[Intro — spoken, vinyl crackle, piano only] Everybody wants somebody to blame. Your father didn’t teach you. Your neighborhood failed you. The older generation didn’t guide you. Maybe they did fail you. But how long you gonna use that to keep failing yourself? [Verse 1] Young generation pointing fingers at the old, Saying, “You ain’t teach us nothing, you just left us in the cold.” Maybe some did—I’m not defending what was wrong, But eventually you’re a man and gotta learn to carry on. Nobody handed us instructions when we came into the game, We learned from getting burned, making choices, taking blame. You can tell me who influenced you and where the problem came, But knowing why you did it doesn’t wash away your name. That’s the difference. Understanding ain’t an alibi, You can have a fucked-up past and still decide to rectify. You picked up a bad habit? Then admit it and address it. Being grown ain’t never falling—it’s owning when you messed it. Stop pointing at your childhood every time you make a choice, At some point being a man means recognizing your own voice. You can blame everybody else until you’re old and gray, But the consequences still got your name on the page. [Hook — forceful, no singing] Point that finger— Three coming back. You can blame the whole world, But the truth don’t change facts. Nobody taught you? Then learn. Nobody showed you? Then grow. Sometimes becoming a man Means walking that road alone. [Verse 2] And this so-called street code? Man, that shit done changed. Used to throw hands, take a loss, Next day life remained. Now somebody gets embarrassed, reaches straight for the steel, One second of emotion makes a lifetime become real. You ain’t thinking ‘bout the mother getting called after two, Or the judge looking down while he’s sentencing you. One man’s underneath flowers, one’s behind concrete walls— Tell me who won that fight? Nobody at all. A fist fight might leave pride and a swollen-up face, But a bullet can’t apologize once it leaves its place. Now one family wears black while the other posts bail, All because somebody couldn’t take an L and prevail. And don’t tell me that’s tough. Tough is controlling your pride. Tough is knowing you got anger and still keeping it inside. Tough is walking from some bullshit when there’s something to lose, Because a man understands every decision is a choice. [Hook] Point that finger— Three coming back. You can blame the whole world, But the truth don’t change facts. Bad influence? Break it. Bad habit? Face it. You don’t like the man you’re becoming? Then change it. [Verse 3 — beat strips down] Now the older generation ain’t innocent either, Some fathers disappeared, some became bad teachers. Some handed down trauma like family features, Then wondered why the kids didn’t become better leaders. So yeah— We owe the youth some truth. Tell ‘em about the mistakes instead of hiding the proof. Tell ‘em jail ain’t a badge and the grave ain’t cool, And surviving your twenties shouldn’t make you a fool. But young man, listen— After somebody gives you the game, What you do with that knowledge is attached to your name. Can’t spend your whole life saying somebody else is why You keep making the same choices you already know ain’t right. Sometimes you gotta handle business when nobody’s coming. Get your ass out the hole even when your legs ain’t running. Build something from the wreckage you were handed as a youngin’, Because excuses explain you— But they don’t have to become you. [Bridge — almost spoken] Your past explains the scars. It doesn’t get to control your hands. Your parents made mistakes. So did their parents. Question is— When does somebody finally break the chain? [Final Verse — drums hit harder] Being a man ain’t about who fears your name, How many fights you won or how long you did in chains. It’s looking at your failures without searching for a name To put underneath your own when you’re assigning the blame. Take care of your family. Handle your responsibilities. Control your emotions when anger attacks. Learn from the old generation’s mistakes— Then make damn sure your children don’t inherit yours back. That’s growth. That’s breaking a cycle instead of repeating it. Because eventually you gotta stop asking who handed you the problem… And start asking— What am I gonna do about it? [Outro — piano and vinyl only] The older generation owes you guidance. But you owe yourself accountability. Learn the difference.
