[Verse 1: J. Cole]
Spinning in circles, live my life without rehearsals
If I died today my n***a was it business? Was it personal?
Should this be my last breath I'm blessed cause it was purposeful
Never got to church to worship lord but please be merciful
You made me versatile, well-rounded like cursive
Know you chose me for a purpose, I put my soul in these verses
Born sinner, was never born to be perfect
s**er for women licking they lips and holding these purses
Back when we ran the streets who would think we grow to be murderers
Teachers treated n***as as if they totally worthless
And violent, and hopeless
I saw but never noticed that a college point is right to
"Be all that you can be" posters
Rest in peace to Tiffany, I don't know if this is the realest sh** I wrote
But know the realest n***a wrote this
And signed it, and sealed it in a envelope and knew one day you'll find it
And knew one day that you'd come back and rewind it, singing...
[Hook: James Fauntleroy]
I'm a born sinner
But I'll die better than that, I swear
You always where I needed you to be
Whether you were there or not there (I was there)
I was born sinning
But I live better than that (better tonight)
If you ain't f**ing with that
I don't care (yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Verse 2: J. Cole]
Yeah, this music sh** is a gift
But God help us make it cause this music business is a cliff
I got her life in my grip, she holding tight to my wrist
She screaming: "Don't let me slip"
She see the tears in my eyes, I see the fear on her lips
True when I told you: "You the only reason why I don't flip and go insane"
My roof in the pouring rain
You knew me before the fame, don't lose me the more I change, no
Just grow with me, go broke you go broke with me
I smoke you gon' smoke with me
Woman's curse since birth, man lead her to the hearse
I go Bobby you go Whitney damn
Listen here, I'll tell you my biggest fears
You the only one who knows 'em
Don't you ever go expose 'em
This life is harder than you'll probably ever know
Emotions I hardly ever show
More for you than for me
Don't you worry yourself
I gotta do this for me
They tell me life is a test but where's the tutor for me
Pops came late I'm already stuck in my ways
Ducking calls from my mother for days
Sometimes she hate the way she raised me but she love what she raised
Can't wait to hand her these house keys with nothing to say
Except
[Hook: James Fauntleroy]
I'm a born sinner
But I'll die better than that, I swear
You always where I needed you to be
Whether you were there or not there (I was there)
I was born sinning
But I live better than that (better tonight)
If you ain't f**ing with that
I don't care (yeah, yeah, yeah)
[Outro: J. Cole]
This sh** is a gift