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Lyrics
[Verse 1]
You held report cards like a trophy
Mine was just a warning sign
"You know your cousin's taking college classes
You still struggle reading lines"
You said it soft, but it cut sharp
Dinner table, quiet fork and knife
Comparing me to every kid you knew
Like I was failing at my life
"Look at Jenny, she’s so focused"
"Look at Mike, he never quits"
Every praise you gave to someone else
Felt like stones inside my ribs
Started hiding tests inside my backpack
Praying you forget to ask
I learned to lie before I learned equations
Just to dodge the aftermath
[Chorus]
Always second place in my own house
Name in your mouth only when you point out
Everything I’m not, everything I ain’t now
How’s a kid supposed to grow under that weight now
You made their highlight reel my whole standard
Turned every dinner talk into a hammer
Beat me down, acting like it made me better
But I was just a child trying to hold it together
[Verse 2]
You said, "We push you ‘cause we love you"
Felt more like you loved who I should be
A version drawn in someone else's image
Perfect lines I’d never meet
They got medals, they got framed photos
I got "why can’t you be like that?"
You never asked what I was good at
Just what I lacked, what I came last at
Started cheating just to touch a B
Thought maybe then you’d finally see me
But you skimmed the page, barely nodded
Turned the volume up on the TV
So I stopped trying, started hiding
If I failed, at least it was mine
If I passed, it still wasn’t enough
So what’s the point of trying to climb?
[Chorus]
Always second place in my own house
Name in your mouth only when you point out
Everything I’m not, everything I ain’t now
How’s a kid supposed to grow under that weight now
You made their highlight reel my whole standard
Turned every dinner talk into a hammer
Beat me down, acting like it made me better
But I was just a child trying to hold it together
[Bridge]
Do you know what it’s like
To hate the mirror ‘cause it’s you
But love the stranger in your speeches
More than the kid right in your room
I learned to clap for other people
But never learned to clap for me
Now I’m grown, still hear your voice
When I try to say, "I’m proud" quietly
[Verse 3]
I’m not perfect, I’m not genius
But I wake up and I still fight
Built a life from all your leftovers
Turned those ashes into light
You taught me I would never measure up
Cool, I threw away the ruler
Now I’m setting marks you never dreamed of
Past the grades, past the rumors
I’m not "like them," I’m just me
Flawed, scared, but finally free
If you can’t love the way I’m growing
Then that says more about you than me
You can keep your charts and your comparisons
I’m stepping out that shadowed frame
You raised a kid who wouldn’t break
Even when you broke his name
[Chorus]
Always second place in my own house
Name in your mouth only when you point out
Everything I’m not, everything I ain’t now
But I’m done carrying your doubt like a chain now
You made their highlight reel my whole standard
I turned that pressure into my own answer
You tried to crush me, claiming it was for the better
I’m still that child inside
Just holding us together
Details
GeneratedJan 22, 2026
Duration3:45
LanguageEnglish
Style
rap, Moody boom-bap with warm warped keys, subtle vinyl grit, and a deep, laid-back groove. Male vocals, close-mic’d, almost confessional in the verses; hook opens wider with stacked doubles and low harmonies. Sparse bass in the first verse, drums thicken and lift in the chorus, last verse adds distant vocal chops and a filtered drum switch-up for emotional climax.
Credits
Prompt bytyreece
ModelAria v5
Prompt
Lyrics describing the difficulties growing up being compared to others who were smarter and better than me by my parents., rap
