Sheets blue form my cocoon Sheltering me from the yellow sun's call They keep out the lights by replicating the night Darkness coaxes me to stay in this solace Free, my duties greet me Silence is cut open by the short, sharp wailings Of the blaring tune of my alarm clock Awakening the routine Shower, brush teeth, eat, work, repeat A journey through a faceless mass Leads me to my workplace Where I pick away at loose threads Aimlessly dreaming of my life's true purpose Frustration clings to my mind with a relentless grip Creating resentment and confusion and lost parts I thought I put in their safe place Free, my duties have left me, and I am met with relief Washing over me as the sun succumbs to the horizon I break into night My daddy told me that he proud of me I said why What is it glistening in your son when you look him in the eye Sometimes I wonder why you look and then your eyes get so wide Knowing your expectations for me are a little too high And I know you always said that all I can do is try And that the only limit on me is the blue of the sky But in this present moment now I wouldn't tell you a lie It seems the sky is black and falling down on me and that my Only escape is reaching your idea of greatness or die The pressure seems to much and now I'm wishing that I could fly But maybe everything I said about this pressure ain't true Maybe the pressure came from me and ain't never come from you But this obligation to see all my dreams coming true Is an older manifest it ain't no mission that's new Been carrying this heavy weight since I was like one or two And if I ain't careful now, a loss I ain't never knew Though it's hard know the Father got his hands on me But sometimes when I look up it's like His back in on me It's been hard to find someone to take some chances on me Since they booked me for the festival and cancelled on me Though it's hard know the Father got his hands on me I've been trynna be someone that makes me proud of me And I'm hoping little Tyler would look up to me But I'm not sure with the way I'm feeling lately Though it's hard know the Father got his hands on me Folks supported for a moment just to change on me I don't see no difference anyway I always had me Since that first piano note came off my fingers loudly Though it's hard know the Father got his hands on me Even though I'm in this storm it got me feeling lonely But I know I'd make it through it if I could only Find it deep inside myself to not just give up on me

Mama was waiting For me to recite Couldn't say that poem Looking in her eye Doubted my vision Put down my pen Thought I wasn't worth it Won't do that again I was blind to see what I had And if I could I would go back Now that I know Our time is borrowed Know life without struggle Is life without growth for tomorrow It was over You said goodbye I didn't know If I would survive But in time I noticed I was bruised, not broken If that door hadn't closed A new one couldn't open I was blind to see what I had And if I could I would go back Now that I know Our time is borrowed Know life without struggle Is life without growth for tomorrow Saying goodbye Was the best thing that could happen So long Thought I lost but I was wrong So now I write this song To say thank you Thank you Thank you I was blind to see what I had And if I could I would go back Now that I know Our time is borrowed Know life without struggle Is life without growth for tomorrow Know Days without struggle Are says without growth for tomorrow

