On This Way

[Chorus: iyla]

And I think I've encountered my hardest days

Lord, won't You save me? Oh

You know what I've been prayin' for

And I never thought I'd see this day, yeah

I gotta make it change

And I think I've encountered my hardest days

[Verse 1: Joyner Lucas & iyla]

Uh, writin' plans to make a new report (Yeah)

Grind hard and turn my basement to a jewelry store

If you don't do it for your kids, then who you do it for?

I'm tryna read and learn some shit I never knew before

Focused on investments (Yeah) build me up some nеw resorts

We can manifest it (Word) you'd rathеr hit the Louis store

Wastin' all your blessings, care about the ones who doubt you

Just to impress some hoes who never gave a fuck about you

Just what I discovered

Never believed in family, that word is really a cover

Just a title that have the advantage to keep you under (Oh, yeah)

I got niggas I consider brothers more than my brothers

So watch it, you show your colors

We livin' in a world where prison walls is depravation (Yeah)

Livin' in a world where snitchin' calls for celebration (Yeah)

Livin' in a world where niggas crawl and segregation

Rainy nights and desperation, pray we fight the legislation

Protest until we flatline, paralyzed (Uh)

They throwin' stones at my Black Lives Matter signs (Oh)

Made a change but we still not satisfied

I can't smile half the time I'm still (I'm still)

I'm still waitin', sittin' plottin' on the couch (Word)

‘Cause I know that I ain't safe when all these cops is on the prowl (Yeah)

Tryna think of other ways, but we ain't got no other route

I'm startin' to understand that shit that Pac was talkin' ‘bout (Word)

[Chorus: iyla & Joyner Lucas]

And I think I've encountered my hardest days

Lord, won't You save me? Oh

You know what I've been prayin' for (Uh, uh, uh, uh)

And I never thought I'd see this day  (Uh, uh, uh, uh) yeah

I gotta make it change

And I think I've encountered my hardest days

Lord, won't You save me? Oh

You know what I've been prayin' for

And I never thought I'd see this day, yeah

I gotta make it change

And I think I've encountered my—

[Verse 2: Joyner Lucas & iyla]

Look, time is money and the clock tickin'

I teach my son love and respect, that's a God given (Word)

My sperm donor never been shit, just a flop

Listen, if it wasn't for my step-pops, I'd prolly turn out different (Facts)

Probably be in a cell doin' a life sentence (Facts)

Probably have twenty baby mamas and nine bitches (Facts)

Probably grow up misguided, twisted inside the system

Dropped out and failed ‘cause nobody listen to my admission (Yeah)

Sick of gettin' in fights with niggas less educated

Sick of gettin' advice from niggas who never made it (Ooh)

Sick of bein' polite to people with lesser patience

Oftentimes, I wonder where I would be if I never made it

The hatin' always comes from niggas

That wish they had all your blessings or the clout (True)

And bad vibes forever, but I'm destined on this route (Yeah)

I'm startin' to understand that shit that X was talkin' ‘bout (Word)

[Chorus: iyla]

And I think I've encountered my hardest days

Lord, won't You save me? Oh

You know what I've been prayin' for

And I never thought I'd see this day, yeah

I gotta make it change

[Interlude: XXXTENTACION]

Worst thing comes to worst

I fuckin' die a tragic death or some shit

And I'm not able to see out my dreams

I at least wanna know that the kids perceive my message

And were able to make something of themselves

And able to take my message

And use it and turn it into somethin' positive

And to, to at least have a good life

[Verse 3: The Game]

If it ain't black owned, I'm prolly gon' use it to chop crack on

Hard white for all them hard nights I had my back on

Roach-infested carpet, tip-toe in my mother's room

See a dresser and felt no pressure when takin' a twenty off it

Compton like a closed coffin, we walkin' to school coughin'

Often high off the gun smoke, Boston had at the front door

Cookin' class, I'm JAY, Hov', rock it up on they stove

Me and my teacher goin' back and forth like Noname and J. Cole

You said I would never be what? I wouldn't amount to what?

Now you in this Trader Joe's, same lines, sayin', “Wassup?” (Oh)

Talkin' ‘bout like how you like my songs, not knowin' it was me

Security had me in a headlock and I told you I couldn't breathe

Now it's Black Lives Matter and white letters on your shirt

Now how many black lives did you help, or did you hurt?

Did you handicap, block, push to excel or did you hinder?

Since hindsight's 20/20, I guess you don't remember

Now you with your mixed child, havin' all these mixed feelings

But do your black husband know you tried to burn down our village?

But never mind, from the line, that's for y'all to figure out

Just know that boy who wasn't shit bailed all his niggas out

And it's my black queen, I kiss her on her black lips

And she rock Off-White ‘cause she support black shit

And I'm blacker than a Steeler helmet or a Spike Lee flick

Black like the pick stuck in the afro of Kaepernick