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1. |
The Fire
04:04
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Verse One
Awakened from a dream
Her hands, they shook me with a whisper
A terrified scream reduced into a whimper
Cuz’ something was awry
She urged me to come with her
When my feet hit the floor
We explored, all I remember is the light switch
Which revealed,
the smoke billowing above me
Sight hitched, even-keeled
Until my mind went, silent
Time stood still
My fight-or-flight went, “Fight!” then
iPhone sent me to that 9-1-uno
You know, we’re trained for this
But when the moment when it’s real exists
The shock amplifies each minute and it hangs
Suspense
So many questions cloud a head, it makes it hard for you to act instead
Without a plan we took the kids from their beds
Informed the neighbor, said a prayer, took some valuables out of our lair
Hopped in the Escape and waited patiently, Sirens a blare
Why is this happening?
Father it’s not fair
Chorus
When life goes up in flames (fire, fire)
It’s slow motion
Tomorrow’s a new day (fire, fire)
But you feel broken
And everything could change (fire, fire)
Here’s to hopin’
That everything’s okay (fire, fire)
When you arrive on the other side of the fire
Verse Two
I told my daughter she was safe, and Jensen, now we’re in the clear son
They sat in the rear seat
Thankful that I’m not Jack Pearson
The trucks arrived, the end is near
Somebody tried to tell me there was nothing to fear
But since our physical bodies were safe
I thought of several ways, that I could be afraid like
What does it cost be saved?
It’s almost 1a
Until the next day
No insurance company
Could answer the, “How we gon’ pay?” questions
Which meant no assurance, I need a blessing
Beyond, “at least we’re all alive.” How does my family thrive?
When all belongings, everything we’ve acquired in life
Are subject to be cloaked in smoke, what’s the damage inside?
I saw them open the side door and from the basement
More haze rose, unphased they made their way in
To the stairwell
Take care, well
The smell, seems dangerous to inhale
My home’s a literal hell (man)
Chorus
When life goes up in flames (fire, fire)
It’s slow motion
Tomorrow’s a new day (fire, fire)
But you feel broken
And everything could change (fire, fire)
Here’s to hopin’
That everything’s okay (fire, fire)
When you arrive on the other side of the fire
Verse Three
Looked like the spirit of the Devil of himself
Was being exercised
I’m not an exorcist but seen it with my own eyes
As the black was extracted with fans
Just feet beneath
The very surface where my family stands
And sleeps nightly
The thought rightly
Implored fright, seeing the fight stemmed a helpless, question inducing plight within
Did it ignite, and when
Would everything be regulated to the point where we could move back in?
We’re in a frenzy
Laiden with doubt
I played it over in my head time and time again
Faded it out
I prayed about it,
I’ll get what’s mine
Till then
We made it out
Guess that’s my focus, I’ll see that as a win
I took a walk through it yesterday
I guess the smell of decay
Is damp brick meets freshly burned plastic
Nuff’ to turn spastic, feeling fully defeated
Wasn’t it a fire that burned?
Feels like my freedom
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2. |
Change
03:18
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Verse One
When I’m an old man, white head
Feet in the bed
Ready to sleep, I’ll make a documentary of memories that’ll creep
Into my mental vault
Catapult me into the now
What will I make those memories be about?
Should it be effortless, a job that anybody could get?
Or should I work hard, dream big, and make a career?
Out of my passion the masses travel in packs
Find an attachment to souls who remain in the cracks
Will it outlast, like a fast when it’s finally through
After the hunger, sacrifice and endless wishing subdue
I’ll make a colony of men and women ready to use
Communication as a way to limit negative news
No longer sentence domesticity coupled with abuse
A healthy family could ultimately stop what we knew
There is so candidly so much damage we have to undo
But in the long run you can change the world simply changin you
(I can feel it)
Chorus
Change, is inevitable
Change, is inevitable (ible, ible, ible, ible)
Verse Two
Within development, we revel in a new day and age
But like the olden days, a category labels the phase
The children learning, teen rebellin’, turnin’ into their friends
Can never tell where one of them begins, the other one ends
Then comes a time when all concern is to discover yourself
The new addiction, form opinions without somebody’s help
Might even come a day when you refuse to open your ears
Because the falsities are plenty, facts are commonly scarce
Following this you get the setup for the rest of your years
Seeking the knowledge anywhere, determining who you care to agree with
The company you keep, you’ve gotta ask will I leave with
A new perspective, fresh air to breathe with
See this
Imagine losing youth
Having the knowledge that you
Haven’t accomplished anything
Change has come to rescue, you
We all develop
And everything is set up
So if you feel me planet earth we need to get up
Chorus
Change, is inevitable
Change, is inevitable (ible, ible, ible, ible)
Bridge
Do you want a change? (Yes! You know we want a change!)
Do we need a change? (Yes! We really need a change!)
