Raised

Verse One
Check it, I can’t talk about gold chains and diamonds
Sitting on the beachfront for whole days admiring the beautiful skies
Drinking a glass of Long Island iced-tea
And watching the sunset expiring
I come from the inner city, tarmac and concrete
Gravel under my feet and ain’t no sign of palm trees
Speeding cop cars, ambulances with they sirens
Rooftop bars, ain’t no chance of getting silence
I can’t talk about hedge funds and equity from land ownership
Stocks and shares at jeopardy and black poker chips
Back-handed donations, corrupt politics
And getting standing ovations from sly dirty tricks
I come from public housing tenements
Where most of the residents surviving on benefits
And a damp interior, pollution increased
But the motto of the city is we all deserve peace
I can’t really talk about trust funds, inheritance
Antiques, private school, trademarks and dividends
Gold bars, private jets, sports cars
Champagne from the finest fruits of the vineyards
I come from nothing in the bank
High interest rates, credit cards and a blank chequebook
Fresh page, never written, still attached to the stub
Yeah that’s how I came up

Chorus
Yeah that’s how I came up, yeah that’s how I came up (raised)
Yeah that’s how I came up, yeah that’s how I came up (raised)
Yeah that’s how I came up, yeah that’s how I came up (raised)
Yeah that’s how I came up, yeah that’s how I came up (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Verse Two
I can talk about the faith of the seed from a mustard
Living with the hope and belief that I trusted
Working seven days of the week til’ I’m flustered
Remembering the hand-me-downs appropriately adjusted
I can talk about seeing someone on they face
Giving them a helping hand so they can get back in the race
And I let them use my shoulder
So they got a firm place they can trust and can lean on
They know that won’t break
I can talk about the lack of fear that I live with
Responsibilities as I control my own business
Taking care of everything so my ship don’t sink
Vigilant with details, wide eyed, don’t blink
I can talk about staying calm in a storm
Adapt to situations, but reluctant to conform
Remember my uniqueness is my greatest ammunition
Remember preservation just as much as acquisition
I can talk about my whole life as I’ve lived it
Every accident and everything I did deliberate
The failures, success, shortcomings, victories
Tomorrow is the future and the past is my history
I can talk about me, maybe not you
But there are things collectively that people go through
So everybody different, equally we are the same
I just got my perspective from the way that I was raised

Chorus

Outro
Raised (repeated multiple times)