[Verse 1: Laws]
When I was still writin' down words
Back when freestyle meant comin' off the dome
I knew this older rapper and he had a lot of birds
I gotta keep it real, I was trying to be his clone
And that was good enough for a town
That you could say was too hoarse
Especially in the South when you tryna rap like New York
Lunch period, chicks, he would bag ‘em up
I was still self service, usin' napkins up
I felt the sun from his shadow
He walkin' 'round like wanna battle?
I sat right in his corner and I soaked up all his game
So when I got approached, I'd use his quotes on all these lames
I was sure that he wouldn't even mind
I put my twist in somethin' that you couldn't redesign
I would smile when he put me in his lines, he would notice
Right after, he would pull me to the side and say…
[Hook]
Boy, when you get to the top, don't you ever look down, no
‘Cause we rise and fall like snow in the night
You move too fast and you went and missed your life
[Verse 2: Laws]
We outgrew a little hometown, his mom let us take the car
We on the road now, it was so epic
Rehearsin' on the way, gettin' ready for the showdown
I tried to dress, I like to kick it instead
My mother saw my du-rag like take that sh** off your head
Pull up your pants pendejo, feelin' like my spine was yellow
Still tryna cop my own cell phone
I would call my shorty from his
He would drop me off at the crib '
And afterwards, he would be all in my biz
Like do your girl got a friend?
I'm thinkin' back to honey, smilin'
He had chicks all around so why son wildin'?
He said he done so much winning in battlin'
The guys embraced him but all the women were mannequins
When he was my age, he slept in his rhyme page
And when he wasn't scribblin', he was travelin'
And then he told me…
[Hook]
[Verse 3: Laws]
Yo, he stressin' but all he did was sit up on his couch
Recession, mom threatenin' to kick him out the house
Now that was the start of the real trouble
I started noticin' grey in his beard stubble
All his friends went to school and made big guap
He still backpack, tryin' to save Hip-Hop, man
His heart's cold but it used to be so fire
All he got left is Teen Club show fliers
Went and developed my sound and found a middle ground
But he would always rock the same little crowd
His ego grew till there wasn't a stage left so right on cue
I had to exit stage left, cue my theme music, close the curtains
And that was eight years ago, homeboy was hurtin'
Sometimes in my shows in the back row, I think I see him
But he dip before I'm catch 'em though, then I think…
[Hook 2]
Boy, when you get to the top, don't you ever look down, no
‘Cause we rise and fall like snow in the night
You move too fast and you went and missed your life
Rising and falling like snow in the night