Do we need a change? (Yes! We really need a change!)
Can we be the change? (Yes! We can be the change!)
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3. |
Inspire Me
04:07
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(Verse One)
It’s puzzling, I’ve got a way with words
I write so many songs
But when it comes to you
We’ve been together long enough that every noun and every verb
Probably sounds, like something you’ve already heard
And if the pen is mightier like they say
than the sword
Then you can see through all my instruments of war
It makes me speak a little less
And write about so many subjects
I guess that you begin to suspect
That I want something more
Than
(Chorus)
But I just need you to know
That even as we grow, old
You still inspire me
And if I’m honest, truth-be-told
I want to impress you the most
And that terrifies me
(Verse Two)
I wonder why the stories closest to me are the hardest to tell
What does that say about me?
That I could write about a stranger all day
And write a character into a play
Hey, guess I prefer that way
Cuz when I lay your name down, on the page
Suddenly feels like there’s just too much at stake
Because with me you’ve lived it all
And you remember better than I scrawl
So what am I to write you won’t recall?
Go on shake that magic eight ball (I bet it’ll say)
(Chorus)
That I need you to know
That even as we grow, old
You still inspire me
And if I’m honest, I might say
It’s not that my affections changed
It’s simply that you’re my everything
(Verse Three - Rap Verse)
Boo, you are the feather in my quill
The motion in my still
The “U” in my vocabulary,
will,
every song I write address it plainly?
I know they haven’t lately
But even when these lyrics turn 80
You’ll be hidden faintly in the cracks
Cuz you’re my foundation
Even when it lacks in presentation
Your name’s somewhere in my interpretation
And I know when the mic drops, time stops
You’re the one I’m coming home to
Stability is what I have with you
And knowing that my home is safe I’m able
To conquer more than just a pad of paper
I can take the world and make it greater
I guess that that makes you a world changer
(Chorus)
And I need you to know
That even as we grow, old
You still inspire me
And when our children have all but grown
And moved out on their own, oh
You’ll still inspire me
And when our lives are written on a stone
And Heaven is our home
You’ll still inspire me
And when you doubt it
Think about this song
Remember all along
How you’ve inspired me
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4. |
Honeymoon
03:49
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(toast to the groom, toast to the bride 4x)
(Verse One)
She walked into the room
White dress, elegant, fair skin
Complimented the affair we’re paired in
Everybody in the room stood to stare then
Get a first look, at a woman I mistook for an angel
stranger things never came to the bowtied mayne at the top of his game
Tryin to entertain, or rather calculate, how a first date led to this I’m so fortunate
But I guess i’m just a man in love, that’s a man in luck, and my life’s in flux, we gon’ rock that tux
We gon’ close it down, we done made them vows, and I’m currently engrossed with her style, my currency depleted for now, but I’m married to this WOW of a woman, I’m gonna have a child with this woman, we gonna ride or die (but first we’ll have a party)
(Chorus)
Honeymoon, We going on a honeymoon
Tomorrow we’ll be seaside, tropical island
But first we electric slidin’
honeymoon, but we can’t leave too soon
we gotta fill the floor and grab somebody
it’s a celebration get it started
(toast to the groom, toast to the bride 4x)
(Verse Two)
We started with mimosas
Lifted with laughs
like wingardium leviosa
then we took photographs
in a circle that we danced away
and did the DJ takes requests from the family
He sho did
Now we Cha Cha and we Shufflin
Threw that JuJu on that beat, so we danced again
had to take my uncle’s keys cuz he had a gin
My granny had a take a seat, but she managin’
tomorrow i’ll be in the heat, tryin’ to take a swim
later we’ll be fast asleep, probably after 10
we had to separate Denise from attackin’ Kim
they had me beggin’ please (we’re here to party)
(Chorus)
Honeymoon, We going on a honeymoon
Tomorrow we’ll be seaside, tropical island
But first we electric slidin’
honeymoon, but we can’t leave too soon
we gotta fill the floor and grab somebody
it’s a celebration get it started
(Toast to the groom, toast to the bride 4x)
(Verse Three)
Now all the ladies in the house brought they sandals out
cuz it’s too real for heels in here, and our whereabouts
are like a sauna as we rock-a-way
we tryna shed our last visit to that stocked buffet
and it’s fun
and someone tried to crash, I said let’em
the wife said “how we gonna pay for’em?”
