Lost Cause

[Verse 1: Oddisee] Yeah I came here on a ship but I flew out on a plane Trade these shackles and a whip for some status and a name And the hassle's still the same, and my ticket's still in coach And my seat is near the toilet, guess this shit won't ever change What's a black suppose to do, sell some crack and entertain? Get a bachelor in some bullshit and a job below my aim? I was shooting for the star, they're shootin' rockets at the moon Reach in my pockets for my keys, the cop is reachin' 40 too If you can see me on the news, I hope that's cuz I'm on a roll Tryna keep me on a leash but I ain't out here on parole Yeah I'm free to go, free to reign, free them chains, free to fry Free to try, only thing promised to me is a free demise This is why my hustle strong, I grew up watching Huxtables My mamma grew up watching kids and mamma grew up washing clothes Overcomin' obstacles, wait before doctor Martin spoke Well I can't give me hope, mamma gave me that 'fore her aqua broke. Yea [Hook: Oddisee] I'm not a lost cause, I am a far cry But I can still call and get involved, I Ain't out here with no sign, I'm looking for one in the streets Now marching to that drum but we still ridin' to that beat Yeah we still riding to that beat Your feeling's in my soul And I can only struggle like my kinfolk did before Stride it, ride, and oh yeah we on a roll Ain't nuttin gonna stop me, I ain't out, I'm in control Oh yeah, let's go [Verse 2: XO] My brother saw enough blood, no decision I don't Three Gs in my closet, that's what made me cold My daddy gone by 12, started stealing my clothes I was put behind that cell and next thing you know My grandma had my bail She said “Son, better's you go” I said ”I ain't going no way grandma, I ain't have no dope” I shoulda called you so, my problem's wrong for sure And something in my soul said we gotta go When I went like, we got to, we got, we got to go The motherfucker we got the dope Better be out, come on We got to roll, we bout to blow 'mon brother, we Al Capone We got to, we got to, we got to go Yall wanna be there, come on Yall wanna be there, we'll be there We should hope we never ever End the day till the mothafuckin eon We don't want these people to roll Then some are D I suppose Yall n*ggas be out the polls Before the revolution got to beat out, seed out, weed out the ho's Pull it stick it in three of them holes Through DC I propose Then I get you with phonetic Come and take your head, leave out the toes Wouldn't leave me out the cause, this my cause [Hook] [Verse 3: yU] This is a call to them folks who got hopes high They heard a lot of things, believe when seen with my own eyes Hell yeah got drive and that's the reason I drove wild But no one's living slow so I switch the pace up one more time Now I’m tryin to get it to the point where my kids’ kids can live it up So I'm taking it's overrated, if you wanna change you gotta give it up And yeah you love to hear the story, feel it's raw for your drums Beat through each lung, old and young and now we overcome Each one, teach one (I'm about that) Buildin' them bridges (I'm about that) Expanding our vision (I'm about that) Switch up your decisions if you want an outcome that's different (I'm about that) Head up, fed up, scared enough and isn't, best believe (I'm about that) Passing on tradition and reaching soul for the seeds (I'm about that) All out, long ride, the very last one to roll out That's sauerkraut, pouting over losses, just the wrong route Me kicking that rhyme and just like that picket sign From '79 until the now, the clock ticking it's time, for Y [Hook]