[Verse 1: Blu]
I used to have
Peace, serenity, teaching divinity
Break bread, sipping the blood, eating with enemies
Blind, pearl on my mind thinking we finna be
This, that, and the third
Boy did I learn, tables turn
Billie Holiday burned down to play when my nerves drowned my focus away
Swerving in the locomotive
Far from my hopes and motives
Back to boastin' at shows to get a standin' o
From all the fans I know on some of that
Sapphire rapid fire soul stuff I used to hit 'em off with
But now I'm on some ol' "pay the toll" for the way I played the role
Cautious when I lace a flow 'cause
Po's think I'm painting codes
Patience grown thin, home sick and haven't been home since
Fuck a rapper
I'm an actor in a film called
Leave me the fuck alone 'til I find a real job
Busting chrome grills off at these soft-hearted breakbeats
Bouncin' with 808's and gray ink
Blue heart, red skies
True art died in the heart of my mind
Kept trying to fulfill this
Blank script with realness
Even if it kills this
Poet inside
[Hook]
[Verse 2: Blu]
Used to speak
Sweet with sympathy
Tease to mimic me
Sunshine every line you ever sent to me
Heaven sent, heavenly scent that later crippled me, shit
Simple men don't learn, where was your empathy
Couldn't see the fork in the road
Kept straight forward
Straight towards a humble abode we both hate more
Now that I fumbled and folded that open letter said
Dead men walkin' don't dream
You taped yours
And you told me I could rent it
Thought it was invented for my viewing pleasure
Human error
The apprentice turned teacher, preacher turned God
Couldn't reach ya, just a façade, the main feature
Modified for blogs, podcast the past
Hi-definition, she laughed
Pass the message
Now I'm guessin' that the jokes on me 'cause I'm the only one threatened
The wretched by the windows sketchin'
Pencil mural of the method
Don't sweat it
Techniques turnin', burnin' incense
Listening to Billie burn my intent
Definitive days that turn my nights to fiction
Friction-less, just a pen tryna pimp this stress
'Cause I couldn't keep a lid on my life
Naïve is the dry leaves on the ground
Lookin' past the tree to the blue sky askin' "Why me?"
[Hook]
[Outro]