[Intro] Stayin' real, when the world gets so dirty When they smile to your face, but behind your back the dirt is aimed at you Mom looks at me, asks: "Son, what are you doing?" [Verse 1] I see the years on her forehead when I can't sleep again at night I see the bottle on the table, I see the court file I see the X-ray of my back, but they don't see my heart I have shifts full of chemistry, but no shift schedule for my heart I've learned how not to die, but not how not to hurt Stay cool through the dirt, stay fresh through the shift If you lie for a like, you'll eventually lose it You can choose between peace or just more alarm I have scars on my skin, but I wear them like a charm Fuck a voting booth, brother, I'll vote for myself first I want my whole street to break out of the tunnel Call me with stress, I'll hit decline, mute If you don't go your own way, you'll stay dazed and dull forever I see people who only talk, but they never step forward Don't get stuck in one place, brother, life is ahead Don't tell me I'm too deep, I haven't slept for nights. If I say what everyone's thinking, that's not an incident. [Chorus] Why stay fresh through the storm? (huh) Yeah Why stay fresh through the storm, baby? ... Yeah Because otherwise everything here dies (huh) Yeah Stay fresh through the storm, baby Yeah [Verse 2] I've got dreams in the cloud and bills in the mail Sometimes I feel like a ghost passing through concrete walls Industry skyline before my eyes, but my room stays small Still, I'm building an empire from every kick, every line My head's in quantum leaps, but the rent is real I have more than one body, but only one that counts here I learned at the TTZ how to stand up straight again But my crooked inner compass tells me where my path leads Sleep is my ethic, if I fall, I'm not standing well When I can't stand myself anymore, it's over with courage I write songs like protocol, every bar a diagnosis Every truth I drop heals my heart again No mask for the clicks, no filters for the pain I want children who will one day say: "He had Little, but he's got heart. Every session is a prayer, every hook a little light. When the body rebels again, the soul still pulls the shift. I'm quiet, but not well-behaved, I'm tired, but not soft. Better honest here in the dirt than perfect in the wrong realm. [Chorus] Why stay fresh through the storm? (huh) Yeah Why stay fresh through the storm, baby? Yeah Because otherwise everything here dies. (huh) Yeah Stay fresh through the storm, baby. Yeah [Outro] Stay real. Even if everything here is loud. Even if no one gets you. Stay fresh through it all.
