[INTRO — SPOKEN] Ayo… Let me tell you something. I ain’t come from no easy place. I remember them days… The hood. The noise. The struggle. But look at me now. (Look at me!) God wasn’t finished with me. [VERSE 1] I remember them hallways, elevator broke, Mama making dinner, trying to stretch that pot of hope. Neighbors arguing, sirens all night, Had to learn real young how to read the room right. (You know what I’m saying?) Hand-me-down clothes, shoes getting tight, Still walked outside like everything was alright. We ain’t have much, but we had each other, Learned how to make something out of almost nothing. (That’s real) I seen hard times sitting right at the table, Had dreams in my head when the money wasn’t stable. I ain’t know back then what them days would teach, Every struggle put another little lesson in reach. (Uh-huh) [HOOK] Growing pains… Yeah, I know them well. Came from them hood where the struggle had a story to tell. Growing pains… But I made it through. Look at where I started, look at what I turned into. (Look at me now!) From the hard days to the good days, From the tears to the better ways. I ain’t ashamed of where I came— Them growing pains made me who I am today. (That’s right!) [VERSE 2 — HARD RAP] Look— I remember nights when the lights got low, Had to make something shake with whatever we could throw. Everybody had opinions, everybody knew your name, But couldn’t nobody tell you how to handle your pain. (Nah!) I learned real quick you can’t fold every time, Sometimes you gotta stand when your back hit the wall. Had to stop waiting for somebody to save me, Started telling myself, “Girl, you better go get it.” (Go get it!) I ain’t talking about money, I’m talking about growth, Talking about faith when I had nothing but hope. Talking about looking in the mirror one day, Saying, “Baby, you survived everything that came your way.” (YES!) Now I wake up different, got peace in my chest, Ain’t gotta prove nothing, I done survived the test. I can finally breathe, I can finally smile, After all them rough roads, I can see it was worthwhile. (Thank God!) [BRIDGE — SOULFUL] I cried… I prayed… I fell… I got back up. (Got back up!) Some days broke me, some days built me. Some people left me, but God stayed with me. And now I understand why I had to go through it… I wouldn’t be this woman if I never knew it. [FINAL HOOK — BIG] Growing pains… Yeah, I know them well. Came from them projects where the struggle had a story to tell. Growing pains… But I made it through. Look at where I started, look at what I turned into. (Look at me now!) From the hard days to the good days, From the tears to the better ways. I ain’t ashamed of where I came— Them growing pains made me who I am today. (Made me!) [OUTRO — SPOKEN] From the projects… to peace. From survival… to actually living. From “How am I gonna make it?” to “Look what God did.” (Look what God did!) Yeah… Them days wasn’t wasted. They built me. And I’m still growing. (Still growing.)
