Better Than Yesterday

[Verse 1]
Raising my voice
‘cause I don’t know how to raise my boys
That’s the part that kills me
See ‘em flinch, little fists, and it chills me
You ask, “Dad, are you mad at me?”
I’m really mad at the man that I had to be
Thought I left that temper in the past
But it’s standing in the kitchen, yelling back through the glass
You run to your room, slam doors
I’m staring at the floor, throat sore
You just wanted help with your homework
I turned a small spill into cold words
[Chorus]
I’m sorry I ain’t been the man I said I’d be
I’m sorry for the scars that you don’t let me see
I hate the way I talk when my heart feels weak
But I swear I’m gonna change, you can lean on me
I just wanna be better than yesterday
Hold you when you’re scared, not push you away
I just wanna be better than yesterday
Be the dad that you’re proud of someday (yeah)
[Verse 2]
Some nights I sit in the driveway
Car off, but the voice in my mind say
“They’d be happier if you stayed gone”
And that thought right there just stays on
Your mom asking why I’m so distant
I’m afraid I’ll break if I listen
Feeling like the bad guy in my own house
Every laugh, I’m the one left out
But I see your drawings on the fridge
Little crooked hearts on the edge
“Daddy” written in a wobbly line
And I realize you still claim what’s mine
So I’m learning how to breathe before I bark
Counting to ten when it’s dark
Gonna say “I’m wrong” when I am
Show you that a real man can change his plans (yeah)
[Chorus]
I’m sorry I ain’t been the man I said I’d be
I’m sorry for the scars that you don’t let me see
I hate the way I talk when my heart feels weak
But I swear I’m gonna change, you can lean on me
I just wanna be better than yesterday
Hold you when you’re scared, not push you away
I just wanna be better than yesterday
Be the dad that you’re proud of someday (oh)
[Bridge]
One day you’ll look back, see the proof
That I fought my demons just to love you
Step by step, I’m walking through this fire
Turning all this anger into something that inspires (hey)
[Chorus]
I’m sorry I ain’t been the man I said I’d be
I’m sorry for the scars that you don’t let me see
I hate the way I talk when my heart feels weak
But I swear I’m gonna change, you can lean on me
I just wanna be better than yesterday
Hold you when you’re scared, not push you away
I just wanna be better than yesterday
Be the dad that you’re proud of someday

rap, Melancholic boom-bap with warm keys and a deep, round bassline. Male vocals in an intimate pocket; verses confessional and close-mic, ad-libs tucked behind like thoughts echoing. Chorus blooms with layered harmonies and a lifted chord change, subtle vinyl crackle and distant choir pads underscoring the emotional climb from shame to hope., hip hop, happy, sad