[Verse 1: ATO]

And now you're questioning the decisions I'm making lately

Said that's rich coming from someone who barely gave me a penny

If you were here you'd understand my reflection

'Cause standing over there gives you an ill-informed perception

Of who I am, who I'm meant to be and the couches between

'Cause when you wake up is when I'll be living the dream

I've embarked upon this journey alone

Now I'm four years within the unknown but yet so lyrically grown

Shit

How did my life become like this

It's all a puzzle, drinking, I can find the answer in the bottom of this bottle

Life's a struggle

So we work just to work more

One the last floors has us falling through a thousand more

When the rich take less to the grave than the poor

My mum's calling my phone and I'm on the road

I take the call, she's low, saying she's been diagnosed

With the same shit that had me wear a black suit and tie

When my mother's mother said goodbye back in '99

There's a thin line between love and hate

And I see people cross the border every day

And I see people hustling to find change

In the pursuit to find change

All I know is

Ato, come home

Ato ain't ready, Ato needs to get more

The hourglass's pressure ain't resistant

Thoughts of pessimism

Despite all these feelings be the rhythm to the way I'm living

And if you find a diamond in the dirt

A broken bridge by a river, or a sinner by a church

Trust I know life is too short

To not give time to a possibility without hope

[Chorus]

Young guy, you don't know why

Living in the city where they leave you by the roadside

All I know in the place where I've grown is

I don't wanna be like him

Young guy, you don't know why

Living in the city where they leave you by the roadside

All I know in the place where I've grown is

I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna

[Verse 2: ATO]

Think about you, drink about you

I tried with you, but you pushed me away

Way deeper into yesterday

Hold up where you going, you best not be playing games

One fight away from changing this picture inside this frame

See when you go is not back to my usual

Young artistic nigga in the city with that pencil full of pain

Into walking in the rain

And the raindrops they fall heavy for me

It's funny, feel like it's Gods way of tryna speak to me

Well that's what I feel

Feel what I imagine is real

Just a flower in this field

Tryna find my way between

The pretty lady's finger and thumb

And she's God

Cause she controls the feelings I've got

But I've got so much on my brain these days

I feel the waves getting far too big to handle

[Fail] to turn this shit the other way

Sail back to the harbor like your average Joe and play it safe

But that's not life it's not what I chose

The Romans made these roads that I refuse to follow populated with people that don't see past the tip of their nose

In the process lost a place called home

Lost myself

Lost my girl

Feel as if I'm alone staring at the park

There's a billion people that feel the same

Life is how you see it and I see it as a frame

The picture that it holds becomes clear on your final days

Pray it's never my choice to choose to give the brush away

[Chorus: ATO]

Young guy, you don't know why

Living in the city where they leave you by the roadside

All I know in the place where I've grown is I don't wanna be like him

Young guy, you don't know why

Living in the city where they leave you by the roadside

All I know in the place where I've grown is

I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna

[Verse 3: ATO]

That's when I realized I'd rather have real enemies than fake friends

Be true to me than lying cheating on Sunday, say Amen

I keep spinning the world on the tip of my fingers

[Stressing] the waves

Causing tsunamis

Killing them masses

Watching em pray

Twenty four hours a day

Just to test em

If I stop it, wonder who calls it a blessing

Wonder who sees the disaster

Wonder who can see the lesson

But my left hand keeps on spinning it

I'm out of control

My eyes reflecting the cadence with no intention to close

And now you're questioning the decisions I'm making lately

Said that's rich coming from someone who barely gave me a penny

If you were here you'd understand my reflection

Cause standing over there gives you an ill informed perception

Of who I am, who I'm meant to be, and the couches between

Cause when you wake up is when I'll be living the dream

(Ato, have you been up all night?)