shoulda known

and the heat is rising

everything inside is screaming turn around now

just run and hide

but

i've been doing that for my whole life

yeah

it's now or never

i said it's now or never

i come in peace

feeling like michael corleone when he dropped his piece

i thought i burned that house

so i tossed the keys

i must've never lost the pics

'cause they're haunting me

autumn leaves

uh

my dm's like a slip'n'slide

i need it like a needle

i can't sleep at night

hedonism

i didn't heed advice

now i'm in the fetal

dang pops was right

i was like a kid in a candy store

a sour one

couldn't find what i was lookin' for

i grew up wanting to sing and rep the gospel

you keep your nose clean when you grow up penecostal

found a new way 'cause that was hard to follow

this was easier to taste

but hard to swallow

like you leave the buffet

feeling weak and hollow

so i ran to a legend like there's no tomorrow

i shoulda known

i shoulda known better

i shoulda known better

i shoulda known better

i shoulda known. better than to

known better than to

uh uh

uh

known better than to

yeah

yeah

my idol said i'm lauryn hill

then i woke up to a record deal

a fresh start'll take my mind of the sex appeal

i still want the women

but i'll let 'em chill

i guess it was a pipe dream

made it to the league

not the right team

they shoulda known ain't another artist like me

and i came from a genre that don't like me

wifey left and i couldn't go get her

too focused on tryna be a tone setter

uh

by the time i could see the whole set-up

the label fell apart and my home was no better

uh

so glad i could call on my brother

we made a whole album and he let me keep the money

so sad that i lost mya's mother

and even though we moving on

i'm always gonna love her

yeah ya'll

i shoulda known better

i shoulda known better

i shoulda known better

i shoulda known. better than to

oh lord

i

i know better

yo

uh huh

know better

oh oh

j

overall

i had a blast

even last year

no regrets

just passing here

and i ain't exiting to come back

i ain't been booked in like 2 months

and half the check-ins spent half the check

yeah

and i knew this whole thing was gon' be tentative

i seen a pretty penny payed for some penitence

i seen people judge people

be enemies

be friends then different and then be friends again

and say that's forgiveness

but that's an industry i was committed in

that's how christian rap get dividends

that's some new friends

you get what you got

i knew from the get-go that my cousin was finna pop

so in seven years

some people will love you just to leverage it

don't look too long that those with limited celebrities

sittin' next to this puppy to keep it real

can't depend on record deals

i'm here switching careers

sending resumes

i shoulda known better than to come back here

but come to think of it

nobody's even home

i see the writing on the wall

it's your name