Nina

[Verse 1]
I play Nina Simone, nobody knows you when you're down and out
Hearing voices in my head, try to drown em' out
Damn Nina, I wish that I could tuck a nina
It's fucking with my demeanor
Picture heaven above these overcrowded arenas
Watching us fall, as we try to balance like ballerinas
About to blast, couldn't quite figure how to grasp
Me watching my sand pass through my hourglass
Never used to faze me, eventually my youth betrays me
In due time, I bear the fruit that saves me
Uh, I used to peddle fiction
Deep conviction had my earlobes twitchin' when I would mention my goals
But the path I chose, had me sufferin' blows
I was exposed to the pressure and froze
When the lights have faded, I isolate
Debating myself about the price I payed, in the life I traded
I was built for more, but was I built for war?
I say by any means, but never killed before
The allure of dreaming is pure, it's way too much for me to ever ignore
Plottin' adventures, head in the clouds, hoppin' in trenches
Gravity pulled me down, a bullet lodged within inches of my soul
Yeah, of my soul

[Hook]
Look me in my eye, tell me something good
Sell another lie, maybe if I would
Look you in your eye
I would see the mirror now reflecting your reply

And you reply, look me in my eye
Tell me something good, sell another lie
Maybe if I would, look you in the eye
I would see the mirror now reflecting your reply

[Verse 2]
The approach I mastered, straight-up, ass-backwards
Picture me relaxin' while droppin' the tax brackets
Trippin' off the way I felt, like I was strapped to a conveyor belt
Destined for greatness where major players dwell
Fast forward when the cash lowered
Get behind a mask for no one to see how I left my ass showin'
Busy dreamin' bout quasars and stars
That my 8-ball dissolve, like my fate called it off
Feeling low, cuz truth be told
My older brothers lacked half the opportunities I loosely hold
Cuz I was raised in the U.S., made in the U.S
Educated and paid, but I do less
My brothers came to the U.S. for a change
But they knew less, at 20-plus age, maybe you guessed
I start thinkin' bout all the shit that I could've done
I start thinkin' bout all the battles I should've won
Like rule of thumb, never let your mom succumb
To the pressure, my confession, I'm fleshin' out as a son
I got regrets tattooed to the inside of my skull, I been cried til I'm dull
Men lie when they're young, but then try when they're old
To develop self-awareness, I been tryin' to uphold

[Hook]

[Outro]
It's just you and I, It's just you and I
It's just you and I, It's just you and I

I ain't got shit in this world
Me, myself and I trying to live in this world
Gotta hold my head high, black kid in this world
Never let my dreams die, hope they fit in this world

I ain't got shit in this world
Me, myself and I trying to live in this world
Gotta hold my head high, black kid in this world
Never let my dreams die, hope they fit in this world