Should he stay Or should he go And leave his only son growing up Without a father in the home Get it together Emotions in control And he's diving under water But to stay would be the drowning of his soul Verse 1: Drivin in the city Henny wit him Coping with the pain Of his mistakes but it ain't helpin It pushed him to the edge It pushed him hard his life is heavy He wants to breakaway He wants to go, the chains are heavy Pre-chorus: Guilty in his soul Guilt is all he feels His son is wide awake And he's the one he needs How can he leave And split the family? And abandon his responsibility? Chorus repeat Verse 2: Standin' at the door His bags are packed His son is lookin' at him But daddy ain't lookin back Refuse to realize Confusion in his son's eyes Leavin' home seems very wise And he ain't sayin "why" Pre-chorus repeat New chorus: He won't stay He's bout to go And leave little Joe Growing up without a father in the home Get it together Emotions in control And he's diving under water But to stay would be the drowning of his soul Spoken word: "Dad, I wanna kill you, you selfish, inconsiderate piece of shit!"...are just some of the things that I wrote about you in a little diary my mom gave me at 8 years old. Those weren't nice things to say as I was a nice, respectful little church boy who was taught to turn the other cheek, bless those that hurt you, and give all your problems to Jesus! But see the thing is, when you're confused and have little to no real answers yet you're told to "be strong", "press on", "man up", you learn how to pretend! What I wanted was to see the world through your eyes! Know what you knew! Feel what you felt...but it was a block there! I just couldn't get through that block! Surrounded by a bunch of women telling me how I should feel, how I should carry myself as a young man...pressure on top of pressure on top of pressure...but you walked away like a little irresponsible punk! Is this the result of how a real man carries himself? If so...I don't want any part of it!

You said You'd stay But it didn't work out that way I can't hold you Like I want to Hold you to the promises you made Chorus: So you just walked away Walked away Walked away... Spoken word: I am so tired! How am I going to cope with this? Do I even want to cope with this? I need a distraction...several distractions! I need to get my mind off of how angry I am...the hurt...the humiliation...the disappointment! It's probably not all your fault, dad...because I've learned that hurt people hurt people...and that's something you have to work out on your own! But that doesn't change how I'm feeling and how it's affecting how I deal with other people! The more I wallow in my bitterness towards you, the more I'm beginning to see a lot of your ways become...my ways! I'm running away from challenges, pushing my responsibilities onto other people, being half-present and emotionally unavailable in the lives of the people that care about me! It's now time for me to stop pretending...I'm declaring my happy ending so I can create a new beginning! This cycle ends with me!

Good intentions with you But they backfired in my face "Cause the love I once knew Has become so out of place Pre-chorus: And I'm humiliated Feeling devasted How did I fall so low? But there's one thing I know... Chorus: Never again will I love you that much Never again lose myself in your trust I made myself home in your heart And letting go is the toughest part So never again This change is so frustrating "Cause there's no real explanation In a sense it's so liberating And I'll rebuild on new foundation Pre-chorus Chorus to end

Nothin' is nothin Unless you make it somethin, na na na... Knuckin' and buckin' "Cause everybody's judgin' you, na na na... Chillin and chillin Just focused on good livin, na na na Chorus: Open your heart And let me in (please just let love in) It's bound to take us Where we've never been So let's make this somethin' Rap: One of the greatest gifts I've been given in this life is the ability to create what I want When I want How I want it Say it loud Say it proud When I flaunt it Nothin' is nothin Unless I make it somethin', na na na Knuckin and buckin 'Cause everybody's judgin me, na na na Chillin just chillin I'm focused on good livin', na na na Chorus: Open my heart And let you in (please just let love in) It's bound to take us Where we've never been So let's make this somethin' Spoken word: I truly believe life's uncertainties were the cause of me feeling so out of sync, unloved, overlooked. I wanted desperately to feel safe, secure, and liberated! But I used to look for all of that outside of myself. Looking for it in sex, drugs, alcohol, parties, social media, friends, family, and not truly within myself! Everything I was focused on outside that wasn't working out was a direct reflection of what wasn't working out on the inside! Once I gained the courage to face what was inside, I stopped blaming you, dad...I stopped blaming God...I stopped blaming the devil...I stopped blaming others but most importantly I stopped blaming myself! It's a simple concept but the process depended on how easily I was willing to let go and surrender everything! How did I surrender it all, you ask? Gratitude! I began to appreciate becoming aware of everything that wasn't serving my highest good and started to focus and find value in the things that did! Every moment in my life up to this point has taught me how to be grateful and more fluid! To just flow...to allow the good, the bad, the uncertain to flow with, for, through, and eventually past me! There's happiness...there's healing...there's peace...there's joy...there's love and understanding in the flow! Life and creation is beautiful there...and I can see and feel that beauty anywhere! That is safety...that is security...that is liberation!