Life as a Shorty

[Verse 1: Fashawn]
Remember, livin' in a trailer
Cookin' dinner out a Crockpot or we would microwave it
Basic, television same seven stations
On a twelve-inch, I had to watch cable at the neighbors
Didn't know how broke we was 'til I got older
Never knew I had a father until he showed up
Out the blue, tryin' to get back wit mama
Stepdad walks in, now here comes the drama
Had a couple of em, to be honest
Like William, Scott, they would always take me shoppin'
Ralphie and Mark, they would take me to the doctor
I call em all Daddy even though they didn't have me
Kids used to make fun of my clothes
'til one of em got punched in the nose
Kinda like I was forced to be tough
Life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough, but hey

[Hook: J. Mitchell]
Even though, I'm young and I can't see
The forest from the trees, follow me
And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be
The H.N.I.C., follow me
Mama, I'll be alright, just let me do my thing
Following my dreams, this is me

[Verse 2: Fashawn]
First fight, third grade, I was swingin' from the shoulders
With this kid named Dariah, he was three years older
And like two feet taller, I finished it, he started it
All over this chick named Barbara Johnson
"Nonsense" I thought once the principal came
That fat lip really put a dent in my game
Never in my life have I felt such pain
Got sent home, but I held my own
Slept in every morning, it was like a vacation
How'd I make it to sixth grade graduation?
Cause I was always ditchin', hung around with some misfits
With ADD, and they all smoked weed
Never read a piece of literature, wasn't good listeners
Never paid attention, so they hung 'round me
While my parents was out in the streets
I built my world on a blank sheet, just thinkin' in myself

[Hook: J. Mitchell]
Even though, I'm young and I can't see
The forest from the trees, follow me
And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be
The H.N.I.C., follow me

[Verse 3: Fashawn]
Check it out, hard to forget all the time I would spend
With my first fuck, even had me dodgin' my friends
Wore my heart on my sleeve at the age of fifteen
She would tell me that she loved me, it was all just pretend
She cheated on me, so it quickly came to an end
She put the blame on him, got played, I'll admit that
Hangin' with my friends, never called her again
Five years later, heard she had a kid, damn
I guess time flies when you're havin' fun
So enjoy life, you only get one
I love my childhood, despite the gunfire
I was quite happy growin' up in the slums
It wasn't too bad, havin' a few dads
The only thing I disliked was not havin' cash
What I'd give for a couple of bucks
Man, life as a shorty shouldn't be so rough, but hey

[Hook: J. Mitchell]
Even though, I'm young and I can't see
The forest from the trees, follow me
And when I'm grown, you know I'm bound to be
The H.N.I.C., follow me
Mama, I'll be alright, just let me do my thing
Following my dreams, this is me