[Verse 1]
You just now see it
I been had that stare
In my own damn house
Same cold air
On the block, on the bus
On the job, same game
They nod when I speak
Then they spell my shame
Every door got a lock
Every lock got a hand
And my name get small
When I ask to stand
[Pre-Chorus]
Mm, look at me now
Tell me what changed
Mm, same old bruises
Same old chains
I can feel it in my teeth
I can feel it in my skin
What they call “just life”
Been a lock from the beginning
[Chorus]
Always been, always been
Say it back, always been
(Always been)
Always been, always been
They just see it now, not then
(Always been)
No justice for me
No justice for me
(For me)
No justice for me
But I’m still here, can’t you see?
(Still here)
[Verse 2]
At the corner store
He watched my every move
At the front desk smile
With a lie in his shoes
My mama said “baby
Keep your head up high”
But high don’t feed rent
And pride don’t buy time
I learned from the scars
What the rules really mean
If I raise my voice
They call it a scene
If I keep it quiet
Then they call me weak
Either way I’m hunted
Either way I bleed
[Pre-Chorus]
Mm, look at me now
Tell me what changed
Mm, same old bruises
Same old chains
I can hear my people
In the cracks of the wall
Saying “hold your ground”
Saying “don’t you fall”
[Chorus]
Always been, always been
Say it back, always been
(Always been)
Always been, always been
They just see it now, not then
(Always been)
No justice for me
No justice for me
(For me)
No justice for me
But I’m still here, can’t you see?
(Still here)
[Bridge]
Now you’re just waking up
To what I was born with
Now you’re just hearing
What my bones been talking with
I’m not your lesson
I’m not your blame
I’m the one who lived it
I’m the one who stayed
[Chorus]
Always been, always been
Say it back, always been
(Always been)
Always been, always been
They just see it now, not then
(Always been)
No justice for me
No justice for me
(For me)
No justice for me
But I’m still here, can’t you see?
(Still here)