The Beginning
[Intro: Perrin Hawver]
Yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah
Yeah, yeah-yeah
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Yeah

[Chorus: Perrin Hawver]
The system got me held downy yeah
I feel like I'm in Hell now
But I can't see Heaven, I can't see Heaven
From where I been standing, I
'Cause I'm gonna make it out
And I'm gonna sing it loud
You will know my name if you don't know by now
You will know my name if you don't know by now

[Verse 1: Apollo]
Goddamn, a young man livin' off of government aid
But no one really understand what he doin'
High school student from sittin' in class
To drivin' to Lansing to focus on music
I'm gone, daddy was gone
Mama was ill and at me like, "You dumb motherfucker
You probably aren't writin' these songs
Wastin' your time, wastin' your money on studio time that you wrong"
Gimme a second whenever I step in a session, my words like a weapon
I'm reppin' the L, goddammit
Rather be locked in a cell, goddammit
Then never achieve what I planned
What I planned was to just be the man for my family
Fuck what I planned to be, fuck bein' local
My homies believe in me, even when people was treatin' me
Awful, was took off my table, no food on my table
You tellin' us fables, I'm sick of my life as dependin' how labels define me
Plus, if you tryin' to sign me, then sign me
But I know my worth motherfucker, so I'ma keep my hook behind me
Ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy, ayy
[Chorus: Perrin Hawver]
The system got me held down, yeah
I feel like I'm in Hell now
But I can't see Heaven, I can't see Heaven
From where I been standing, I
'Cause I'm gonna make it out
And I'm gonna sing it loud
You will know my name if you don't know by now
You will know my name if you don't know by now

[Verse 2: Apollo]
My dad was a rapist, my mom is a racist
I feel like I'm stuck in a basement, I'm chasin' a dream
Came from a city of violence
Surrounded by gunshots and shine so fuck it
I've had enough of this bullshit through talkin' and walkin' to places
But homies, these kids I don't know, they approach me like "Sir, you the man"
"Give me a year in advance and you'll make it, on God"
"I know you sick of the life that you living but isn't it worth it
That one day, you'll actually get the record deal that you wanted
So why would you quit now?" Yo
This the beginning, this for the nights that we slept on the simmon, my homies ain't get it
My cousin in prison, I feel like I should go and visit, but fuck it, I'm ign'ant
Did it 'cause isn't it funny that when he got locked up and put in the system, I started doin' the same shit
And it's shameless, the shit that I do to be famous
I came from a house full of woman, but fuck 'em, I did it
Fuck 'em, I did it
Broke not broken
[Outro: Perrin Hawver]
Na-na-na-na-na-na