise Immune to the pain of sacrifice What you put aside for your family Remains true to me, I wish you could see That I see you in me, what we have is an oddity Cause our chemistry is far from a commodity [Verse 1] All I ever wanted was a fraction of your time To frequently congregate around Eating home cooked meals once-a-day Throwing shade at each other For the light that we-put-out yesterday Laughing endlessly, cause when the clock strikes three Street lights become your worst enemy Please don't lose your sanity Without you life would be a tragedy Quietly anticipating your arrival Eyes glued to the side of the window in agony Tactually positioned with a view To catch your headlights when they shine through While Erykah Badu whispers in my left ear Trembling with fear, two o'clocks finally here But I don't hear the sound of the exhaust Approaching anywhere near Mama, could be widowed anytime now See her life flash before her glazed eyes While singing lullabies that are full of lies like "Daddy's going to be home any minute now" Geared up to say goodbye Until you walked through the door What a pleasant surprise Hearing your voice is a blessing in disguise It keeps me alive [Bridge] Enslaved to the money, just to feed us Circulating different regions, to protect us From day one, from day one You've always been about us [Hook] Early morning skies before the sun rise Immune to the pain of sacrifice What you put aside for your family Remains true to me, I wish you could see That I see you in me, what we have is an oddity Cause our chemistry is far from a commodity [Verse 2] You taught me a timeless philosophy "In this world no one ever learns free" We are a rare breed, and in this city marked a low-yield So move cautiously, "Something is better than nothing" He would always preach, reaching For his reading glasses at the age of sixty two Extending his restless limbs across the living room Begging that I finish school Dropping out is a forbidden fruit There was no second guessing If it wasn't for you, I would be constantly stressing We abused laughter as a mutual remedy Speaking through the phone, our friendship grew rapidly; There's so much, I need to ask before you're gone There's a bunch of advice I need you to expand upon But it's saddens me, how you often confused Continual support, with extrinsic rewards When I needed you the most your heart just stalled Only validated the transaction to soothe your soul Two followed by three zeros down the phone The difficulty of a failed parenting responsibility Would have made you fold, admittedly Extending your hand, the one I craved to hold Is all I desired while I was growing old [Bridge] Enslaved to the money, just to feed us Circulating different regions, to protect us From day one, from day one You've always been about us [Hook] Early morning skies before the sun rise Immune to the pain of sacrifice What you put aside for your family Remains true to me, I wish you could see That I see you in me, what we have is an oddity Cause our chemistry is far from a commodity [Outro: Voicemail] I know you're probably driving right now But just remember that The most expensive currency in this world is time And you cannot buy it off the shelf We might be here today But tomorrow isn't promised, I'm just being honest You're working overtime to accumulate wealth I know bills need to be paid But look at the damage it's doing to your own health Grey hair, hunched back with minimum strength You're innocent man with a strong heart Work ethic that stretches beyond thought I can't thank you enough, I just hope that one day When my time finally arrives I can be at least half the father you are An inspiration to say the least I know God has a special place for you In heaven once you reach But I apologise for all of the times I shied away from verbal compassion An unspoken bond that we retained in a sealed package I wasn't man enough to tell you this So I wrote down with a pen 86400 seconds in a day, and I can't even find two To say how much I love you

[Hook] I can't believe how much you've been through Anyone else would have given up at the first clue So Thank you, Mama, I won't ever let you down mama In exchange for my existence, I promise to give you everything You never gave in, even though you were hurting So Thank you, Mama So Thank you, Mama [Verse 1] Stay at home wife, hoped to be called mama soon She prayed everyday, asking for this pain to be over soon A voice shook the room, told her to be strong She didn't want to deny the words she heard Didn't want to lose her speech like Zacharias Caring for a child was her primary purpose for survival Longing for my pops arrival, feel sleep gripping the bible Wondering how to break the silence It might be another year until we hear the sirens again But until then lets just pretend and build the bigger picture Laid out in a stretcher, this room looks incredibly familiar We need to figure out a method to get out of here quicker She had multiple doubts with a couple of options to weight out Even considered her older sister as a candidate for a surrogate Crying out, between you and me can you birth me a baby? I promise, to keep it on the low, trust me I just really need a baby, no one needs to know Someone to hold onto when I'm feeling hazy "Why them and not me Lord?", my mama screamed I guess that's how she felt When she seen babies being mistreat Thrown around the streets, constant neglect While she was left to feel incomplete Strapped to the hospital bed, pleading out I promise, if you ever bless me with a child Lord I will never lay hands on my baby, no I will never do my baby wrong [Hook] I can't believe how much you've been through Anyone else would have given up at the first clue So Thank you, Mama, I won't ever let you down mama In exchange for my existence, I promise to give you everything You never gave in, even though you were hurting So Thank you, Mama So Thank you, Mama [Verse 2] It was a cold summers night, when my mind took flight Looked over to the right, mama was dressed in all white That's an unusual sight I thought Until she caught me off guard, sat me down and spoke I could feel her beating heart in the back of my throat I began to choke, she broke down and cried Told me that she tried, ever since she tied the knot And stood as a beautiful bride to conceive a child For almost thirteen years, tears accumulated Formulated a brick wall, managed to block it all out False hope and endless and appointment calls But couldn't deal with it anymore Travelling back and forth just to be told doctors didn't know Concluded that she might be a little too old I guess you broke the mould Cause you've been preparing for this all of your life Even raised your younger siblings and your sisters children Never went to college but graduated Your parenting level by tenfold There's no examination you can take mama That can asses if you're meant for this There's no other explanation mama, it has to be this It can't be nothing else Unexplained infertility was the mystery That was about to unfold [Bridge] It was this day twenty one years ago That we received the news, you're about to arrive home Finally, we're going to carry you into this world Give you all the love that you deserve We've been waiting for this moment since '83 You were the missing piece to our family tree Never thought you'd grow up and be an emcee! [Hook] I can't believe how much you've been through Anyone else would have given up at the first clue So Thank you, Mama, I won't ever let you down mama (I won't ever let you down mama) [Hook] I can't believe how much you've been through Anyone else would have given up at the first clue So Thank you, Mama, I won't ever let you down mama In exchange for my existence, I promise to give you everything You never gave in, even though you were hurting So Thank you, Mama So Thank you, Mama