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1. |
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Chorus: This is my open mic
And I'm hopin' tonight
That when I show you my light
You'll understand what I write
This is me
Showing you my heart with my words
I don't know where to start, but you may have heard
That there's a stage and it's open to all
I don't know how many of you are hoping I'll fall
But, even if I fall all the way down
To the ground
And cut my face
On the broken shards of my empty plate
I'm still thankful I've ate
And I have much respect
For anyone who gets through the open mic check
Because the first verse
I dispersed
In person
Made me so nervous
That I couldn't breathe through my dry mouth
As my eyes dried out
And gave me a headache
But I knew I still didn't make
A mistake
When I opened the gate
And changed my fate
So now when I wake
I'm really awake
Never baked
Never fried or burned out
Thankful for what I've learned now
No how matter how many times I've been turned down
I've had to learn how
To get past endless rejections
Achieving stupendous reflections
Through horrendous dejections
By mal intended inflections
To gain tremendous acceptions
Chorus:
This might be the first time that you hear this
And it may not be the clearest
Even if you get near this
You may miss some lyrics
And for you this is just a moment
I don't own it
I'm just hoping to rent
Maybe open some vents
So my words can circulate
I don't know if you heard this late
Or if you're even listening
Sometimes I hear people whispering
And it's louder
Than the crowd or
My monitors
At home or on a tour
I'm just rubbing together two sticks in a rain storm
Trying to stay warm
So I can light some fires
Going from inspired to inspiring
As I admire the fire rings
And overcome the trials to acquire the finer things
Hoping these moments will aggregate
Until my fate
is living my dreams
While feeling the screams
Drown out the whispers
Growing more than whiskers
Sleeping in my vehicle
So I can see it all
Sometimes I don't sleep at all
I stay up for days
Thinking of ways
To bring in my gaze
As I sing in a daze
And I'm confident
That my music is good enough
And my skin is tough
But walking up
Three steps
Still requires deep breaths
As I perform for strangers
Sometimes I have to overcome their anger
Until they feel closer than neighbors
I've overcome a lot of hatred
As I've made this
To the love that I'm feeling now
And that love is much more valuable than money
And I love that some of you love me
Which is what I'm focused on
And why I don't write hopeless songs
Because when hope is gone
So am I
Chorus:
I've had some magical times
Better than classical rhymes
And I don't need validation from the masses
Waiting for it's like watching molasses
Pass us
By
I don't need to be half as fly
As the guy
Eating pie
In the sky
I just want my feet in the dirt
As I sleep in the earth
I know what the love of people is worth
Because I can't do it alone
I only have two hands and a microphone
Sometimes I try to call out but there's no dial tone
So I need you to hear me and share me with friends
I don't have the ends
To make millions of ears bend
So click share and hit send
So when I ride off to the sunset
I know I'm not done yet
I'll keep riding through the night
Guided by your light
Chorus: ...
When I show you my life, you'll understand what I write.
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2. |
With Love We Find Hope
02:56
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Chorus: Such a touchy remote
With love we find hope
Richer than c notes
As our dreams float
On the wings of our spirit
We can all feel it
And we can all hear it
In all of our lyrics
With such a touchy remote, who's really in control?
It doesn't really matter because we have soul
And we will all roll
As we just play ball
And we will stay tall
Because as we fall
We'll pick each other up and dust each other off
We'll show each other love and give another hug
We'll get punched in the face, but won't waste another shrug
And we'll climb mountains from the holes that we've dug
You won't keep us down, we found another way
And we will all say there's love here today
chorus:
It's humanity at its finest hour
Forget the insanity of mindless power
You can take away our homes and drain all our banks
And we'll just say thanks
For the chance to show strengths
We will go lengths
Like our forefathers
You can take away our food and take away our water
And we'll still have love for our sons and daughters
Because we have passion that burns so much hotter
Than anything you can throw at us
You can show us trust
And then take it away
And we will still say
There's love here today, there's still love here today
This is our song. We are truly strong...so let's all sing along. This is our song.
