NOT WHO I USED TO BE

(Intro – cinematic, low voice)

Yeah…

Feels like I been runnin’ my whole life.

But not anymore.

Listen…

(Hook – melodic, powerful)

I’m not who I used to be,

My attitude is new—

See the world so different now,

I don’t think like I used to.

I’m not who I used to be,

Truth cut straight on through—

I see the world so differently,

I don’t do what I used to do.

(Verse 1 – NF-style confession, 16 bars)

I was livin’ the wrong life, that was my downfall,

Thought I had it all together, knew nothin’ at all.

Let the game crown me, then it turned ’round,

Dropped me in the dirt and walked off like a ghost town.

Pain hit heavy but the truth hit harder,

Light hit the room, cut deep like a barber.

Found out the enemy I kept tryna beat

Was livin’ in my chest with a permanent lease.

Breakin’ everybody that I claimed as mine,

Didn’t see the damage till I looked behind.

But grace showed up in the nick of time,

Pulled me out the rubble and reset my mind.

Now I ain’t runnin’ from the truth no more,

Ain’t hidin’ every wound like I did before.

What I owe you now ain’t pain or proof—

It’s love, real love, and that’s the truth.

(Pre-Hook – tension rising)

Yeah, the old me tried to bury me,

But the new me’s breakin’ out heavily.

This ain’t luck, this ain’t therapy —

This is God pullin’ chains off steadily.

(Hook – soaring)

I’m not who I used to be…

(Verse 2 – climactic, storytelling, 16 bars)

I felt hopeless, yeah, I felt helpless,

Heart turned cold from the weight I dealt with.

Misery came knockin’, I let it inside,

Opened up the door like, “Come take a ride.”

Reckless livin’, restless nights,

Tryna drown pain under city lights.

But God stepped in and He flipped that script,

Gave me strength in the places where I used to quit.

Now even locked down, I ain’t locked out,

Hope found me on a different route.

Brand-new vision in a broken place,

Brand-new mission with amazing grace.

Got gratitude burnin’ like a fire in my chest,

Feelin’ more alive than I ever did depressed.

This a new start, man, this ain’t pretend—

I’m rebuildin’ with the help of my Savior and my friends.

(Pre-Hook – whispered intensity)

Yeah…

I ain’t fightin’ this alone.

Never again.

(Bridge – emotional NF-style lift)

I used to think the world was turnin’ on me,

Thought everybody left ’cause they didn’t want me.

But now I see, I was blind, too stubborn to see

That I needed you like you needed me.

Friends, neighbors, family ties—

We rise together or we fall in disguise.

I can’t make it through the storm on my own,

That’s why I’m standin’ here…

Tellin’ you I’ve grown.

(Hook – final, biggest moment)

I’m not who I used to be,

My attitude is new—

See the world so different now,

I don’t think like I used to.

I’m not who I used to be,

Grace broke me through—

I see the world so differently…

And I won’t go back to what I used to do.

(Outro – soft, cinematic)

Yeah

Not who I used to be.

Not who I used to be.

Thank God… I’m not who I used