[Intro]
I was just a boy with the sun in my eyes
Barefoot dreams and a heart open wide
Didn’t know the world could cut so deep
Didn’t know the scars I was gonna keep
I was laughter, hope, and open hands
Before the noise, before the fists, before the man
This is the truth, no halo, no disguise
Just a story of survival in a man’s own eyes
[Verse 1]
Somewhere down the road I lost my way
House got loud, fear learned my name
Anger in the walls, venom in his breath
Walking on eggshells, learning how to protect
I learned to harden up way too young
Learned silence before I learned to run
Then came the cells, the steel, the gates
Eating cold trays, counting days
Six by eight, concrete thoughts
Twenty-three and one, fighting what I fought
No window hope, just time and regret
Talking to God, talking to myself
[Pre-Chorus]
I didn’t know who I was or who I’d be
Just a broken kid with no relief
I was angry, numb, didn’t care to live
Didn’t love myself, didn’t know how to give
[Chorus]
I been down in the dark where the light don’t stay
Still standing here, still finding my way
Life hit hard, tried to break my spine
But I’m still breathing, still crossing lines
[Verse 2]
Then came the needle, the smoke, the rush
Anything to quiet what I couldn’t hush
Heroin, coke, crack, meth
Chasing peace while flirting with death
Bathroom floors and locked doors
Tears on walls nobody saw before
Promised tomorrow, lied again
Didn’t know how low a man could bend
Then I got clean, yeah I clawed back up
Built a business with calloused trust
Started stacking days instead of sins
Found pride in my hands, dirt under my skin
Then came my kids, three sparks of truth
They handed me purpose, they handed me proof
That I was more than my past mistakes
More than the damage that life creates
[Pre-Chorus]
I learned how to love, learned how to fight
For something bigger than one more night
I found my name, I found my ground
Built myself back brick by sound
[Chorus]
I been down in the dark where the light don’t stay
Still standing here, still finding my way
Life hit hard, tried to steal my name
But I’m still here, still in the game
[Bridge]
Then I loved a woman with all I had
Would’ve bled for her, good or bad
But she tore me down, made me feel small
Had me forgetting myself, losing it all
I held onto hope that was never real
Let her words erase how strength should feel
I almost went back to that hollow place
Almost let the past reclaim its space
[Break / Instrumental]
Low strings hum, drums hit slow
Electric cries what I won’t show
[Final Chorus]
Now I’m broke, lonely, don’t know what’s next
But I’m clean, I’m standing, I ain’t lost yet
Everything breaks, yeah it always does
But I keep my head high, still choosing love
[Outro]
I’m a good man with a battered heart
Still building greatness from broken parts
I don’t need applause, I don’t need fame
Just forward motion and my real name
Destined for more, I feel it inside
Still walking forward, still alive
DrDaddy
