Yeah…
News clips, hollywood shows, headlines told
But that ain't the truth, that's just what's sold
Now I'm standin' where the cameras don't go
And man… I ain't never felt cold like this before
Stepped in the zone where the lights don't glow
Where the nights move slow, but the fights still grow
I been watchin' through a screen, never seen it this close
Now the air too thick, feel the weight on my throat
They say, Work hard, push past, stay driven,
But the start line's bent, and the race stay rigged in
Back home, it's a vote, here it's court dates given
One slip, whole life in a case
No witness
I seen schools shut down, cops flood blocks,
I seen dreams laid out in white chalked spots.
I see moms work shifts while the rent still climb,
While execs play chess with a dollar and a lie.
I see the world, but it ain't the same show
What I call a struggle, they call the status quo
I hear their voices, I try to know
But I can't wear the weight of the scars they show
Ohhh, I didn't know…
How the world looked from below…
Now I see, but I still can't hold what it means to survive in a life this cold…
Ohhhh
This cold
They flip pain to a check, make cash off views
Broadcast blues, but don't ask who lose
Tell 'em "pull up boots," but they laced too loose
When the weight too great, how they 'sposed to move?
I seen kids with no space just to play like kids
Cuz the block ain't safe, so they stay like this
I been blind to the walls that they face like this
Never feared that a badge might erase my prints
Talk "rags to the riches," but the rags stay ripped
And the riches get stacked by the ones who sit
I been taught, If you fail, get up, don't trip
But if failure's all you know, when the hell's that switch?
I see the world, but it ain't the same show
What I call a struggle, they call the status quo
I hear their voices, I try to know
But I can't wear the weight of the scars they show
Ohhh, I didn't know…
How the world looked from below…
Now I see, but I still can't hold what it means to survive in a life this cold…
Ohhhh
This cold
I seen the chain-link gates, the long court dates
The hand-me-down fate, the locked-in place
I seen the red lines drawn, the silence taught
And I see I got the privilege to leave when I want
Yeah… I ain't tryna preach, just tryna learn
Cuz back home, we talk, but we don't know the burn
I see it now, and man, it cut deep
But seein' ain't livin', so what does that mean?
Ohhh, I didn't know
How the world looked from below
Now I see, but I still can't hold what it means to survive in a life this cold
Ohhhh
This cold
This cold
This cold