Closer
See I was born into poverty, it never really bothered me
People say that I look mean, I guess you’ve got to be
Born in the hood… raised in the slums
Where people pray for miracles, but nothing ever comes
Momma kept moving, working like crazy
Got to keep food on the plate for two babies
And daddy was around, but he never really gave a shit
Supposed to be watching us, but he just split
Left us all alone, door latched at home
House to ourselves, no chaperone
Forced to be a daddy, had to take care of my brother
And we never would have made it if it wasn’t for my mother
She put food on the bottom shelf so I could reach
And I made sure my little baby brother would eat
Life wasn’t easy, always told us we were blessed
In a less than perfect circumstance, she always did her best
Everything will be brighter when I get there
And when I cross that line I'm going to stay there
I'm getting closer every hour every day
Closer to my dreams
I was just a baby when I first played Mario
Just a young brother growing up in the barrio
Never used the couch when playing our Nintendo
Had to lay down on the carpet, in case a bullet hit the window
It sounds like a dream; it was more like an incubus
This aint a movie though, I know it sounds ridiculous
Couldn’t wear blue, never wore red
Especially not a hat, catch a bullet in the head
Kept my head down when I walked to class
Left a little early and we got home fast
Locked up the pad, had bars on the window pane
Pushers in the cars on the corner, with the crack cocaine
Pick up the sticks, my life was great
Goombas and bricks… were my escape
And I kept on leveling, kept improving
But most of all, I just had to keep on moving
See I was born into poverty, it never really bothered me
People say that I look mean, I guess you’ve got to be
Born in the hood… raised in the slums
Where people pray for miracles, but nothing ever comes
Momma kept moving, working like crazy
Got to keep food on the plate for two babies
And daddy was around, but he never really gave a shit
Supposed to be watching us, but he just split
Left us all alone, door latched at home
House to ourselves, no chaperone
Forced to be a daddy, had to take care of my brother
And we never would have made it if it wasn’t for my mother
She put food on the bottom shelf so I could reach
And I made sure my little baby brother would eat
Life wasn’t easy, always told us we were blessed
In a less than perfect circumstance, she always did her best
Everything will be brighter when I get there
And when I cross that line I'm going to stay there
I'm getting closer every hour every day
Closer to my dreams
I was just a baby when I first played Mario
Just a young brother growing up in the barrio
Never used the couch when playing our Nintendo
Had to lay down on the carpet, in case a bullet hit the window
It sounds like a dream; it was more like an incubus
This aint a movie though, I know it sounds ridiculous
Couldn’t wear blue, never wore red
Especially not a hat, catch a bullet in the head
Kept my head down when I walked to class
Left a little early and we got home fast
Locked up the pad, had bars on the window pane
Pushers in the cars on the corner, with the crack cocaine
Pick up the sticks, my life was great
Goombas and bricks… were my escape
And I kept on leveling, kept improving
But most of all, I just had to keep on moving