Stepping Stone

[Intro] Take you to the river Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah [Verse 1] It's 2002, everything was totally new We were globally huge, watchin' sales go through the roof We wrote and we viewed it, Runyon Avenue soldiers included A multitude of homies who would bounce for no good excuse We were so bulletproof—wrote, souped and soaked in our youth Thought we was runnin' shit 'til we lost the sole of our shoe The death of Doody broke us in two We were thrown for a loop, ain't none of us know what to do And at the time I was goin' through my own struggles too So I wasn't in no condition to be coachin' us through Everyone tried to go solo, really nobody blew I was hopin' they do, so I ain't have to shoulder the crew The plan was put everyone in position so that they knew How to stand on they own, and I don't wanna open up wounds I just noticed that oomf was gone when we go in the booth 'Cause the truth is, the moment that Proof died, so did the group [Chorus] If I could leave this all behind I could open up my eyes and walk in a straight line Turn to the river with you Help me leave this all behind [Post-Chorus] I'ma wash away my sins I'ma rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall 'Cause on the way back down I may End up runnin' back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones [Verse 2] It was never the same, and it's bothered me since And the farther we drift apart, the more awkward it gets The more time goes by, the more life happens And we gotta be men, we got responsibilities Plus we don't say how we feel And I feel like this is what got us in the debacle we're in Been with you guys thick and thin But it's almost as if sometimes we're not even friends Which reminded me Biz, "Rockstar" was the shit Y'all coulda got you a hit without me on the shit If you woulda put D12 on it, wish I coulda did More than try talkin' you into comin' up off of it I know it wasn't my fault, but part of it probably is I think of all of the trips to BET And the rappers I wish that we woulda politicked with Maybe y'all coulda clicked and got you some features But that's water under the bridge But I'm washin' my sins in it 'til my conscience is cleansed [Chorus] If I could leave this all behind I could open up my eyes and walk in a straight line Turn to the river with you Help me leave this all behind [Post-Chorus] I'ma wash away my sins I'ma rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall 'Cause on the way back down I may End up runnin' back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones [Verse 3] Bacardi and Hen', never thought the party would end One minute you're bodyin' shit, but then your audience splits You can already sense the climate is startin' to shift To these kids you no longer exist Went from rainin' cats and dogs in this bitch To tiny drops, little drips And by the time your reign is over, you'll hardly be missed You start thinkin' of all the artists you gift, all the carnage you left Is this the kind of karma you get For turnin' your fuckin' back on Bizzy, Kuniva and Swift? A Freudian slip, subconsciously, I honestly wished I ain't feel so much guilt and y'all didn't harbor resentment But it's hard to pretend that y'all ain't got none I just wish I had words, but I guess there just are none for this To my partners, I can't say how sorry I am This is not how I planned for our story to end I love all of you men But I just can't be the guy everybody depends On for entire careers 'cause that's not even fair I will always be here, but that spark isn't there And I don't know how to recapture that time and that era I've tried hearkening back to, but I'm fightin' for air I'm barely chartin' myself Feels like I'm on the descent, but it was not my intent To treat y'all like a stepping stone Though I ain't left no one behind, but we been down every road Done all we possibly can, I know we kept our hopes up But the longer we spend livin' this lie that we live The less is left for closure, so let's let this go It's not goodbye to our friendship, but D12 is over [Chorus] I'ma wash away my sins I'ma rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall 'Cause on the way back down I may End up runnin' back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones I never meant to make you feel like my stepping stones I never meant to use you all for my stepping stones