Mama kept a skillet older than the house. Handle burned black. Still worked. Mama kept a skillet older than the house Sat crooked on the burner, handle burned out Didn’t measure nothin’, didn’t write it down Just watched for the sizzle, then turned it around Smoke on the ceiling, bacon grease poppin’ Burned my thumb once, learned real quick watchin’ Nobody said “healthy,” nobody said “clean” Just “don’t crowd the pan”… let it do its thing I’ve read a hundred takes on what I oughta eat They got opinions None of ’em cooked with me I wasn’t raised on rules Wasn’t raised on trends I was raised on cast iron And seein’ how it ends Heat, time, standin’ still Let the whole thing settle in Yeah, I wasn’t raised on rules I was raised on cast iron Eggs ain’t fragile, they just don’t like to rush Move too fast, they’ll tear up on ya, hush Butter first, pan hot, then leave it alone That’s how patience tastes when it finds its tone Heard folks say, “Man, that grease’ll get ya” Funny, it never tried to lecture Just did its job every Saturday morn’ Fed five people, didn’t ask for applause I wasn’t raised on guilt Wasn’t raised on shame Scrape it clean, wipe it down Use it again the same Every mark’s got a reason Even if I don’t Yeah, I wasn’t raised on guilt I was raised on cast iron Now they sell worry by the pound Dress it up nice, send it around Say this’ll fix ya, that’ll save ya Most of it’s noise from somebody’s neighbor But that old pan still sits where it sat Takes the heat, gives it back Don’t care what’s trending this week Just waits for me to pay attention I wasn’t raised on perfection Wasn’t raised to pretend Flip it when it’s ready And fix it if it bends I don’t need permission I don’t need a plan I wasn’t raised on rules I was raised on cast iron Still got that pan. Still cooks the same. If that’s wrong, Guess I’ll heat it anyway. I was raised on cast iron
