They judge me by my mistakes, by the lies that I told,
Never knowing all the scars that I've been forced to hold.
Growing up in the South End, Cathedral projects raised,
Trying to survive the storm while living through the haze.
At eight years old they took us from our mama's loving arms,
Said she wasn't fit to raise us, left us drowning in the dark.
Brothers, sisters split apart, scattered all across the state,
Foster homes and group homes, wondering if we'd reunite someday.
Mental health facilities, DYS and all the pain,
Just a kid looking for his family, trying to stay sane.
Never got the childhood that most people take for granted,
Too busy raising three girls while life kept demanding.
Pre-Chorus
Now I'm staring in the mirror,
Trying to find the real me.
Learning that the man I am
Ain't who I have to be.
Chorus
My past ain't my future,
My mistakes don't define me.
I've been broken, I've been lost,
But I'm fighting to find me.
Yeah, I hurt the ones I loved,
And I carry that regret.
But I'm standing here today,
Still becoming my best.
Call me liar, call me flawed,
Say whatever you believe.
But my future's being written
By the man I choose to be.
Verse 2
I admit it, I've told lies, some small and some grew bigger,
A bad habit from the hurt that always seemed to trigger.
Never meant to break the trust of people closest to my heart,
Now I'm putting in the work to finally do my part.
Sitting with a therapist, digging through the pain,
Trying to understand the reasons behind everything.
I'm not running from accountability, not hiding from the truth,
I'm facing every consequence and trying to improve.
Family members walked away, some don't rock with me no more,
And I understand the reasons, I don't blame them for the door.
But every lesson taught me something, every loss became a guide,
Showing me the man I need to be deep down inside.
Pre-Chorus
Now I'm staring in the mirror,
Trying to find the real me.
Learning that the man I was
Ain't who I have to be.
Chorus
My past ain't my future,
My mistakes don't define me.
I've been broken, I've been lost,
But I'm fighting to find me.
Yeah, I hurt the ones I loved,
And I carry that regret.
But I'm standing here today,
Still becoming my best.
Verse 3
Two kids looking up to me, third one on the way,
No more time for excuses, gotta pave a better way.
Building something that'll last, generational wealth and pride,
Giving them the life I never had while breaking every cycle.
Never got my diploma, that's a burden that I carry,
Learning disability overlooked, making life more scary.
But I still went to work every day and did the best I could,
Trying to prove that where you start don't determine where you should.
People see the vision but they don't always see the plan,
They don't see the sleepless nights or understand the man.
The quiet one, the calm one, the one that rarely snaps,
Because life taught me take the punches, learn and bounce back.
My past ain't my future
