[Intro – Spoken, over a soft, melancholic 90s beat with vinyl crackle] Yeah. I remember being young. I remember being naive. I remember thinking the world would hand it to me. On a plate. With a smile. Little did I know. Life was about to happen. Let me tell you about it. [Verse 1 – Measured, storytelling] I was a kid with a head full of dreams Thought the world was a movie, thought life was a scene Thought the good guys won, thought the sun always shone Thought I'd never feel lonely, thought I'd never be alone I thought money grew on trees, thought the streets were safe Thought everybody loved me, thought there was no hate I thought the world was fair, thought the game was just Little did I know, the world was built on dust And bones, and pain, and tears, and lies Little did I know, I'd see the truth behind the eyes Of the ones who said they loved me, the ones who said they cared The ones who disappeared when I was broken and scared [Chorus – Warm, anthemic, reflective] I was young, I was naive Thought the world would be handed on a plate But life happened, and I learned Nothing comes for free, everything is earned I was young, I was blind Thought the world would be gentle and kind But life happened, and I grew Now I know the truth, now I see it through [Verse 2 – Still measured, slightly more intense] I thought the world was a place where dreams come true Thought if I just believed, it would all come to me too But I watched my mother try to kill me in the bath I watched my father leave and never look back I watched the foster homes take me from place to place I watched the streets consume me, I watched the drugs erase Every hope, every dream, every plan I had Every good intention, every promise, every lad Who thought he'd make it out, who thought he'd be the one Who'd beat the odds, who'd rise, who'd finally see the sun But life happened, and it hit me hard Life happened, and it left its scars [Chorus – Warm, anthemic, reflective] I was young, I was naive Thought the world would be handed on a plate But life happened, and I learned Nothing comes for free, everything is earned I was young, I was blind Thought the world would be gentle and kind But life happened, and I grew Now I know the truth, now I see it through [Bridge – Stripped back, spoken over slow keys] Nobody tells you. Nobody sits you down and says, "This is gonna hurt." "These people are gonna leave." "These dreams are gonna break." "These nights are gonna be long." You find out on your own. In the dark. In the cold. In the silence. And that's when you grow. That's when you become who you were meant to be. [Verse 3 – Slower, reflective, hopeful] But here's what I know now that I didn't know then Life is hard, but it's not the end It's a teacher, it's a test, it's a lesson in disguise It's the pain that makes you stronger, it's the truth behind the lies I'm not the boy I was, I'm not the kid who thought The world would hand him everything without a single thought I'm a man who built his life from the ground up I'm a man who fought his way through the mud and the muck And I'm still here, still standing, still breathing, still free I'm the man that life made when it happened to me [Chorus – Warm, anthemic, triumphant] I was young, I was naive Thought the world would be handed on a plate But life happened, and I learned Nothing comes for free, everything is earned I was young, I was blind Thought the world would be gentle and kind But life happened, and I grew Now I know the truth, now I see it through Now I see it through Now I see it through [Outro – Spoken, over fading beat] I remember being young. I remember being naive. I remember thinking the world would hand it to me. On a plate. But life had other plans. And I'm grateful. Because the plate was empty. But the life I built? That's full. That's mine. That's everything.