chorus:
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3. |
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I will overcome this writer's block
As I fight this clock
And fit time into the tightest spot
Mine is not
The story that you normally hear
Time to open our hearts with warm and free ears
I won't give you a cold shoulder
As I grow older
I just have to let the ice melt
And tell you how I've felt
And use my passion
To make all this happen
For almost 20 years I've been rapping
It never matters
If I'm a better batter
When the record shatters
So long as I have respect for the game
When I step to the plate what people expect from my name
Is that I'll have left how I came
I was taking a swing with a glimmer in my eye
So it shimmers up so high
That's why the fire never simmers on the side
It always burns full steam
So you'll dream
As strongly as I do
And I'm true
When I tell you
That the way
I play
Makes me feel the love
I can feel the love
I can feel the love
Tour time
Time to lay it all on the line
And see if I can make a living off my mind
And my rhymes
See if time
Is kind
Or if I have to rewind
To find
My glory days
So I can ignore the ways
I've made mistakes in the past
And make this last
Sleeping in my car
I don't care if I'm a star
I'm just doing what I love
And that's more than enough
To overcome the rising odds
And see their eyes and nods
Watching the sparkle grow into a fire light
They can see that my desire's right
So they spare what they can
With their loving hands
I'm on tour and I can feel the love
Sometimes I feel like I'm living the life of a Jedi without the abilities
Silly me
Time to see
If I can move objects with my mind
To find
The strength to lift the ship from the dirt
So we can remove the sith from the earth
I'm back in my hometown
And what I know now
Is that everything has slowed down
I'm back with friends
So it begins again
Feeling the record spin and then
Feeling my heart beat
Lighting the way down the dark street
Letting my memories guide my way
There's no way they'll die today
I'm so happy that I might stay
Until my passion brings me back for more
Eventually I'll be back on tour
But I'm home now and I can feel the love
...
From my hometown I can feel the love
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4. |
Go With The Flow
02:51
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Chorus: Gotta go with the flow because I know when I'm low that it's time for me to take control of the show
It's that time again
Rhyming and
I'm loving it
Taking all the pressure from the world and I'm shoving it
Back where it belongs
So I'm flowing on
And going strong
Showing wrong
Where it can stick its ugly head
Even if I don't know what he said
I'm not going back to bed
I'm done sleeping
But I'm still dreaming
Because being is believing
And I'm retrieving
And receiving
Everything that I need
No matter how much I bleed
It's not about the greed
It's about the freedom
So we can see some
Brighter days
And light the haze
With the fighter's ways
Overcoming all the problems
As we're solving them
Collectively
As we share in the lessons we
All had to learn
As we get burned
Sometimes we admire
The fire
As we aspire
To use our own to shine
The power is mine
The power is yours
The hour is sure
To bring us back to ourselves to overcome
So we run
And connect it to the pass
And we're collecting it fast
As we step on the gas
So we can get passed the past
And amass the mass
Critical
Surpass the spiritual
Level in our lyrical
Expression
I get the impression
We can do anything
When we sing
In harmony
With love is what you're arming me
So our troubles can all fall harmlessly
To the ground that surrounds us
Changing from a mountain to ground dust
As the sounds bust
All the frustrations away
So now we're loving today
chorus:
In this verse
I can tell you that it gets worse
Before it gets better
I don't care about the cheddar
So long as I have the bread
To keep fed
While still being hungry
I know there are a few who truly love me
That's what I'm using as my guide
Even when my future hides
Behind the darkness of right now
With the lights out
And the time's up
No more water in my cup
So I'm creating my own
As I strengthen the stone
Turning it into an everlasting elixir
A mixture of life
It's pure tonight
And surely right
Filling it up from the well
Because that's how we're doing
Nothing can ruin
This moment of hope
Because the show is so dope
No more walking over the rope
Because I've gained my balance to walk the line
All is kind
Flawless time
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5. |
This Is The League
04:10
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It's been a long offseason
Time to give reasons
To the coach
Why my approach
To training
Is why I came in
Better
Faster
Hungrier
Stronger
So I can play longer
Sacrificing everything I can for the team
Because we all share in the same dream
To hoist that trophy
With poise that only
Champions are made of
chorus: This is the league and this is my dream
There may not be glory
In the story
Of my training regimen
To develop this specimen
I can't be hesitant
Or reticent
I have to train to win
Overcome the pain and then
Doing things others see as impossible
