Catch as Catch Can pt 2

Started this road when I was 19 regarded as a pipe dream
No smoke blowing I wrote knowing you light green
As a means to ripen as it seems my writing
Came from battling with free’s had me traveling for fee’s
We were five men Rez, Stro, me, Q, and Vice then
Getting shows in any juke that had a mic stand
Local groups they hated us focused youth
It made what had broken through the get they rust
Ain't none of you up staging us
At least that’s what I told myself calling it survival
Made a beast out of my smaller self to call out any rival
Full of small town mentality’s grabbing at the crab to beat
Then craftily pulling you down when they at your feet
Actually when y’all look around and do the math you’ll see
Life is naturally pulling you down call it gravity
Halves of me were having these visions to play a rapper
Ambitions to play a pastor divisions I prayed to master
As synonyms religion and men remain a factor
Must have been the sin in them that made me ask
Much later playing churches debating what my worth is
Cus they payed me like a star
Displaying merch near where they worship sunday service
Now is it worth the cost to go
If they use your money to build concert halls instead of hospitals
All I know is that the thought never escaped me
Feeling like I was caught in something make believe

Well, well, well
There's got to be a better way
Oh I know I know
There's got to be a better way

I was a rocky mountain rapper doubting what I rap for
Feeling trapped for half my county’s in Iraq Wars
The other half would have me counting down to rapture
Asking bout my path and if I’m that sure
Roller coaster focus no longer youthful more like hopeless
Plus Q just told the crew that he had multiple sclerosis
All before he wrote his opus four was once five
On a tour with Pharcyde we were the new openers
Fast forward now who you think we’ve opened for
Traveling the road for four years doing sold out tours
We had The Roots, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest and more
I mean Hyro, Mos Def, we slept on floors, in vans, a homeless shelter
Blessed by those adventures
Though the stress of getting so much less it never left us
At times feeling helpless reminded who the help was
Every time we saw the line up you know why people line up
The headliner in most minds we just the tail
Plus ones with some merch to sell
We went from being a big fish to being one that’s outta water
With a quarter and wish tryna work the well
You gotta pick up the scraps if you wanna go public
Feeling shackled to the struggle call it work detail
Cus sometimes hanging with kings takes a rope and a sac
Cus ain't nobody giving rings to the opening act

Well, well, well
There's got to be a better way
Oh I know I know
There's got to be a better way