Fuck all the shit thats around me
Around me
Let the demons come and take me and drown me
Drown me
They don't know yet - I'm a prick without a soul
I plan to sit up on the devils throne
To all the fucks that tried to tain me
I will wait for you bellow, bellow, bellow
To all the dicks that tried to change me
I will erase you from this world, world, world
Nothing is the way it ought to be
This world is harsh
I know you saw the streets
It's cruel
It's cruel
It's cruel
It's cruel
They saw the selfish shot these people - they be like wolves
Fuck all the shit thats around me
Around me
Let the demons come and take me and drown me
Drown me
They don't know yet - I'm a prick without a soul
I plan to sit up on the devils throne
Fuck all the shit around me
Around me
Let the demons come and take me and drown me
Drown me
They don't know yet - I'm a prick without a soul
I plan to sit up on the devils throne
Ain't no peace here
War is all we got
Ain't no point fighting
Why not give leading a shot
I
I
I
I
I took advantage of them
And now I am getting to the top
When the Devil knocks
I will be waiting around
But I aint bowing down
I am going to take his crown
When the Devil knocks
I will be waiting around
But I aint bowing down
I am going to take his crown
Fuck all the shit thats around me
Around me
Let the demons come and take me and drown me
Drown me
They don't know yet - I'm a prick without a soul
I plan to sit up on the devils throne
Fuck all the shit thats around me
Around me
Let the demons come and take me and drown me
Drown me
They don't know yet - I'm a prick without a soul
I plan to sit up on the devils throne
If in this life I have learned anything at all
It's that I don't have to walk this Earth alone
I recognize that I may fall
But I will not stay down for long
Family and friends will keep me strong
With every breath I take
With every heart beat
Every glance
Every dance
Every word I place within my song
It's a gift
I am thankful for it all
So thankful
If in this life I have learned anything at all
It's that I don't have to walk this Earth alone
In times that are good
In times that are bad
Family and friends got my back
Tomorrow is never promised
So I will live for today
It doesn't matter how many times I may fall
I will never give up hope
If in this life I have learned anything at all
It's that I don't have to walk this Earth alone
It doesn't matter how tough the road ahead
Loved once will walk with me until the end
I love this life
The sunrise and the moon light
Even the days when the heaven cries
I am thankful for it all
Thanks mom
Thanks dad
Thanks sis
Thanks to all my friends who always had my back
Thank you lord for giving me this chance
And my thanks goes out to the devil
For keeping me on the straight arrow
Always and forever
The promise we made
But little did we know
That even love has an end
Look at us
At the hate that we share
One look at each other
And we wanna kill one another
How did we get here
What happened to the promise forever
How did it turn into never
We gave up everything
To make each other happy
And it still wasn't enough
Was there ever a chance
That our story wouldn't end
How cold is this world
When two hearts get broke
And do whatever they can
To hurt each other every single day
Now, there's twice as much grief
Twice the despair
And after all had been said
Here we are, my love
We are at war
And so far away, my love
From where we were before
Everything is ok with me
Don't mind blood on my hands
Everything is ok with me
I just started playing this game
Everything is ok with me
I just grew up
And suddenly everything turned dark
I am fighting alone
And now only God knows who I am
I made mistakes
I trusted those who can not be trusted
They used it, and believe me - in vain
My enemies wanted me dead
But I broke their plans
It's my life
And I am here to stay
I am here to stay
I am here to stay
My life
My life
It belongs to me
And only me
My life
My life
It belongs to me
And only me
The streets bear the pain of frustration
Minutes of fear
Minutes of despair
People go mad with pain without God
Some break all the rules
Some twist them in half
No one wants to lose
Most will kill to stay ahead
And I will do what I have to - to stay in the game
To stay in the game
We are now approximately one-sixth of the way through the 21st century, and humanity is still faced with the same disease from the time of Cain and Abel; we're still faced with violence. The dictionary definition of disease is that it has distinctive signs and symptoms, and that it causes morbidity and mortality, meaning that it causes injuries or dysfunction or death; which is exactly what violence done. It's a sickness that not only attacks our bodies, but also destroys the physical, psychological, social, and economic health and development of nearly everyone in affected communities, inflicting trauma, reducing life expectancy, limiting possibilities and accomplishments, and further entrenching inequalities. And it's about time we do something about it.
To say violence is a sickness that threatens public health isn’t just a figure of speech, it's a fact. It spreads from person to person, a parasite of an idea that causes changes in the brain, thriving in certain social conditions; which most of us are more than willing to provide. We generally cast ourselves in a positive light relative to our peers, above all else we believe that we are more just, more honest, more superior than others. We allow hubris and hatred to consume our hearts and minds; thus allowing discrimination and intolerance to thrive in this world; thus allowing violence to spread much like a contagious disease.
We need to stop thinking that we are better than the people around us. We are all victims of the same world-dominating machine, suffering different mutations of the same contagious disease. Disease which brings us closer to a dystopian society. A society which is ruled by anger, fear, hatred, and suffering. A society in which there is no independence, no freedom, and no personal thought. A society which is rampant with poverty, disease, and filth. The time has come to ask ourselves, "Have we had enough?"
