Rise Through The Static

I used to think doubt was proof I was done.

Turns out it was just the door asking for my shoulder.

Alarm clock cracked, I was late to my own plan Bills on

the table doing laps round the cold pan Notebook open,

but the pen felt frozen Same old ceiling,

new holes where the hope ran I told myself,

maybe skill got a ceiling Maybe every brick I lift just builds

more feeling Then the train broke down,

rain soaked my sneakers Still wrote bars on receipts from the cleaners

Small wins stacked in a jar by the dresser Pressure made lessons,

not crowns for professors I learned slow motion still counts as motion

Even cracked boats cross towns on the ocean Now I rap relaxed,

facts tucked in the cadence Fear in the backseat,

strapped in with patience If doubt want rent,

better pay me in fuel I turn bad days into class,

stay after school Keep going,

even when the road fold Chest heavy,

still I let the hope hold Step after step,

let the proof speak I been down,

not defeated, still moving on beat

Keep going, make the hard part useful Doubt got loud,

but the heart got truthful

Second year in, same stairs,

third landing Phone full of no's,

but the plan kept standing Manager laughed when I asked for an

evening Said dreams don't clock in,

son, people need eating I nodded,

clocked out, walked home with a fever Mind like a courtroom,

pride as the speaker Evidence weak,

but the verdict was brutal Guilty of trying,

sentenced to usual Then mom called soft,

said, breathe when it's storming Trees take their time before anybody calls

them So I trimmed every excuse,

got lean with the labor Saved little paper,

made peace with the scraper

Flow

switch quick, when the kick

start knocking Tick-tock thoughts get boxed,

I keep plotting Slip,

grip, pivot, every limit gets visited Then I flip it,

script it, live it,

admit I committed it

Keep going, even when the road fold Chest heavy,

still I let the hope hold Step after step,

let the proof speak I been down,

not defeated, still moving on beat Keep going,

make the hard part useful Doubt got loud,

but the heart got truthful

(yeah) Now the mirror look less like a witness More like a

coach with a list for the fitness I still miss shots,

still trip on decisions Still feel fear when the room gets quiet

But courage ain't clean,

it arrives with mud on Shoes scuffed up,

yet the stride get loved on I keep receipts for the nights

that I nearly quit Read them like proof I survived every buried

bit Fast now, breath tight,

pen bite, chest bright Less flight,

more fight, red light,

next right Back from the bad math,

cash short, path rough Laugh at the last draft,

craft got glass cut I don't need perfect,

I need one more measure One more brick,

one more breath under pressure If I prove it to me,

then the room can listen

Self-doubt shrinks when the work start glistening

Keep going, even when the road fold Chest heavy,

still I let the hope hold Step after step,

let the proof speak I been down,

not defeated, still moving on beat

Keep going, make the hard part useful Doubt got loud,

but the heart got truthful (keep going)

Some days you win loud.

Some days you just get up again.

Both count.

Keep the receipt.