The youth

Chorus

We were outside 'cause it was hot inside

We were in parks, now the parks are sites

It's a big world, but the yard feels tight

I wanna give everyone the world one night

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I

Verse 1

Look, sometimes I feel like I'm trapped in a maze

A lot of blessings but I'm stuck in a phase

I tried to pray, but I just can't find the phrase

I'm gettin' older and my mom gettin' grey, eh

Verse 2

It's like we're goin' up, but I'm still goin' through it

I got the blues, but I can't sing the blues

I made a few, but I could make a few more

It's just a view from the roof of a tower block where I grew

Verse 3

Look, when they say they want peace, I ask what colour

'Cause peace for me might mean war for my brother

We don't need a leader, we need one another

This ain't no game of followers, we'll do it for our mothers

Verse 4

And they think it's funny 'til it happens to 'em

They say, "Have fun," but there's no fun in prisons

A lot of money and no common sense is the difference between us

They love the hustle but hate the conditions

Verse 5

Look, that's why I can't sleep

'Cause all these boys out there are makin' moves

That'll haunt 'em for the rest of they lives, yeah

It's hard to teach a boy the way to live when the road's a mentor

And it's paid for in blood, sweat, and tears

Verse 6

And in the end, we're all just a man with a name

A picture on a wall, a memory in a frame

We're born the same, but the system makes us different

It's hard to keep your head if the pavement's heaven-sent

Chorus

We were outside 'cause it was hot inside

We were in parks, now the parks are sites

It's a big world, but the yard feels tight

I wanna give everyone the world one night

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I can't sleep

Verse 7

Look, life's a marathon, but it can be a sprint

I don't know who's to blame, but I know who's in the mix

It ain't easy to get clean when you're in the thick of it

It's hard to get your freedom when you're in the thicket

Verse 8

You can't find the truth when the trust is absent

They don't know the half of it, they only know the fragments

You can't find the roots if you only see the branches

And you can't fix the leak if the pipes are contaminated

Verse 9

Look, I'm not the devil, but I've danced with demons

I made a lot of money, but I still make money

I've been away, but I'm still in the ends

I'm not the best of men, but I'm the best of my friends

Verse 10

A lot of problems, but we still find solutions

I got the answers, but I still got the questions

I know the difference 'tween my friends and connections

I know the difference 'tween depression and my intentions

Verse 11

A lot of lessons, but there's still a lot to learn

You can't make an example out a boy if he's burnt

We can't talk about the future and ignore the present

How can I put my trust in someone I don't trust in?

Chorus

We were outside 'cause it was hot inside

We were in parks, now the parks are sites

It's a big world, but the yard feels tight

I wanna give everyone the world one night

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I can't sleep

Yeah, I