You see, now it is time for us to choose a side if we haven't already, and to recommit to the fight. There is no more neutrality in this world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're going to be part of the problem. It's time for all of us to come together as one united people. It's the only way that things will ever get better. It's the only way we will be able to move forward. It's time for a change.
We all remember that second grade conversation with our teachers. The one where you're told that you can be anything you want to be, just as long as you put your mind to it. Some kids wanted to be doctors and detectives, but most wanted to be athletes or superheroes. As for me, I had no idea what I wanted to be. Though, becoming a superhero was tempting.
Looking back, I wonder, was it all a lie? Think about it; most people don’t grow up doing what they dreamed they would when asked the pivotal question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" Many people have jobs that are so awful that they scheduled bathroom breaks: two times in the morning and three in the afternoon. Who wants to live like this? No one, yet here we are: at a place we didn’t plan. I guess, we weren’t lied to on purpose. But we were lied to, nonetheless.
Where exactly did it all go wrong? Let’s start at the very beginning, at the educational level. Whether it is a primary school, secondary school, or college, we are not getting a fair deal. Instead of learning critical life skills on how to manage money, how to negotiate, how to solve everyday problems, how to identify and utilize our natural talents, or how to communicate, kids are mostly taught to memorize information. This is helpful to learn, but not at the cost of not learning critical life skills. Many people put these “life” skills on the onus of the parents to teach their kids, but not all parents are qualified to teach these lessons, and many assume that school is “enough learning.”
For now, let's put aside the fact that our education system is failing us. What happens once we graduate? Graduation from college does not come with a job. It can come with a mound of student loan debt. The average borrower in the college class of 2018 is expected to carry more than $35,000 in student loan debt, which may be accompanied by growing credit card debt, as well as an auto loan and maybe even a mortgage. In an ideal world, of course, the education system would be free and available to all. However, we do not live in an ideal world. We live in a Darwinian world; in the world that is ruled by the "Survival of the fittest."
Then there's the "Permission Paradox." The Permission Paradox is one of the great Catch-22s in business. “You can’t get the job without experience, and you can’t get the experience without the job.” Being able to overcome this challenge is predominant to successfully launching your career or can be the difference between having enough money to pay your monthly bills and having to borrow money from your friends. This phenomenon can be frustrating for anyone, especially when you know you can be great at this job and yet you don’t have the chance to show it. It's one of those cosmic jokes.
Ask a class of kids today what they want to do when they grow up and you'll get a lot of the same answers. They are programmed to believe that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up; without being given necessary ability, knowledge or skill to succeed. As adults, we know the truth. The system is flawed and perhaps even “rigged” in certain important ways. The question now is whether we are doomed to repeat the past no matter what, or will we be able to overcome this status quo?
I’m not exactly sure when I decided I wanted to be a songwriter. Perhaps, it was after all of the family gatherings during the holidays, and listening to them sing love songs. Or, maybe, it was while I was watching "Supernatural" and one of the greatest rock songs of all time started plying, "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas. Maybe, it was ingrained in me from birth, something I could never fight, even if I tried. The decision felt divine, it felt right, and in truth, it felt wonderful. Regardless of the point of inception, I did, indeed, decide to be a songwriter.
I live in Chicago, and the first thing people typically ask upon meeting someone new is, “What do you do for a living?” In Chicago, the answer defines us; classifies us into a stereotypical category, so we may be defined as the “greedy businessman,” the “bleeding heart humanitarian,” the “naughty nurse,” the “spiteful supermodel” or otherwise.
I fall under the classification of the “struggling songwriter,” and people like me are often thought to be free spirited, having low regards to materialistic possessions and we are always stereotyped to lack practicality and are, as a result, financially broke most of the time. Not to say that it isn't true. Most of us have next to no job security; our livelihood depends on our next gig, and it depends on our audience, it depends on our luck.
We are never certain when or from where our next paycheck is coming. A truly good survival job for a songwriter is the only way one can stay fed and continue funding this strenuous life choice that will eventually, and hopefully, pay off. Unfortunately, decent survival jobs are really hard to come by. It’s especially true in the major city, where huge pools of competition are fighting each other for the most flexible job positions.
We dedicate almost all our time to writing music, to create something new and meaningful, we spend all our money on our art (‘cause we believe in it and want to share it), and that should be enough, right? No, the struggle never stops. We don’t sleep, and when we do, we are kept awake by the fear that we may never reach our dreams. But no matter how hard we get “knocked down,” we never give up, never surrender. For we can never stop our drive or our passion; they rule us; they are us.
And when the time comes, I hope to look back upon my life with a sense of pride. For I have lived and I have loved; I have won and I have lost; I have had my fill of pleasure; and in the end I did what mattered.
Last night I had a drink
It was not my first one
Nor the last
I washed the dishes
I sang some blues
My day had ended
Like many others do
Honey
I hope you know that I miss you
Waking up without you
It's the hardest thing I have to do
Like the kick back from the smoking gun
It takes some getting used to
I wish we had forever
And all the little moments never ended
And all the kisses
And all the smiles
They would stay with me for at least a little while
I beg of you for one last night
To stay with me until the light
And in the morning when you are gone
I will try to say goodbye
