Still Standing

Yeah…

They see the record, they don’t see the story.

They see the mistakes, they don’t see the vision.

But I’m still here.

Still breathing.

Still building.

I came from the bottom, but I’m reaching for the sky,

Had some dark days, still I never asked why.

They tried to count me out, I just learned how to climb,

Lost a couple years, but I ain’t losing my time.

I’m building something bigger than a house on some land,

A vision in my head that they might not understand.

From the pain to the purpose, I’m taking my stand,

They can judge my past—

I’m still building my future with my own two hands.

I done walked through some doors that they said wouldn’t open,

Carried all that weight but I kept right on going.

Felony on my name, yeah, I know what they see,

But that ain’t the whole story, that ain’t all of me.

Had days with no car, had to figure out a way,

Trying to find a job, trying to make it through the day.

Fort Bend roads, trying to find my direction,

Every “no” that I got became another lesson.

I don’t wanna punch a clock just to make somebody rich,

I been thinking ‘bout a business, trying to build some shit.

Freight, insurance, websites, trying to learn the game,

If nobody gives me opportunity, I’ll create my own name.

I ain’t looking for excuses, I’m looking for a door,

And if that door stays locked, I’m building one more.

I came from the bottom, but I’m reaching for the sky,

Had some dark days, still I never asked why.

They tried to count me out, I just learned how to climb,

Lost a couple years, but I ain’t losing my time.

I’m building something bigger than a house on some land,

A vision in my head that they might not understand.

From the pain to the purpose, I’m taking my stand,

They can judge my past—

I’m still building my future with my own two hands.

One acre, barndominium, that’s the picture in my mind,

Vertical aquaponics, growing food all the time.

Fish feeding plants, plants cleaning water,

Building something sustainable for my sons and daughters.

Garden in the soil, solar backup on the side,

Trying to make a little piece of heaven where my family can thrive.

But it ain’t just for me, that’s the part they don’t know,

I wanna help people eat, I wanna help people grow.

They told me think smaller—

I said, “Why would I?”

If I’m gonna dream, I’m gonna dream worldwide.

Hernandez Holding Ranch, that’s more than just a name,

It’s a symbol of the man I’m becoming through the pain.

I know what it’s like when nobody believes,

When you’re standing in the rain with nothing up your sleeves.

But I learned something real when I had nowhere to go:

You find out who you are when you got nothing to show.

So I ain’t ashamed of the road that I walked,

Every scar on my heart tells a story when I talk.

I can’t change yesterday, but tomorrow’s mine,

And I’m putting every brick in place one at a time.

I’m thinking ’bout my family, thinking ’bout my son,

Thinking ‘bout the man that I still gotta become.