Intro Yeah… Some stories never leave you. This one’s about a kid I knew. ⸻ Verse 1 I was fifteen, new kid from the countryside, Dropped into a world that felt a lifetime from mine. First time I saw Kyle, fists already in the air, Another schoolyard fight, everybody standing there. His old man watched close, almost calling every round, Like proving you were tough was how respect was found. Skinny little kid with a chip on his shoulder, Didn’t know back then what he’d carry when he got older. ⸻ Hook Kids don’t choose the house they’re raised in, They just learn what’s called “normal.” Every choice we put before them Becomes tomorrow’s moral. Cycles don’t break by pretending they’re fine… Somebody’s got to draw the line. A child is always watching… Even when we think they’re not. ⸻ Verse 2 One afternoon he said, “Come over to my place.” Walked into the house… never forgot the space. Dark little living room, curtains half drawn tight, One beam of afternoon sun cut across the light. His father at the table breaking weed apart, Didn’t hide a thing, didn’t seem strange at heart. Rolled himself a joint, took a couple drags, Passed it to his son like he was passing him the salt. Then he held it out to me… I said, “No, I’m good.” My buddy gave me that look like, “Just act like you should.” Nobody whispered. Nobody looked afraid. That’s when I realized… This happened every day. ⸻ Verse 3 Years rolled on, we all started growing up, Some chased jobs while others chased another buzz. Weed turned into bottles, bottles turned to pills, Anything to quiet what they couldn’t stand to feel. Broken homes, broken trust, broken family trees, Kids learning how to cope from what they always seen. I never judged ‘em… I just couldn’t understand… How escape became the language Passed down from man to man. One day he moved… Life pulled us apart. I’d see him every now and then Just passing through the dark. ⸻ Hook Kids don’t choose the house they’re raised in, They just learn what’s called “normal.” Every choice we put before them Becomes tomorrow’s moral. Cycles don’t break by pretending they’re fine… Somebody’s got to draw the line. A child is always watching… Even when we think they’re not. ⸻ Verse 4 Then I heard Kyle had a couple little kids, Still fighting old addictions he could never seem to quit. Then one day the phone rang… Overdose. Another name remembered. Another casket closed. Back when we were teenagers, Everybody seemed to survive. Today’s a different monster… One mistake can take a life. Sometimes I think about that kitchen table still… That afternoon, that sunlight, everything so still. I wonder if his father ever thinks about that day… Or if it felt like any other that just faded away. I don’t know. But I know this… Children remember What adults call normal. ⸻ Final Hook / Outro Be careful what you place inside a young man’s hands… Sometimes it isn’t just a joint… It’s the beginning of a path. Be careful what you make look ordinary… Because ordinary becomes a lifetime. Some kids inherit money. Some inherit pain. Some inherit addictions… And spend the rest of their lives Trying to give them back.
