To my dear dearly departed

Shit′s becoming all that I feared, here's where it started

Seems that nothing′s as it appears, swear it's retardedNo wonder I get speared by my peers, yeah I'm a target

It used to take a nation of millions for niggas not to be

America′s most gave America hope

Back when the music had a message in it

We was rebels against it

The best was intended to lessen the gimmicks

But now y′all made a mess of it

And somebody gotta address this shit

Rakim would never wear a dress and shit

I'm not a pessimist to say I ain′t impressed with it

Your hearing's bad, you think it′s alive, now that's the death in it

When it was all about bars, wanted to wedding it

Surround yourself with bullshit, you′ll be liable to step in it

Came here with one objective, getting of it further

Now I'm watching my first love die, witnessing murder

When Common stopped loving ol' girl, what was he telling me?

Cold world, now she won′t dig you without a melody

Love nerds, used to be into niggas with felonies

We need a new president, where the fuck is Eric B?

Or did my wordplay confuse her?

Now I see her with Young Thug and Future

Like what did you niggas do to her?

Now, my generalization is this generation

The imminent state of this gentrification, desensitization

I call her, she′s in Marvin's room, everything is awkward now

She moved more to south, deserted her New Yorker crowd

Met her with a cane, she changed, prefer to walk it out

Stopped eating meat when she heard I worked in a slaughterhouse

Now she′s a new dame glued to the fame

She used to hate accessorizing, now she's wearing two chains

Relationship too strained, I don′t know who to blame

When I tell her, "You changed", she say, "Who would be the same"

She right, cause this ain't the way we knew each other

Or do I face the fact that maybe we outgrew each other?

It took a while, but that′s finally understood

She wouldn't change if she could

I swear if this is love, I'm good

Everything has changed, I can see it clear in fact

Staring at these four walls, angry that they′re staring back

Took a while, now it′s finally understood

Would we change it if we could?

I swear if this is love, I'm good

Look, I can′t get with you at all, our issue is tall

You tied to every nigga now that dribbles a ball

Did I miss a red flag? You wasn't fickle before

I can′t even ridicule y'all, that′d be a bitter resolve

Wanna talk about our history

I feel like everything you say is contradictory

Whenever you come visit me

I look at you and see remembrance, remnants

Plenty resentments, it's not you but there's resemblance

We diss each other all out of fun, shit amuses me

You threaten every girl I′m with, that just confuses me

Say you want kids real soon, now that′s abuse to me

And I just write about it in song, you're like a muse to me

I wanna ask where you see yourself in five years

How you going about that, like what′s the verdict?

I wanna ask if you ever replay the past over

And if you do, when you finished is it worth it?

I wanna ask if we love each other so much

How do we cause each other so much pain?

Still in all in each others lives

We've remained without a claim

I know some′ll call that clinically insane

How do we remedy the games?

Was once enemies and then that energy refrained

Wasn't meant to be, the synergy had us mentally drained

Minimally sprained so relentlessly he aims

Despite when you said you never could depend on me again

Still we′re here as none of this had ever taken place

Are we checking to see if someone's taking our place?

As we front like we're taking up space

I think currently the current we is making our case

But for what? Would that just seal it again

Did it all hurt so much? Do we wanna feel it again? I doubt it

Took a while, still nothing′s understood

Would we change it if we could?

I swear if this is love, I′m good

Everything has changed, I can see it clear in fact

Staring at these four walls, angry that they're staring back

Took a while, now it′s finally understood

Would we change it if we could?

I swear if this is love, I'm good

Look, I can see the pain in your eyes, I wanna fix it

But all your words are fueling my pride, so I′m dismissive

You think I wanna sit in this courtroom

Talking supervised, scrutinized by suit and ties? You a lie

You could cry, the conditions of you and I, can't escape it

Every lie she told you over the years, I′m face to face with

Now they've manifested

You're overwhelmed and congested

But feeling neglected, I gotta respect it

I can′t explain to your so young brain

Since our first exchange you′ve been kept from me

Used against as weaponry

And as much as I hate her

I'd never downplay your mother like that

For you to judge her like that

Just a lesson later on that you′ll discover like that

We not alone in this process, no, it's others like that

But you spew these sly remarks like, "Why are we here?

Like why are you near? Like why do you care, how I despair?"

I gotta eat that, see you got a grudge, lil′ nigga

We flesh and blood, lil' nigga, no ifs, ands or buts, lil′ nigga

You can think your dad is nuts, lil' nigga

I'm talking to you cause you came out of my nuts, lil′ nigga

That′s my stance on the matter, I won't budge, lil′ nigga

And I'll tell that to your mother and the judge, lil′ nigga

At our next court date, you gon' see that it′s true

Funny, my condescending ways, I kinda see 'em in you

Mannerisms when I'm annoyed, yep I′m seeing that too

I′m smiling, admiring genes, I kinda think that it's cute

I was you 20 years ago when pop popped up

But nothing like you, sad how life will recycle a cycle

You missing intel only a dad can give

Can′t expect you to understand, this doesn't matter to a kid

And since our situation′s not understood

I would fix it if I could

I swear if this is love, I'm good

Everything has changed, I can see it clear in fact

Staring at these four walls, angry that they′re staring back

Took a while, now it's finally understood

Would we change it if we could?

I swear if this is love, I'm good