Once Upon A Time

[Verse 1]
Aye yo—once upon a time in Detroit
There was this man named Rob
He had just got outta work
He wiped the sweat off his brow
He had a child, had a boy
On the floor with his toys
Back up in Baltimore
Who was four, maybe five
He realized
That by the time he was sixty
His kid would probably be frisky
With some fine young lady
Who was into committing
He knew his son had a vision
And he swore he wasn't gon' miss it
But he worked every shift
Did it all through the night
Just to provide for the wife
But time after time, his baby boy cried
Cause he needed a Papa Bear
To be there when he wasn't there
So he quit his job
Got one closer to home
To show his son that real fathers
Don’t leave they kin on the road
And man, even though
All that was ages ago
He fall asleep on the porch
And he's just waiting to go
All he knows is that
His family‘s finally top of the world
And his son is amazed
Cause now he looks at him like, "Whoa..."

[Hook]
What is a name
Or the fame that it brings
Or the diamond ring
That your girl wears?
Who we are (who we are)
I cannot tell
There's so many places
You could've fell from
And I won't know until I get there

[Verse 2]
Okay now -- once upon a time
In this place called Queens
A momma gave birth to a King
And so it seemed
He was a palpable soul
Who was surely ready
To steadily devour the world
With a father that had a father
That was accountable
For all the things that were true
When money was an issue
He never beamed of confusion
So the baby’s father decided
To cut school
Out of his love to equations
Subtract all the hatred
And just have a baby
Then give him his all
Yo, ain’t that amazing
Even though he lost his girl
He never complained
He just looked straight up to God
And gave him his faith
Said nah, nah --
You best remember
Our boy gon' be a star
Know he an angel
But he been flying far
To get to us he must of flew
Over Heaven and Mars
Just to land in our arms
Girl how lucky we are
To have this situation
And every day
While he watches that one seed
Bloom into a tree
He just looks at him like, "Whoa..."

[Hook]
What is a name
Or the fame that it brings
Or the diamond ring
Thar your girl wears?
Who we are (who we are)
I cannot tell
There's so many places
You could've fell from
And I won't know until I get there
(Cause then there's me…)

[Verse 3]
Flow is hot, flow is fly
Flow is unidentified
Rod about to shoot you
Out the sky again a second time
Got a lot of people
Who done crossed on
To the other side, telling God
Please protect that boy
Down there with seraph eyes
I'm terrified; terrorized by the lengths
Of my imaginative mind
Is it true that I'm one of a kind?
True that I'm going someplace in life
And deserve to be there?
Am I more than appears?
More than my peers?
Nevermind, those ain't answers
I truly I desire
This is more of a thing
I do on the side
To make sure of who I am
Who am I?
Well if you gotta know
I always do—never try
I don't just move on miss
I float right on by
And heck, I can barely
With up with myself
Got projects stacked on the shelf
And not a listener for 'em
I write a story, there's always a sequel
I write a third and there's always
Some people pushing me 'round
Cause of what I do—damn
What I got to lose?
I need time to discover my roots
Can’t wear crown
And not know know the troops
For real, I got some holes to fill
I've never watched my town
Only analyzed the tears of youth
There’s a difference
Never heard a gunshot ‘round here
But I can tell they selling and cooking
Look, you got a story?
I'm willing to tell it
You keep it quiet, I’m fixing to yell it
Like—like, once upon a time in Detroit
Upon a time in Queens
Upon a time on this Earth
There were billions and billions
Of souls searching for a purpose
They already knew
But since I found it
Let me share it with you, it's you
Yeah—yeah, I'm talking to you
And it might take a few
For you to feel it as truth
But I know that you will
Cause generations have passed
Just for me surpass
Sit and ask how you are
Or just question your dad
Write this song as a verse
So that you sing in it packs
And it finally proves—you know...

[Outro]
What is a name
Or the fame that it brings
Or the diamond ring
That your girl wears?
What is a name
Or the fame that it brings
Or the diamond ring
That your girl wears?
What is a name
Or the fame that it brings
Or the diamond ring
That your girl wears?
(Who we are)
I won't know until I get there...