[Intro: Urthboy] You know when you were a kid and they said "don't tell stories" Yo Mantra Yo Drapht Let's tell some stories [Verse 1] When I get to you, no I won't forget What it took and takes, by the book and breaks By the crate and limb, by the state I'm in By the skin of my teeth took it on the chin I was up for it, "yep" more than "no" I was down for the cause and you ought to know Spent all day on it at work and then brought it home Something like an addiction, never fought it though Got a debt to the stars, debt to the gutter A debt to the bars, debt for the wisdom That I will discard, you can bet I'll do it In the future as I have in the past All of it has scarred me but I'm still here Through the imperfections that interfered Feeling like a thief, stole a whole career Wanna know? Let me lend your ear [Hook] I had to go about it, ride it out and find it myself And there's some stories I can tell you I had to fail, had to fall just for what I did well And there's some stories I can tell you [Verse 2: Mantra] Whether or not you went and got a better job, got fed up Instead forget Mantra I'm better off being robbed Went along with whatever the others want I got a lot on my chest I gotta get it off My heart was heavier than it ever had been Barely ever slept kept seeing the bad dreams Ordered three cigarettes and caffeine You know I'm cheap but you are no antique There's no need to thank me Just thank your lucky stars that we never had beef I never wanted to k** you though I tried Although it wouldn't have been you but me that would have died I decided what seems like a long time ago That I could put my life into the microphone Even if it meant I'd never buy a home We'll die happy even if we gotta die alone! [Hook] I had to go about it, ride it out and find it myself And there's some stories I can tell you I had to fail, had to fall just for what I did well And there's some stories I can tell you [Bridge] x2 You've got to go about it You're going to ride it out You're going to know about it You're going to let it out [Verse 3: Drapht] Ya Had to strip it all back to discover me Discover you see the love in each Ugly gutter it was a part of me Had a gargoyle on every artery Guarding my heart a marksman Locked on a target in darkness But f** it was hard to sleep 'Cos everything I feared became part of me See we became a carcinogenic thought Cause and effect that would mimic war Walk through the valley of d**h with the dark To grasp the importance of breath Before we would war with the rest You and me we were chalk and cheese Always a lesson unless I had to let you be me [Outro] I had to go about it, ride it out and find it myself And there's some stories I can tell you I had to fail, had to fall just for what I did well And there's some stories I can tell you I had to go about it, ride it out and find it myself And there's some stories I can tell you I had to fail, had to fall just for what I did well And there's some stories I can tell you You've got to go about it You're going to ride it out You're going to know about it You're going to let it out