Don't wanna waste time let's talk Promise you it's nothing more than I can handle Know that it's a handful But please don't let your candle Burn out Think that's exactly what's been happening This bad communication's leaving both of us hangin Can't deny this disconnect I just can't hear what you're sayin And you not hearing me so why am I even singing And we both Know what we don't need This toxic situation that before I couldn't see But now we recognize it and I cannot drag my feet We can't stay in this cause it's hurting you and hurting me And I know it's not the norm cause you usually keep me warm but Baby, my heartbeat is turning so cold You said not all that glitters is gold It's clear that we're just glittering cause Baby, your tears they're flooding my soul For a while me haven't been whole And we won't fix it yeah Please speak your mind if there's Something you wanna tell me Don't know if you feel me Let me help you help me Promise you it's nothing more than i can handle Know that its a handful But please don't let your candle Signal lost cause all I saw was divorce Just a matter of time it ran its course Together for two years it feel like ten how we decayed This is something that I can't comprehend yeah Now you trynna leave Never get left I know But I'm trynna work it That's not how I roll Yeah I peeped that the silence grew But because of this as people yeah We did too So I gotta feel the pain Gotta feel the rain And know I never wanted You to be the lesson Can we just work it out while we're together Cause girl, yeah I know that you're a blessing In this world it gets hard to find I lose my grip when I start to climb Then you catch me It just seems like I lost my way Astray that's wrong and gone all day Can you patch me So I called I ain't get reception Stepping out I come correct I come for you I could run down the list of things I miss The way we're kissing when we're in the room Baby, my heartbeat is turning so cold You said not all that glitters is gold It's clear that we're just glittering cause Baby, your tears they're flooding my soul For a while me haven't been whole And we won't fix it yeah It hurts but you tell me that you feel fine And I hesitate to question if you still mine With every day that passes by And the memories that fade broken promises we crumbling in real time Now its radio silence every day every night Sitting by my phone hoping that you!''ll say that you might Wanna be there right beside while I'm going through the storm Hold us tight together even though my heart is torn You tell me that you're sorry that your efforts seemed poor Apologized to you that I couldn't give you more Said we'd never say goodbye but all I see is closed doors Maybe separations a necessity to grow more Cut what's dead away and I can prosper like a tree Autumn leaves will show you all the beauty there can be In letting things go, have a moment just to breathe To heal you gotta do what's right for you and I'll do me I'll blossom in the spring and I won't miss what fell in autumn I'm looking to the brightness of the future that I see As blessings fall around me swear to God I'm claiming all them And trusting in the word that what's for me will be for me Baby, my heartbeat is turning so cold You said not all that glitters is gold It's clear that we're just glittering cause Baby, your tears they're flooding my soul For a while me haven't been whole And we won't fix it yeah

She wore blue velvet Softer than satin was the light From her eyes She wore blue velvet Listen You ever Catch your eye on a gem shining so bright It's like a shooting star blinding and shimmering on a cloudy night And it's a stillness that you never felt before Like the things that used to make or break your days just don't matter anymore One night I was sitting down by the bar Saw that cobalt blue dress and the diamonds all on her arm She knew just what she was doing her eyes caught me and charmed She made her way past took my heart in a vice left and gone And as much I tried To stay in my own lane I couldn't I looked back She was Gone quick as she came I never believed in love at first sight but now it might be true I fell hard she disappeared and all that's left was the blue She wore blue velvet Oh she wore blue velvet

It's easy we try to hide And never let nobody know what's going on on the inside Telling me that you're alright And I would believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes It's a myth grownups don't cry It's alright for me but don't keep on telling yourself the same lie Broken wings you're trynna fly Only further down to fall when you're faking it from so high Your mask ain't nothing new Sunny on your face but inside feeling blue I won't say if we only knew I'm here for you cant you see that my love for you is true And yes I know I'm free to go But I'm staying by your side won't let you be alone You don't even need to put up a front now I see right through Can't convince me we can't get through this together I care for you I don't even need to know the details To be right here I just wanna be the shoulder you can cry on and feel no fear Leaning off the edge More than ever I don't know how you make it look you got it together It's okay to take those walls down I know you strong But you don't need to push yourself till all that strength is gone Ain't the only time I seen you like this, I know the pattern And it hurts to know you feeling this pain this but it don't matter I'm just happy that you trust me enough to let me in Finally sat down and had a tough conversation my friend Said I think I need some therapy Might just go and get it cause these thoughts of mine are scaring me Been too long feeling like this I can't take it Sometimes I can't even get out of bed and it's killing me to fake it And all my moneys gone to bills or my dealer I said I hope you're safe because loneliness is a killer But as long as I'm here you don't gotta worry bout a thing Be right there by your side before my phone can even ring You don't even need to put up a front now I see right through Can't convince me we can't get through this together I care for you I don't even need to know the details To be right here I just wanna be the shoulder you can cry on and feel no fear And I need you let you know you're not a burden No pain at all Understand that you're my friend and if you're hurtin I hear my call You don't need to explain or give a reason To need a hand Just reach it out and say my name and i will Do all I can