So I can be unstoppable
Watching film and studying the playbook
Hey look
I found a weakness to exploit
Gotta teach this to the boys
Because they're like my family
Bringing out the man in me
So I can turn into a beast
And unleash
My fury
Better hurry
There's no time to waste
Gotta pick up the pace
Because the speed in the league is lightning quick
With frightening hits
Gotta watch out as the timing gets
Tighter and tighter
As we're walking the wire
And fly a bit higher
As we try to aspire
To the level of champion
The regular season has begun
chorus:
I can feel the collective heartbeat of the fanbase
And taste
Victory
When we see
The home crowd
Go loud
During introductions
The whole world forgetting about their other functions
And luncheons
Millions of eyes
On the prize
As we rise
To the national anthem
Fandom
And pandemonium
Ensue
Rocking this venue
What we came to do
Is win for you
From the first snap
To the last clap
Everyone's throwing their hands back
Cheering every score and asking for more
This is what we came for
Hitting the hole and hitting it hard
Getting the goal with inches and yards
One win turns in
To a winning season
Giving our fans a reason
To believe in
Everything we do
As we play through
Injuries
And adversity
As our fans nervously
Hold their breath
'Til we make it to sudden death
chorus:
Everything escalates
And my heartbeat accelerates
As I anticipate
And listen to great debates
In the weeks leading up to the championship game
Every single name's
A celebrity
Using their identity
To brand their opinions
To millions
Watching every highlight
They're wondering if I might
Be in over my head
Because of something I said
Taken completely out of context
It's on next
When we get past the spectacle
We'll let it all
Be decided on the field
Where we'll refuse to yield
It's finally time for the final kickoff
There's no time for anyone to hit soft
Every moment feels like a lifetime
As the lights shine
No time to remember how we got here
It's all clear
As the kickoff is returned
And we learn
If our sacrifice has been enough
Both sides are tough
We all want it with every ounce of our blood, sweat and tears
We've all got our scars from getting here
There's no time to let in fears
There's only time to be our best
And beat our test
As we hold the trophy to the sky
We know right now we can fly
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6. |
Livin'
03:55
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chorus: I'm rapping and I'm dancing and I'm sweating and I'm singing
and I'm living
I started rapping in '92
I opened up my mind to you
And since that time it's true
I love music with all of my soul
Making a living from it is a major goal
One I have not accomplished yet
I still have fuel for my fire like the 737 jet
That I talked about
Knocking out
All the doubts
From the moment I started the multi-culturals
To the times I've toured all around the world
Music has been what I'm passionate about
And I'm happy on this route
Whether I'm sleeping in my car
Or playing in dive bars
I feel like a shining star
I feel like I'm shining real bright
When my light
Hits the night
Because you're all shining with me
Making it heavenly
When you're sending me
To every place I want to be
Thank you all for making me free
That's why this is CD number 11
I'm living this heaven
On earth
With my feet on the dirt
And my head in the clouds
I feel so proud
When you get loud
And we all get down
Loving the night on the town
With the sounds
That I love
I can never get enough
And I don't need drugs
Because there's no way they'd get me this high
Every part of me feels alive
When I'm up on the stage
Or filling the page
I'm creating and I'm building
And I'm able and I'm willing
To give you every part of me
Thank you all for making me free
Chorus:
Going back to 2002
Leaving my hometown to do this for you
I played 9 shows
After sending out over 200 demos
Because I had a dream that wouldn't let go
Even though I had a BS in business
This is
My dream
I did my best to burst on the scene
Did a show in Jacksonville, FLA
I had to be home the very next day
And I'm blessed by the way
That show turned out
It was a tremendous turn out
One that I hope to once again earn now
2004 was the year of Stadium
It gave me some
Incredible moments to hang on to for my journey
My fellow musicians became a small family
From Jason to James to Rideout
There was a new place for fame to hide out
These precious moments are mine now
I won't save them in a bottle
I'll let them go full throttle
In 2004, I went on a mini-tour
And hit up the east village
The memory of that night still lives
In my heart and helps it beat
From the stage I had the best seat
In the house
Time will never douse
The fire and desire that I possess
These are just some of the best
Moments
And I own them
In 2006
I took all sorts of pics
During my 17 days in a minivan
I want to thank every fan
For buying CDs to support my gas tank
There's no way I can truly show thanks
Chorus:
Now it's time to build once again
Every moment I'm filling in
And building grins
Supported by my passion and love
I'm sharing handshakes and hugs
Driving down to Cincinnati
Showing everyone that I want this badly
Getting on stage at MOTR
For 3 songs I feel like a star
