old dirt road

Just a son of the slums, out here fighting these battles, While the youth running wild, getting caught in the shadows. I'm supporting a movement, selling records for funds, Give back to the community, show the youth where I'm from. Stop the violence, start making beats, Put the piano with the violins, let the music speak. Bring it back, stop—say a prayer, silence for a moment, Rest in peace to the ones whose names the streets have stolen. No need for the graveyard sitting dressed in all black, Let's stop the violence, ain't no bringing them back. Young kids running wild, shooting like cowboys and Indians, Let's leave that in the past and give the future a chance again. [Verse 2] They said, "Here we go," now I'm stepping in the fast lane, Put myself on the track, put myself in my own lane. Long days, long ways, had to find myself, Now I'm watching these records turn the struggle into wealth. They already know the style when I come through the door, Young juveniles don't even know what the crime is for. I told 'em, "Study a line or two, learn something from the page, 'Cause the road that you're walking can determine your days." Now I'm putting in work, sitting back watching it grow, Learning every piece of the game, seeing how it goes. Putting bars together, building flows one by one, While everybody's chasing clothes, I'm focused on where I'm from. Everybody focused on new kicks and new clothes, I'm sitting on this old dirt road, thinking where this goes. Trying to figure out how I'm gonna make these records sell, But I don't need shortcuts—I know dedication well. [Hook] This is dedication, this is hard work, This is every long night and every lesson that hurt. From the slums to the stage, I'm carrying that load, I didn't choose the easy way—I chose this road. Old dirt road, but I'm still moving forward, Turn pain into music, let the whole world hear it. If one kid puts the gun down when they hear my song, Then everything I sacrificed wasn't sacrificed wrong. [Outro] So I'm building these records, one bar at a time, Putting truth in the beat, putting purpose in the rhyme. From my community to yours, that's the code that I chose— Iron Cedar coming straight up that old dirt road.