Concrete or land of green Yard is what I say The sun is in my skin And music in my veins Lessons from way back when Still resonate today Who can't hear will feel That is what they say I like to have fun Rhythm makes me wanna dance Let's go have a good time Make some friends and shake some hands Ladies moving with the music Tip our hats off to the band That young shotta on drums Is the baddest in the land Yet the days get dark early In the evening hear the bells Don't get too close to the water or you might fall in the well These are the nights when a boy becomes a man But he might not even get the chance Streetlight means go home Listen what I say See your friends tomorrow Play another day Walked these streets before Seen the light of day And when the night would come Had friends that didnt stay Looking back in history can't help But see a parallel When you stand up for your rights They pull the trigger blow to hell Some people stand out on the street and break the law to feed their children But are villains in the story told to justify the killing The beauty of the people is the black On the flag The gold ain't what we're worth we're priceless, don't need a tag The green is for life Money power steals it away Whether island or the city either way Streets is nothing new Just ask Marlon James Even Marley they tried to take When my father left JA What if I was wrong What then would you say Kids are dying young Silk city where I stay What if I was wrong What then would you say Kids are dying young Silk city where I stay When those bright lights flash It feels like judgment day And no ones checking in To see if we're okay Our time is not that long Especially these days Kids are dying young Silk city where I stay

It's said that in Moonlight, black Boys turn blue But what is the charm of the streetlight's kiss On the blackness of skin In the blackness of night? The warm orange glow The cold, white shine A streetlight illuminates the night In an effort to say "Go home" A shooting star, a sudden, bold Flash of starlight, begs its audience To make a wish What is the desire of the shooting star Of the neighborhood Small pieces of lead Flying through the air? These are more potent than a Wish. Realer than a Desire unspoken These tell the whole truth These give no false hope These make good on their promises These tear flesh apart These tear families apart They say in Moonlight Black boys turn blue In the neighborhood, after wishing Upon shooting stars, bathed in streetlight They do the same

We've chased the story to Paterson, another teenager murdered What do you want to be when you grow up? A police officer Why do you want to be a police officer? Because I want to make people safe If you could change anything about the world, what would it be? Being yourself What is your wildest dream for the future? Umm... I want to be a queen in a castle by the ocean (Me) In times like this tend to feel alone Dreams falling down outside my home Don't have the answer when kids they asking why Asking will it get better I don't know I see your face every time I'm home Shameful how hard it is to look in your eye Oh every time It hurts because I know you won't be by that oceanside tonight When you cry I know it's cause you know you lost your chance to ever see the light They say the pain ain't worth the stories that it writes And I know a lot of kids' mothers that been sobbing every night But the status quo don't make it to the news It seems like when your skin black is when you're feeling all the blues Little Black and brown kids been abandoned by high society But we made out to be super predators that's the irony To hear them tell it's our fault we dying inciting riots They expect us to sit back and shut up and just take it quietly But Tell me what you'd do with a record that keep you from a job Tell me what you'd say to an easy grand right out on the street If your next meal can't come from within the letters of law If your fridge empty your daughter ain't got nothing to eat 12 gunnin for your life too It's Winter Bitter cold, but your crib ain't got no heat Is it really wrong to bang for protection, run the streets serve some bags of dope end up pushing work just to make ends meet? You Think we deserving of this life You think we're living in the dark and we can't see the light You think there's no ambition only scamming running game That we don't see no out that we don't see no other way But little Naz had dreams of the WNBA She was at the wrong place at the wrong time of day Them gunners passed by, pulled the trigger, retaliate If you could look her in the eyes tell me exactly what you would say I remember Sunday all her friends weeping down in the church A tragic story wish I could tell you it was the first Wish I could contribute more than recounting her in this verse Wish her dreams of Bentleys came true instead of riding a hearse But her name is still remembered in the streets Gunned down by school 28 right where my mother used to teach All that's left now is a shrine, roses, candles showing memories we can't touch And the goals that she'll never reach And what makes all of the difference In the nature of this sin is the bread her people missing Is the color of her skin Tell her story wondering how we supposed to see life in a new light When all we're seeing in the streets is flashing red and blue lights In times like this tend to feel alone Dreams falling down outside my home Don't have the answer when kids they asking why Asking will it get better I don't know I see your face every time I'm home Shameful how hard it is to look in your eye Oh every time It hurts because I know you won't be by that oceanside tonight When you cry I know it's cause you know you lost your chance to ever see the light Oh help me find A way to shield my eyes cause I don't wanna see no bodies In the streetlight In the streetlight In the streetlight In the streetlight (Won't be by that oceanside tonight)

