Living in a bungalow with mum and my sister
meant that I was young when becoming a mister
man of the house, the other wasn't in picture
did a runner like he's trying to make the cut as a sprinter,
winter, I ran 100m was the winner,
look around and saw nobody saw me at the finish -
summer, rapping at my first show I was proud
look around and saw my friend's mum's there up in the crowd
now, what can I be telling James Brown?
how can it be our world if we straight break out?
wow, here we go another break down?
now we might change the wheel, but we never stay round?
it's easy to erase a child
but we could make it easier to raise a child,
if we stick around,
with family ties, homework and shoelaces
instead of birthday phone calls and suitcases
pack it all in a rap, what can I say to you till you understand?
pack it all in a rap, what does it take for you to call me a man?
Living in a bungalow, with Julia and Hannah
occasionally, went to go and stay over at nana's
over fifty years, her and my grandad had been married
that's something that our current generation couldn't carry
summer, I saw the waterworks like a plumber
from girls that I was getting with to never text their number
winter, realising that I should be ashamed
can't be mad at dad, if that's the way that I behaved
pack it all in a rap, what can I say to you till you understand?
pack it all in a rap, what does it take for you to call me a man?
Living here in London, I am now twenty four
learned a lot of lessons and I'm sure there's plenty more
I run into my dad and now occasionally we talk
but if honesty was wealth, then I would say we're very poor
Fall, around October, I gave you a call
talked about the footie and the Leicester City score
Spring, I have grown into a man and I am tall
To be a man, to be a man, I must forgive you after all
pack it all in a rap, what can I say to you till you understand?
pack it all in a rap, what does it take for you to call me a man?
credits
from Burnt Toast EP,
track released April 4, 2016
Produced by Amerigo Gazaway, sampling James Brown
Soulful and funky, the Nottingham rapper's latest features guest appearances from CRIMEAPPLE, Vandal Savage and Yumah. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 2, 2024