The Dropout Psalm

Verse 1 Yeah, I dropped out of college, only class I passed was English, guess the words were the only place I ever felt distinguished. Math didn’t add up, science couldn’t prove me, history kept repeating but it never really moved me. They said, “Follow the system, it’ll carry you somewhere,” but I followed every hallway and ended up nowhere. Now I’m holding broken pencils like they’re pieces of a map, trying to write my way forward with the world on my back. Pre-Chorus I tried to fit the frame, but the frame kept cracking. I tried to play the game, but the rules kept laughing. So I threw out the papers, threw out the plan, let the water tell me who I really am. Chorus So I’ll sit by the water and keep making music, turn all of my failures into something I can use. If the system couldn’t save me, then I’ll save myself, put my pain in a melody and leave it on the shelf. Yeah, I dropped out, broke down, but I’m still here breathing, singing to the waves like they know what I’m feeling. I’ll sit by the water and keep making music, ’cause the life they promised me was never mine to lose. Verse 2 They wanted straight lines, I was born in scribbles, they wanted clean answers, I was talking in riddles. They handed me a future wrapped in debt and expectations, then acted so surprised when I questioned the foundation. I don’t need a classroom to tell me I’ve got vision, I don’t need approval from a broken institution. English was the only place my soul could raise its hand, so now every song I write is my final exam. Pre-Chorus I tried to fit the frame, but the frame kept cracking. I tried to play the game, but the rules kept laughing. So I threw out the papers, threw out the plan, let the water tell me who I really am. Chorus So I’ll sit by the water and keep making music, turn all of my failures into something I can use. If the system couldn’t save me, then I’ll save myself, put my pain in a melody and leave it on the shelf. Yeah, I dropped out, broke down, but I’m still here breathing, singing to the waves like they know what I’m feeling. I’ll sit by the water and keep making music, ’cause the life they promised me was never mine to lose. Bridge Maybe I’m not lost, maybe I left the road. Maybe I’m not failing, maybe I’m letting go. Maybe all those red marks were pointing me to art. Maybe every wrong turn was a compass to my heart. And if they ask what I became, tell ’em I became sound, tell ’em I built a kingdom where they tried to tear me down. Final Chorus So I’ll sit by the water and keep making music, turn all of my failures into something I can use. If the system couldn’t save me, then I’ll save myself, put my truth in a melody and let it ring out. Yeah, I dropped out, stood up, found my own reason, singing to the waves through every changing season. I’ll sit by the water and keep making music, ’cause the life they promised me was never mine to lose. Outro Only class I passed was English, so I wrote my way through it. Sat down by the water… and turned my life into music.