You would've stopped chasing me If I showed myself Would've stopped racing me For my own health You couldn't keep pleasing me While you weren't here I'll have to wait and see Your face become clear And I'm not the only one Looking for somebody else I'm not the only one Trying not to stand by myself Remember I called to you Couldn't forget your name But I couldn't get to you Just the same And after you came to me Things seemed so strange And Then i began to think What if nothing has changed And I'm not the only one Looking for somebody else I'm not the only one Trying not to stand by myself Wish I could stop Holding your hand Holding your hand Holding your hand But I can't stop Chasing the “can” Know I can be More than this man You would've stopped chasing me

Through the night When I'm supposed to be sleeping I'm dreaming what elsewhere might be And every day, when I wish that I was dreaming I'm fleeing my anxieties Don't worry if the moments gonna last The present's just the overlapping of the future and the past Your story could be already over Maybe we'll see tomorrow But when the clock strikes twelve the truth comes to kiss me in a white light Saying My fate is to be who I am and to be who I will be When the clock strikes twelve the truth falls upon me in a white light Saying my doom is to be who i am and to be who I must be But when the clock strikes twelve I know the tides have changed And that it's time to decide for myself Who I am

Do not again be burdened by the yoke of slavery David prophesied of my potential when he prayed for me A ruler of the work of his hands; dominion's at your feet They couldn't sink your ship even if they sent the whole fleet Chains will never break will never fall will never cease When we recognize All we have at stake we'll be at peace because Because we'll know that dwelling solely on life's trials and tribulations Will grant synthetic freedom One that's racked with stipulations One night approached by an angel looked just like my mama One so gently innocent you'd be condemned to harm her Any space that she enters becomes a sanctuary Haven place secure and sheltered for the cold and weary She said your future's so bright A voice soft as warm milk down your throat on a cold night Her palms on my cheek, smooth and sweet as golden honey A song so pure forgot of earthly things like silver gold and money She said it's out your hands now, no use in even stressing Just keep your head up and buckle down, reach out and claim your blessings Moses freed his people cause his mother left him You'll never lose you either gain a win or gain a lesson Tomorrow's no guarantee Nostra said it before he died And light and darkness cannot exist on the same side But I'm choosing to live free filled with joy while I'm still alive The voices raised up and said that I couldn't do it they lied Yes I'll make mistakes but I'm still freed and proud Free is knowing exactly who you are in a tumultuous crowd Free is stained on me like moonlight on the surrounding clouds The voice of truth here in my ears is loud Don't be in control Pick your head up there The path to your success ain't always crystal clear Don't be broken Don't feel broken Don't be in control Get your head up there Know your destiny will soon be diamond clear Can't be broken Won't be broken I'm blessed in the day Invincible cannot be touched so let it come what may And I ain't scared of the dark The night is long but the moon is shining blue I can see my path is marked Let me tell you something bout myself I'm marked too And I been healed can't nothing hold me back like Mark 2 I know my purpose is ordained like Tony Stark knew Snap snap my enemies'll fade into the dark blue The night sky is darkness but it's full of stars too That same dark that swallowed them will make be brand new On the cusp of breaking this cocoon and surely I'll soon Be flying not close to the sun but maybe touch the moon In the pale starlight I see the flash of my life And though some memories still cut deep like a sharpened knife I know one day I'll look back on this cold and fateful night And know everything was alright Shades of blue form a cocoon Made with yellow swirl-like pieces Resembling soft rays of moonlight Which yell at the dark by amplifying the light Enclosed, silence greets me I am not alone, my thoughts Here to keep me company, Rub my back, tend to the wounds On my soul's flesh A journey to my framework Led by my own soft steps I go deeper to where my thoughts pool Feel the surface break as I dive in Solace washes through me My sense of identity dries me off Here, I am able to find parts of myself I thought were gone Enclosed, sound breaks Low light peaks its face And I'm back in fields of green With stars kissing the night sky Cursing dawn And praying the night be long