I said, “get’em”
my cousin took’em to the back door
Never met’em
I guess Phil said he said he was mad, but had,
left with some pals in a Jetta
and we never saw him again
I know tomorrow coming soon but we still steppin’
that Journey tune had us Believin’ and we ain’t stoppin
Wishin’ this night would never end (we love this party)
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5. |
Chain Reaction
04:36
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(Verse One)
When I hear you shout a word
Obscenities and tones
I own them then I throw them back
We’re left feeling all alone
Forced to deal with ourselves and all the things we lack
Said some things we didn’t mean to say
We know it now, we’ve got it on replay
Didn’t mean to wake up mean today
But push became a shove now we’re left layin’ (hey)
Just one moment set a course
And you know coarse words become them hoarse vocal chords
And the sound of slamming doors
The silence left behind in an old house with no remorse
But eventually that fades away
We realize we’re just two broken people
Who don’t intend to damage
But find it hard to manage
In moments when it’s frantic
We shed the pretty packagin’
(Chorus)
And BOOM
Even though we know
That it hurts to blow, up
It turns into a chain reaction
And I don't want a chain reaction
(BOOM)
If we choose to grow
We pull together slow, ly
Forgiveness is a chain reaction
Then we can have a chain reaction
(Verse Two)
When the days that follow lift
We find the courage
to speak and shed a little armor
It’s like a toe in the water here
We check the temp and hope it’s warm enough to swim (yeah)
Yeah what we have is such a gift
But a gift is easy to forget when the recipient
Isn’t present for the present
We sour like a lemon and our words become so venomous
Even though we’re grown
We can’t articulate the things we want
And we ain’t got the tools to stay afloat
And so we cover up the hurt again
That mask is off as soon as we need oxygen
So how do we make peace when
We’re both left in pieces?
We realize we’re two broken people
Who don’t intend to damage
But find it hard to manage
In moments when it’s frantic
We just shed that pretty packagin’
(Chorus)
And BOOM
Even though we know
That it hurts to blow, up
It turns into a chain reaction
And I don't want a chain reaction
(BOOM)
If we choose to grow
We pull together slow, ly
Forgiveness is a chain reaction
Then we can have a chain reaction
(Bridge)
Am I responsible for happiness in you?
While acknowledging that I don’t know what happy is to me
With every birthday card and every anniversary
I want you as my partner not my adversary
As this walk of life we go down
Sometimes becomes a showdown
My decisions, your decisions, we point fingers and we know now
That it’s not that hard of a riddle
And the truth’s somewhere in the middle
You can throw that baking sheet on the ground we’re like that peanut
Brittle
We begin to feel so little
(Chorus 2x)
And BOOM
Even though we know
That it hurts to blow, up
It turns into a chain reaction
And I don't want a chain reaction
(BOOM)
If we choose to grow
We pull together slow, ly
Forgiveness is a chain reaction
Then we can have a chain reaction
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6. |
Hold the Light
03:10
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Verse One
Maybe I’m a teacher but, I’m a student first
I’m a student first
I’m a student of humanity, birthed in commonality
Worth a life of happiness and family
Handedly just a man seeking peace and understanding
But candidly
We’re living in a state without neutrality
Polarizing mentalities
Undeniably challenging
Extreme news cycles perpetuate it so casually
Eminent casualties
If we don’t decided to handle these works
See my objective is to make us alert
We’ve got to be active in action
We’ve got to choose acts of compassion
We’ve got to blessings to masses
We’ve got to be civil and noble
Let’s feed every person that’s hungry
Put our communities over
I want to be decent and soulful
We ought to be neighbors and saviors
Project a legacy of love and never give life to enslavers
Show people that somebody cares
And though it sounds easy on paper
Know that it takes sacrifice, prayer, and people to work through the layers
We need to (hold the light)
Chorus
We can hold the light
We can be the light
Verse Two
The thing that I’ve learned about words, is words matter
Throughout history words have caused blood splatter
Started wars and protests, caused people to gather
We march for civil rights and peace, and yet the latter’s not accomplished but
We cannot give up
We persist so that the hatred won’t conquer us
We aspire to speak, like men and women before
Who when times were bleak, showed love an open door
And inspired us to change our ways
We admire their conviction and ideas are praised
With an eye on you and me a question has been raised
Will we be leaders of the truth, or just part of the parade
A part of the facade, but facades fade away
So to truth give a nod and let God show the way
I beg you to be leaders, lovers healers, through everything
Be the reason, believe that you can save the day
Chorus
We can hold the light
We can be the light
Bridge
I want to take a moment to say thank you
Thank you to my friends, family and community
It just so happened that the making of this record coincided with one of the hardest seasons that my family could’ve imagined
And yet thanks to all of you
Who showed my family love and support
I maintain a stronger conviction that we could be
We could be the reason they smile
And be the reason they eat
Be the reason they laugh
Maybe the reason they breathe
Be the reason they have
The confidence to be seen
Especially up in the moments when they want to retreat
Embrace the people around you
Take my advice
Choose a positive vibe
Be a good person inside
Be a good person, ignite
Teach’em love cuz it’s right
Let that love shine bright
Teach’em to love and goodnight
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R/E La Porte, Indiana
R/E = Rhymer/Educator "Don't Fight the Sound Guy" NOW ON VINYL!
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