[Verse 1]
Mama never held me right
Daddy missed a lotta nights
Learned to read a cold face
Before I learned to read a sign
Sleepin' with one eye open
On a stoop by the bodega
Friends turned into smoke quick
Like a lesson I could save up
I wanted love, got lectures
I wanted hands, got scars
Every promise came half-built
Every kiss left a mark
Now I talk with my jaw locked
Keep my heart in a safe
'Cause the ones I let too close
Always knew how to break
[Pre-Chorus]
I been tryna leave the block
With this ache up in my chest
If I make it, I make it raw
I ain't settlin' for less
Need a place where I can breathe
Need a room with my own name
If you touch me, touch me real
'Cause I don't play them games
[Chorus]
Love me right, love me right
I been hurt too many times
Brooklyn boy, still on the run
Tryna turn pain into mine
Love me right, love me right
I got scars you can't disguise
From the hood to something more
I'm still reachin' for the sky
[Verse 2]
Seen my cousins flip that work
For a shot at better days
Seen my brother take the fall
For the rent and for the wave
Seen moms cry over bills
Seen the fridge stay dressed in light
Seen a whole block raise a kid
Then watch that same kid fight
So I hustle with the hunger
And I study every door
'Cause I know what broke can do
When it gets tired of bein' poor
I don't need a perfect life
I need somebody real
Who don't leave when my name gets hard
And my wounds start to feel
[Pre-Chorus]
I been tryna leave the block
With this ache up in my chest
If I make it, I make it raw
I ain't settlin' for less
Need a place where I can breathe
Need a room with my own name
If you touch me, touch me real
'Cause I don't play them games
[Chorus]
Love me right, love me right
I been hurt too many times
Brooklyn boy, still on the run
Tryna turn pain into mine
Love me right, love me right
I got scars you can't disguise
From the hood to something more
I'm still reachin' for the sky
[Bridge]
If I get out, don't let me
Turn to all the things I hate
Let me keep my hood heart beatin'
Let me keep my soul awake
I ain't askin' for a handout
I just need a chance to rise
One true love and one real shot
Could change the whole of my life
[Final Chorus]
Love me right, love me right
I been hurt too many times
Brooklyn boy, still on the run
Tryna turn pain into mine
Love me right, love me right
I got scars you can't disguise
From the hood to something more
I'm still reachin' for the sky