slow down kid

--- “Slow Down, Son” (Verse 1 – Talking to My Younger Self) Dear little me, I see you before the smoke in your lungs, Before the liquor bottles stacked where your childhood was hung. Before the cuffs clicked tight on your shaking wrists, Before them cold white walls and them hospital shifts. Before you walked out Pops’ funeral, chest caved in, Trying not to cry so you swallowed it in. You thought being hard meant don’t let it show, But grief don’t disappear just ’cause you don’t let it flow. You weren’t a monster, you were mourning a king, Lost your father and your whole world tilted off its swing. Anger got loud, fists started speaking, Pain went silent but your soul kept bleeding. Aggravated assault didn’t start with your hands, It started the day death changed the plans. Resisting arrest wasn’t hating the law, It was fighting that powerless feeling you saw. Nicotine breaths when anxiety hit, Liquor to drown what you couldn’t sit with. Drugs weren’t fun, they were armor and shield, Covering wounds that never got healed. You weren’t evil, you were lost in the storm, A boy forced to grow up too fast and transform. Nobody told you it’s okay to break, So you broke everything instead for survival’s sake. (Hook) Slow down, son, you ain’t gotta rush, Pain don’t make you weak just because you crush. You’re more than the charges, more than the scars, More than the nights staring up at the stars. Slow down, son, I’m still right here, In your strength, in your fight, in every tear. (Verse 2 – Pops Speaking) Son, I saw you walk out that day, But I knew your heart just couldn’t stay. You didn’t leave ’cause you didn’t care, You left ’cause grief was too heavy to bear. You were just a kid with a man-sized weight, Trying to understand death and fate. You picked up the bottle, I saw the pain, Every sip was you calling my name. When the smoke filled rooms and the nights got long, I knew you were trying to feel less wrong. When fists flew fast and tempers burned, It was lessons in hurt you never learned. I don’t see a record, I don’t see a case, I see my son trying to find his place. The system saw trouble, I saw despair, A boy who just needed his dad still there. You think I wanted you numb and gone? Nah, I wanted you living strong. Breaking cycles, building dreams, Not drowning yourself in silent screams. (Hook) Slow down, son, you ain’t gotta rush, Grief don’t leave just ’cause you hush. You’re still that kid with a heart so wide, Still got that fire I put inside. Slow down, son, breathe and see, You’re still becoming who you’re meant to be. (Verse 3 – The Memory) Remember that sunset, orange in the sky? Just me and you, no need to try. You were small, hands trying to fix Something simple, but you felt mixed. You got frustrated, thought you failed, Waiting on me to say you bailed. But I knelt down close and showed you again, Said, “Slow down, you’ll get it, my friend.” That wasn’t ’bout tools or throwing that ball, That was life I was teaching through it all. You’ve been rushing since I’ve been gone, Trying to prove you’re tough and strong. But strength ain’t rage and it ain’t that pride, It’s facing the hurt you try to hide. It’s choosing peace when anger calls, It’s standing tall after every fall. You still got that laugh that shook your frame, Still got that heart, still got that flame. Even through charges and nights of shame, You’re still my son — that won’t change. (Bridge – Reflection) I forgive you for every mistake, For every road you chose to take. Now forgive yourself and start again, Pain don’t define you — it just began A story of healing, not defeat, Of learning to stand on steady feet. (Final Hook – Both Voices Together) Slow down, son, you ain’t alone, Even when it feels like you’ve overthrown Every good thing you ever knew, There’s still a better side of you. More than the smoke. More than the drink. More than the anger quicker than blink. More than the charges written in pen. You’re still that nigga. You’re still that man. Slow down, kid… You’ll get it. ---