Black Boy Rising

Got boots on,

dirt on my jeans Still chasing bigger dreams

Small town boy with loud ideas Been

fighting through my fears Mama said stay real,

stay kind

Even when life don’t align

I pray hard, I work late Trusting God with my fate They

used to say I gotta hide my truth

Like love I feel ain’t something I could choose

But I learned that I don’t have to change

To sing my story in my own name

I grew up where they don’t understand But I still stand like

a man

Heart wide open, I won’t pretend

This is me until the end

Black boy country, heart so strong

Singing pain into a song Dirt roads raised me right

I still shine through the night Black boy country,

love out loud Even when they don’t allow

I was born to break that chain

And love without shame

I like boys who see my light

Who don’t ask me to dim my life Same roads,

same stars above But now I know I’m worthy of love Used

to think I had to hide my face Now I walk in

my own grace

If they talk, I let it be

They can’t take this joy from me

Small town whispers, I heard them all Still I stand,

I don’t fall

Every step I take is proof

That I get to live my truth

If they told me I don’t belong

I turned that pain into a song Now I sing it loud

and clear

I ain’t never living in fear

Love is love, and I’m still here

Stronger every passing year

Black boy country, heart so strong I was right where I belong

No more hiding, no more lies I let my spirit rise Black

boy country, free at last Breaking chains from the past

Dirt roads led me to the light And I still shine through

the night

Black boy country, free at last And I still shine through the

night