From Kelsey to Lucas to Donna Jay
You are the ones who make my day
I know that I'm going the right way
I'm sorry I had to go but I'm back to play
The very next day
I get to Mainstay
Everyone there has me feeling the same way
Sometimes I make the drive to Dayton
Other weeks I get to stay in
My hometown
Where everybody gets down
Because open mic is back again
The same one I used to rap in
With feet stomping and hands clapping
All the while I feel like laughing
These are the smiles
That take me the next miles
chorus:
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7. |
Wonder Years
02:22
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There’s a certain odd empty feeling
It has me reeling
Breathing
Heavy, taking in the deep
Going past the shallow
Onto tomorrow
To be fulfilled like it was yesterday
When all I had to do was play
There were no sad truths to get in the way
There wasn’t hope; I didn’t need it
I already lived like I was dreaming
Coming home from school Was so cool
Hanging out with my best friend in the backyard
Before I drove a black car
Or even knew how to
I didn’t need cell phones to find you
The world was small enough that home was never far
I sometimes miss knowing exactly where you are
My street was my universe
I didn’t know what it was like to hurt
And I never cursed
I also didn’t realize how blessed I was
I already had the best of love
We already had the best of us
Now there’s a restless buzz
Reverberating in the cave of my chest
I gave it my best
Without even trying
I had no use for lying
There were no egg shells to walk on
Just solid ground so we could talk on
And on
And it was never all gone
We had an endless supply
You and I
No need to cry
Because we had it all
Standing tall
Shoulder to shoulder
But we got older
We grew up
We started to want too much
I know I did anyway
All I want now is to live today
Like I’m a kid, okay?
Where everything is wondrous
And the applause are thunderous
Because our imagination was our amplifier
And we could turn it up higher
Way past eleven
Hearing the cheering from the heavens
We had our own stage
And wrote our own plays
We filled our own page
Until we turned it
And we learned it
Wasn’t easy
But I know you still believe in me
You don’t have to encourage me with your voice
You don’t even have a choice
Even if you use sarcasm
Nothing can cause a chasm
Between us
We believed once
Always and forever
We won’t live to see never
These are ties that can’t be severed
Even as the world grows
I will let the world know
How much you mean to me
And we will see it be
How it once was, almost
OK, so I’ve let it go
I know
The world moves on
But we’ll be too strong
And we’ll write a new song
It won’t be long
‘Til we’re gone
But while I’m here
I’ll hold onto the wonder years
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8. |
Driven By Passion
03:58
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Some people still ask me if I'm serious or if I'm messing around
By now I hope that you've found
My music is a reflection of life
Not a selection of lies
I'm earning and working with an ethic that's older than I am
And an intellect strong enough to get me into the tri-lambs
I am educated, dedicated and motivated
And Yes I've made it
I feel blessed and successful
Through tests that are stressful
And I want to thank all the fans
Who understand
That I'm seriously dedicated to my craft
It doesn't mean I've forgotten how to laugh
I'm generally overwhelmingly positive
That's how I gotta live
It's the only way that makes sense to me
Why would I choose to live my life in misery
As if a serious artist isn't allowed to be funny
A delirious artisan's bouncing checks for his bunnies
Because they're willing to have sex for his money
And he's not being sexist
We just have a different code of ethics
What happens next is
Open to interpretation
Use your imagination
And life experience
To determine if it's serious
chorus: I'm driven by passion
I have no sense of entitlement
And don't care how my title went
Because I don't need to be the champion
I know I still can be young
There's a difference between anger and passion sung
As if my life depended on it because it does
And the one depending on it is me
Not the critic listening to the CD
As if he knew what was going on in my mind
And the timing of my rhymes
And I don't care what they have to say
Because they won't share the same way
That I do
I'll open up and be true
From my own point of view
I've got the vocal theatrics
To choke all the tactics
Like a marath'damane
All they can do is stare at the flame
They can't actually embrace the void
I won't avoid
My responsibilities
I'll handle them honorably
And honestly
Because they truly matter to me
Are you a lyrical wizard or a critical witch
With a cynical switch
That you never shut off
That's not me so you can call me soft
Because well I am
I'm supportive of my friends
And just because I don't have the ends
There's no reason to be mean
I follow my dreams
So you cannot call me average
Some of these critics don't know what the half is
When I cross over the median
Traveling via Expedia
Cleaning up my Experian
Or rolling down the river on my Kayak
That's why it's a big deal when I'm back
Because my path
Is challenging to navigate
