[Verse One] [Substantial]:
Dude I barely finished school, it was gettin' really tired
Now my parents pushin' me to take my education higher
I wanna travel abroad, but I got a seed
And my folks obviously want me to marry the broad
That I laid down with, time to get me a job
Work for snotty nosed kids and this fatherhood sh**
Like my father don't quit, man I'm gettin' buried
Man sh** is gettin' scary, might join the Military
Cause round here it ain't at all hard to find a recruiter
It was harder for my high school to find me a tutor
Met him on the block, talked, gave him my background
He like a pimp in uniform, layin' his mack down
Sayin' plenty things that appeal to me
And it sounded like a pretty good deal to me
See the world, meet some girls and free school
All while gettin' paid to me, it seems cool
Anything's better than sittin' around here
Deep as sh** get, feel like I'm gonna drown here
I'll give it a shot man, sign me up
I'm just another toy soldier boy, wind me up
C'mon
[Chorus] [Elias]:
I wasn't ready when you first rolled out the block
Wasn't ready when I heard them shots
I wasn't ready when you broke my heart
But oh baby
You better watch out cause I'm ready
Oh baby
You better watch out cause I'm ready
I'm ready
I'm ready
I'm ready
[Verse Two] [Substantial]:
Finally got hitched the week before I shipped out
Baby started walkin' after that, damn I missed out
And without a baby to miss, I don't see how
In a world I make it through this, it's crazy as sh**
It wasn't what I had in mind when I tried to get away
Found God hella quick, before that I never prayed
Now I beg for a better day everyday
Heavenly arm but I'm too scared to let it spray
Who said you unafraid is a horrible liar
With everyday here's soundin' like the 4th of July
Subtract the fireworks, add in some body parts
I done seen more young flesh here than Mardi Gras
Accept mistakes though my army fatigues
Hardly can sleep
Murder scenes all in my dreams
Seen unspeakable things can't talk to my peeps
Fam and wife worried cause I haven't called 'em in weeks
But I don't want them to hear the fear in my voice
And I gotta live with it, this here is my choice
But it's hard to be poised when you're shook to the core
At Hell's Gate standin', it's like my foot's in the door
And to top it all off, I don' got my first k**
Someone younger than my kid brother, it hurts still
It's so ill when you're tryin' to survive
For real I ain't tryin' to die, let me live
[Chorus] [Elias]:
I wasn't ready when you first rolled out the block
Wasn't ready when I heard them shots
I wasn't ready when you broke my heart
But oh baby
You better watch out cause I'm ready
(Am I ready to choose? Am I ready to lose?)
Oh baby
You better watch out cause I'm ready
(Am I ready to win? Am I ready to sin? Do I really want war?)
I'm ready
I'm ready
I'm ready
[Verse Three] [Substantial]:
When I'm thinkin' of home, I get chills to the bones
But I sit here alone, prayin' that I return
Miss friends that I've known, little sh** that I own
Send a kiss through the phone, tell my wife ?
I'm ignoring her now, though before I was foul
Now I long for her smile and a hug from my kid
An adorable child, I ignored for awhile
Semi auto go POW in the bu*t and the rib
Thinkin' oh my gosh, what I almost lost
Can't afford the cost
But I paid it dearly
Man, war is harsh
Got awful scars, nearly torn apart, and I make it barely
By the skin of my teeth, fight vigorously
Whether win or defeat, I'll make it through all this
Got a letter from my wife, she fed up with my life
She said it was not right, she callin' it quits
After all this sh**, she found somebody else
Feelin' sore and sick, I'm down, this hardly helps
I'll use this pain, no longer fight myself
That's pointless like tryin' to drown Michael Phelps
Swear to God this sh**'s wrong
Gotta get home, shots will split domes, still we'll clash
So ready or not, come get you a shot
I'm ready to pop, so feel my wrath
When I pick up a gun, better get up and run
Gotta get to my son, better clear my path
[Chorus] [Elias]:
I wasn't ready when you first rolled out the block
Wasn't ready when I heard them shots
I wasn't ready when you broke my heart
But oh baby
You better watch out cause I'm ready
Oh baby
You better watch out cause I'm ready
I'm ready
I'm ready
I'm ready