And I was strugglin' to get back up and I wrote this song in my parents' basement
And the act has been therapy for me to get this shit onto a paper
And to see that is connected with so many people
Across the world in the same way
The struggle either themselves or have somebody that they love
The struggles with the desease of alcoholism
Or the desease of addiction
And to see that reach the people
Has been absolutely incredible
This song right here it's called Otherside
Let's go
Oh girl, this boat is sinkin'
There's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy
When you are underneath it
Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God
He came down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down...
And said
Nothing
He rolled up, asked him what he was sippin' on
He said lean, you want to hit it, dawg?
That's the same stuff Weezy's sippin' huh?
And tons of other rappers that be spittin' hard
Yup, he had five up on
When he passed him that styrofoam
The easter pink, heard it in a rhyme before
Finally got to see what all the hype was on
And then he took a sip, sittin' in the Lincoln
Thinkin' he was pimpin' as he listen to The System
Little did he know that it was just as addictive as base
Not the kind of hit from the kick drum
Hot box, let the bass bump
Take it to the face, gulp
Months later the use went up
And every blunt was accompanied by the pink stuff
But Goddamn he loved that feelin'
Purple rain coated in the throat
Just so healin'
Medicine alleviate the sickness
Liquid to fix and it comes with a cost
Wake up, cold sweat, scratchin', itchin'
Tryin' to escape the skin that barely fit him
Gone, get another bottle just to get a couple swallows
Headed towards the bottom couldn't get off it
Didn't even think he had a problem
Though he couldn't sleep without gettin' nauseous
Room spinnin', thinkin' he might have sipped just a little bit too much of that cough syrup
His eyelids closed shut
Sat back in the chair clutchin' that cup
Girlfriend came in a couple hours later
Said his name, shook him
But he never got up
He never got up, he never got up
We live on the cusp of death thinkin' that it won't be us
It won't be us, it won't be us, it won't be us, nah
It won't be us
Oh girl, this boat is sinkin'
There's no sea left for me
And how the sky gets heavy
When you are underneath it
Oh, I want to sail away from here
And God
He came down, down, down, down, down
Down, down, down, down...
And said
Nothing
Now he just wanted to act like them
He just wanted to rap like him
Us as rappers underestimate the power and the effects that we have on these kids
Blunt passed, ash in a tin, pack being pushed, harassed by the feds
The fact of it is most people that rap like this talkin' about some shit they haven't lived
Surprise! You know the drill
Trapped in a box to climb record sales
Follow the formula: violence, drugs, and, sex sells
So we try to sound like something else
This is not Californication
No way to glorify this pavement
Syrup, percocet, and an eighth a day will leave you broke, depressed and emotionally vacant
Despite how Lil Wayne says
It's not conducive to being creative
And I know 'cause he's my favorite
And I know 'cause I was off that same shit
Rationalize whatever I'd try after I listen to dedication
But he's an alien, I'd sip that shit, pass out or play Playstation
Months later in the same place
No music made, feeling like a failure
And trust me, it's not dope to be 25 and move back to your parents' basement
I've seen my people's dreams die
I've seen what they can be denied
And "weed's not a drug", that's denial
Groundhog Day life repeat each time
I've seen oxycontin take four lives
I grew up with them, we used to cheef dimes
I've seen cocaine bringin' out the demons inside
Cheatin' and lyin'
Friendship cease, no peace in the mind
Stealin' and takin' anything to fix the pieces inside
Broken, hopeless, headed nowhere
Only motivation for what the dealer's supplying
That rush, that drug, that dope
Those pills, that crumb, that roach
Thinkin' I would never do that, not that drug
And growin' up nobody ever does
Until your stuck, lookin' in the mirror like "I can't believe what I've become"
Be someone
And growin' up everyone always does
We sell our dreams and our potential
To escape through that buzz
Just keep me up, keep me up
Hollywood here we come