[Spoken Intro] Once upon a time... [Verse 1] Once upon a time, every line was a spell in a rhyme Now it's coupons, contracts, deadlines, Excel, and a climb Used to see a kingdom in a cardboard fort on the floor Now the mortgage is the dragon breathing heat through the door Used to hear a choir in the hiss of the radiator Now it's just a noise complaint filed to the administrator Used to think the thunder spoke, booming like a narrator Now it's just the forecast app, 30% with a denominator I was that kid with a stick that turned fences to quests Now it's a vape in my fist, nicotine in my chest Used to think the moon followed me home, what a flex Now it's just a rock, don't give a damn 'bout my debt-collecting effects I used to stare at streetlamps, see halos and saints Now I stare at spreadsheets till they bleed into complaints Every cloud was a creature, every creek was a choir Now the only thing that's magic is my phone's low-power wire [Hook] Once upon a time, every moment had a shine Now it's data, dotted lines, watch it fade between the signs Once upon a time, I could swear I saw it fly Now the rabbit's in the hat, but I can see the wires tied Ashes on the wand, saw the rabbit's eyes blink twice Pulled the curtain back and watched belief get sacrificed Once upon a time, man, it used to feel divine Now I'm lookin' at the void, tryna read between the lies [Verse 2] They said, "Pick a card, any card," I picked a heart with a scar Magician smiled, palmed the hope, turned it into a bar I'm at the counter, countin' counters, discountin' my youth Gettin' change back for illusions, and that shit ain't the truth I saw a prophet in a bus stop, muttering in chalk lines Rain came, washed the scripture down the gutter with the headlines Faith used to be a blanket, threadbare but it wrapped tight Now it's just a hashtag, caught in algorithmic backlight I traded in my beanstalk for a 9-to-5 ladder Only giants that I meet wear tailored suits and corporate swagger They don't roar, they send an email, mark it "urgent," mark it "read" If you open it, it'll shrink you till you fit inside your head [Hook] Once upon a time, every moment was uh.... [Bridge - half-sung] They told me, "Grow up, that's the way that it goes" So I folded paper cranes into corporate logos Faith used to be a fever I could sweat out in a verse Now I'm clinically detached, diagnosed with a curse Doctor says it's just "exposure to reality at worst" Bullshit — I swear I hear a choir every time the pipes burst [Raplover verses] [Intro] uh... uh... uh..... Ravn said... Once upon a time, we were fine with a simple design No weight on the brain, just a world we could find No chase for a name, no race for a sign Just kids with a dream and a limitless mind... uh... Raplover.... les get it [Verse 1] Once upon a time, every morning was magical Everything around me felt natural, practical Rain on the ground had a smell so incredible Life felt beautiful, moments unforgettable Walking through streets with the wind in my face Running with friends like we owned the whole place Grass on my shoes, sunlight in my vision Every little second felt like a perfect mission Playing video games till the nighttime arrived Laughing with the homies, feeling fully alive Controller in hand, no problems to mention Lost in the worlds created by imagination Building up forts, making plans in the yard Back then being happy wasn't really that hard A snack and a game was enough for the day A smile from a friend could just take stress away Now I look around and the picture's different Same old faces but the energy shifted Homies in class saying "bro, I'm finished" "Math got me trapped, this test got me finished" "Teacher moving fast, I don't understand this" "Assignment tomorrow, I'm already panicked" Trying to survive with the pressure increasing Dreams getting heavy while motivation's decreasin' [Verse 2] Now some of my brothers are proud of the poison Talking 'bout nicotine like they made an achievement Showing the vape like a trophy they're holding Not seeing the future they're slowly controllin' [Verse 3] I miss when the world had a different appearance When every small moment was filled with experience The smell of the food, the sound of the thunder Everything around me was something to wonder Now every notification brings another distraction Everybody chasing a digital reaction Comparing their lives with the lives on the screen Forgetting the beauty of places they've been. The one who believed that the sky had a story. and the story had a meaning.. [Outro] Once upon a time A game, some friends, and the love we could give Maybe the magic was never destroyed or gone Maybe it's waiting for us to remember where it came from. Yheah... Raplover...
