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M''

by Mission Man

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1.
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.
2.
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:
3.
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
4.
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
5.
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
6.
Livin' 03:55
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:
7.
Wonder Years 02:22
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
8.
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
9.
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!
10.
Extra 03:17
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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released October 10, 2012

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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.
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