State Raised

[INTRO – MIRROR]
Look at me.
No—really look at me.
You’ve been running from this reflection your whole damn life. ..But you survived every version of yourself.
Now speak.

[VERSE 1]
I was state-raised, case-filed, shuffled like a deck,
Little kid with a trash bag, pain hanging from my neck.
Beds I never owned, homes I never claimed,
People called me “resilient,” but I just called it shame.

DCFS on my heels like a shadow in the hall,
Every goodbye felt normal, every loss felt small.
I learned early that love ain’t promised or safe,
It’s a privilege some kids get, not a guarantee of fate.

I was five with a fear grown men can’t hold,
Seven with a silence that could freeze your soul.
Ten with a temper that was never my own,
Twelve with a heart that felt carved out of stone.

But I kept breathing.
Kept walking.
Kept hoping.
Even when the world treated me like I was broken.

[HOOK – MIRROR]
State raised, heart caged,
Pain written on every page.
But look at you now—
You ain’t the boy they made.
You’re the man God saved.

[VERSE 2]
Mom walked out, left the door wide open,
Left a boy with a question that stayed unspoken.
“What’s wrong with me?”
That question lived in my chest,
Like a ghost that refused to rest.

Dad stayed, but his love came with thunder,
Hands that taught fear, not wonder.
I ain’t saying he was evil—he was raised in the dark,
But a kid shouldn’t learn manhood from a spark that leaves a mark.

I learned to flinch before I learned to trust,
Learned survival before I learned love.
But even then—
God kept a hand on me.
Even then—
He whispered, “You’ll rise from this, you’ll see.”

[BEAT SWITCH – DARKER]
I been in rooms I never chose,
Carrying secrets nobody knows.
Trauma stitched into my bones,
Pain echoing through my tone.

But every scar became a map,
Every wound became a trap
I learned to break out of—
Now I’m speaking on behalf
Of every kid who felt forgotten,
Every soul they left to rot,
Every child who learned too early
What love is not.

[VERSE 3 – BLESSINGS INSIDE THE PAIN]
See, pain made me strong, but blessings made me whole,
God took the shattered pieces and rebuilt my soul.
I ain’t grateful for the hurt—
I’m grateful I survived it.
I ain’t thankful for the trauma—
I’m thankful I outlived it.

Every foster night taught me how to fight,
Every violent moment taught me wrong from right.
Every empty chair taught me how to care,
Every loss taught me how to be there.

Now I’m raising kids with a heart I had to grow,
Breaking cycles I was forced to know.
I’m the father I needed,
The man I wasn’t given,
The proof that pain can turn into purpose
When God says you’re forgiven.

[HOOK – MIRROR REPRISE]
State raised, heart caged,
But look how far you’ve made.
You ain’t the boy they broke—
You’re the man God saved.
Pain in your past,
Purpose in your veins.
This ain’t trauma talk—
This is Mirror Talk.

[OUTRO – MIRROR]
You survived the childhood they swore would ruin you.
You survived the silent screams.. you survived it all…

Rap, raw, in‑depth, harder hitting more dark bluesy vibe.