[Verse 1]
Red dirt on my Js
front yard, three cars don’t run
Mama got two jobs
still praying that the lights stay on
Exit sign green glow
Simpsonville on the side of that road
Middle school free lunch
act tough, heart heavy as gold
Corner store counting quarters
for a Faygo and some chips
Big dreams on a flip phone
swear we’d all get rich
Cuz got locked, then
his mama stopped coming to church
Saw the pain in her face
learned early how the world can hurt
[Chorus]
I’m tryna make it out the Ville
out the Ville, out the Ville (yeah)
Turn these food stamps
to a house on a hill
From that dead-end street
where the nights stand still
I’m tryna make it out the Ville
tryna make, tryna make it out for real
[Verse 2]
Bus stop, cold mornings
I was writing on the back of my hand
Teacher said “Pick safe”
I said “I got bigger plans”
Friends laugh, “Bro chill,
ain’t nobody make it from here”
But I seen more in the mirror
than they ever seen in a year
Daddy came ‘round
every now and then, smelled like smoke
Told me “Be better than me”
then he vanished in a cloud of that hope
So I clock in, stack tips
late shift at the spot by the mall
Every dish that I scrape
feel like I’m climbing that wall
[Chorus]
I’m tryna make it out the Ville
out the Ville, out the Ville (uh)
Turn these long nights
to a key and a deal
From that trailer park
where the rain leaks still
I’m tryna make it out the Ville
tryna make, tryna make it out for real
[Bridge]
Do you feel that?
when your stomach touch your spine
When you swear next year
you won’t be stuck in this line
When your little bro ask
“Are we gonna be alright?”
And you look him in the eyes
say “Yeah” and you believe that lie
[Chorus]
I’m tryna make it out the Ville
out the Ville, out the Ville (yeah)
Turn this small-town hurt
to a new life built
From that cracked front step
to a view so ill
I’m tryna make it out the Ville
tryna make, tryna make it out for real