Sometimes I have to wait
While I dance with fate
chorus:
It's time to pick up the intensity
Because the energy
You're sending me
Is filling my melodies
With memories
Sometimes my songs are atonal and discordant
But that's not what kept me up 'til this morning
Working on a song past noon
Making my heart go boom
Music has taken me from the bottom of the abyss
To feeling like I had the world's first kiss
So I owe it this
What I speak from my lips
Comes from me
And it will always me
My thoughts, my heart and my passion
That's why I'm still driven after 20 years of rapping
And 13 years of playing the drums, bass, guitar and keyboard
I hope it strikes more than 3 chords
And it frees your
Sense of expression the way it has mine
Time after time after time after line after rhyme from my mind
Through the pen to the paper as I scribble these lyrics
Or record them freestyle so I can hear it
Before writing it down
And miking the sound
That turn every ounce of pain, joy, happiness and laughter
From every chapter
Of my life
Into what you're hearing tonight
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9. |
It's Good To Be Back
03:30
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It felt like I failed
With the stealth of a snail
And my health wasn't well
As my wealth was impailed
I left my hometown with high hopes
It quickly turned into walking a tight a rope
And then into a noose
And I barely got loose
Before the chair broke
And the air choked
From the flare's smoke
From the signal I was sending you
I couldn't even be pretending to
Enjoy myself in the city
It's a pity
Everything that could go wrong did
And I felt like a scared little kid
Lost for the first time
The city's heart beat had hurt mine
And in turn I
Had to run to what I truly love
I jumped over the edge before I was shoved
I didn't know how I would land
Or if I could stand
With broken bones
So far from home
Because I no longer had one
But I still had to run
Until I couldn't move
And it got me back in the groove
At least for a while
But I had to face my trials
Before I could truly smile
I returned to face my failures and was greeted with solitude
My heart beat through a hollow tube
The echo ringing in my ears
As I faced my fears
Still wondering if I could make it here
And I had to wait a year
But the second time back was triumphant
Once again my heart was thumphing
But this time it was beating in rhythm
To the feeling of winning
I was grinning
Knowing I had overcome everything
I could hear my spirit sing
Now hear it ring
Chorus:
Walking in the sun, feeling it beat on my skin
Feeling the heat of the win
Complete with the wind
So I could compete once again
Ever step I took was a little bit lighter
Every sparkle in my eye was a little bit brighter
I felt like a kid, but this time I was found
Instead of footsteps, I glided on the ground
I wasn't hiding from this town
Instead I was getting down
It no longer feels like I failed in the city
And I no longer feel like it had failed me
Chorus:
It's great to be back!
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10. |
Extra
03:17
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I woke up today feeling a little rough
Getting out of bed was a little too tough
Dragging my way through a mundane routine
So lame no dreams
Just another day to make the means
No power
In my shower
Or the hour
That followed
Just some more time that I borrowed
Which is why I went into work
Feeling like a jerk
Until I heard a whisper
Over my right shoulder
The words that I heard
Made me feel bolder
I heard one friend say to another
That I looked a little extra tall today
And it took me all the way
From dial up to broadband
I looked down at my strong hands
And felt like
I could lift the world to new heights
And do right
Simply because someone saw in me
Something in that moment that I did not see
Until I looked through their eyes
And it took me by surprise
Because I'm already confident and self-assured
But I was still lifted up by selfless words
When they repeated them to me this is what I heard
Chorus: You look extra today, extra tall, extra smart, extra talented, extra sexy, extra amazing!
I went to sleep and dreamt of being a superhero
More untouchable than Deniro
But I wasn't a criminal
Simply invincible
Laser beams couldn't shoot me down
I kept flying around
Following the flight path of a bird
And I know it sounds absurd
But it's all from the words that I heard
And if self-esteem
Can manifest itself so powerfully in my dreams
Then it seems
That I should pass it onto you
It's up to you to believe that it's true
Then we all
Can have it all
And it can be so magical
So when you need to brighten up your day
Just look at yourself in the mirror and say
Chorus:
You are the reason why I sing
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Mission Man Cary, North Carolina
Mission Man began rapping in 1992, when a friend told him to "kick a rap." Gary (Mission Man) replied, "I can't rap man,"
but after his friend insisted, Gary did indeed kick a 30 second rap.
He's been making music ever since, and has 14 studio albums, and a live album to his credit. Album 15 will likely be out in 2024.
... more
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