Much Love.

by jason chu

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    Full-color cover printed on front and back with photography by Ken Fong and Janice Chau.

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1.
01:42
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2.
05:06
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3.
04:47
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4.
04:03
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5.
02:41
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6.
02:01
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7.
04:20
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8.
03:47
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9.
03:50
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10.
02:41
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11.
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12.
05:38
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13.
01:46
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about

An exploration of all the places and ways that we look for love - and how we find, or fail at it.

Watch MUCH LOVE on YouTube: youtu.be/qqKifru9YnE
Watch GRACE: youtu.be/0NPaOJUwTTc
Watch DTR: THE MUSIC VIDEO: youtu.be/EZFiEjET_8M

credits

released 30 November 2012
Inspired by Faith, Hope, and Love.

MANY thanks to Jessika Z., David and Andrew Fung, GlobalGentEnt, Dan and Rachel Mark, Cindy Lu, Ray Lin, Ken Fong, Tom Steers, EBCLA, the Miracle Mile fam, Phil Chan, & my family - Mom, Dad, and Tori.

Writing, rapping, additional singing by jason chu.
Singing by Kevin Lien, Priscilla Liang, Joe Kye, and Eva Li.
Additional vocals by Mai-Linh Nguyen, Cindy Lu, and Jerry Zhang.

Tracks 2, 5, and 9 produced by Elyon Beats
Tracks 6, 10, and 11 produced by Bent Lorentz
Vocal production, mixing, and mastering by Elyon Beats, Kevin Lien, and jason chu. Additional engineering by Andy Chian Chen.
Art direction by Janice Chau
Photography by Ken Fong and Janice Chau

tags

tags: asian-american chinese hip-hop christian christian rap hip-hop hip-hop/rap love rap underground hip-hop Los Angeles

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shipping and returns

Track Name: In the Car (Intro)
I went on instagram last night after the show
saw a comment / Man that Asian kid on stage, he could flow
I felt accomplished / that compliment encompassed what I want to be common knowledge
About the pros and the cons of my prose
But the meaning of these words can be camouflaged, even when it's obvious
Or even self-sabotaged, and hidden by the politics
But I'm not an institution, this can be my restitution
Lettin all my secrets fly before I reach my execution
Racin, to the basement, with my pencils and erasers
Writin fillin up the papers with the stories I'm retracin
I don't call my art creation cuz I'm not creatin nothin
Just retelling the lives of my uncles and my cousins
my parents and my friends - so these stories have no ends
.Real life does not fit into an episode of friends
And the vision that surrounds me I just want to share a part
Even though pirates might stab it when I open up my heart
Sign my letters much love cuz that's what I see at hand
Even though the world is drowning I still breathe like Aquaman
I don't have a rope to throw you or a place where you can stand
But i can jump inside the river, maybe offer you my hand
On Twitter last night, I saw a comment from a girl:
I've finally found a badass Asian poet in this world.
So I'm doin this for her - maybe I'm doing this for you
Maybe happy maybe painful, but I'm here to tell, the truth
Much Love.
Track Name: Much Love
0:13
We are the accidental hipsters slash the Instagramming activists
Always talkin work but we're afraid to barely break a sweat
Head to Las Vegas on that 737 jet
Check our bank balance on the Internet, into debt
Is this accurate, the portrait that we paint our therapists? Or
does something immaculate lie just behind the back of it?
But when advocates try to tackle it, they mangle it
Get tangled into accusations, disconnected, discontent
They say we don't care, say our generation lacks / always
passive, passion lying absent, asking when I'll get MY mansion
Acting so impertinent, just stacking cash in banks
Hacking, photoshopping, sexting, culture is a blank
I'm blacking out, no backing out, you want to know what we're about?
I'm rappin at the fashion photoshoot, so listen up
THIS is my secret mission, listen to the sequence
Behind all the misdemeanors, we're just looking for some, love

1:09
Much love, much love
Much love, we just need to be loved
Much love, much love
Much love, we have so much love

1:17
My friends tellin me they all need some inner healing
But they won't go to the church, because they can't stand all the preaching
The pastor givin speeches leaves em misrable and sleepy
Always speakin bout sin, tryna convince em that they need him
What they can't find in religion, they see promised in the club
Charging no cover if you're lookin for some love / But
undercover, under covers leaves em empty when they come
And it's hard to cover up when you're naked as a dove
So I'm neither the above - not a pastor, not a dancer
Got a message, for the masses, and I'll do it, as a rapper
I'm not tryna make you change, I'm just tryna understand
And if you want someone to walk with, I got sneakers in my van
Because love is impossible if you cannot be flexible
I know you want a schedule - but life isn't on demand
There's no plan for the healing, if you're dealing with your demons
It takes time to see growth from a child into a man

2:10 BREAKDOWN
Who here believes the world has enough love? x3
So we're here to give them... Much Love.

2:29
And I know that you've been tired, high and hidin from your clients,
Hired out of undergrad or unemployed barely survivin
Ridin round to interviews, payin for bills and gas and food
Your attitude is at a latitude with veterans with battle wounds
The path before you lined with cannibals, they'll eat you if they have to
Business in the backroom while the back is where they stab you
Half your friends have turned their backs, and you don't know if you can trust
the other half who seem to back you til they vanish into dust
The plan was to drink until the pain's over
You can make it rain but you'll be thirsty when the reign's over
You can play the game, but they will play you when the game's over
Addicts must view each day as a battle to remain sober
You either grow or you die, what will you choose?
If you want to gain success - what will you lose?
Gotta let go of the past, let your baggage go unchecked
Stop focusing on THAT and you can finally find the, rest
Track Name: Grace (ft. Priska)
0:27
She was born to two parents, immigrants with little left
Left a war-torn country full of suffering and death
Mom and dad working so hard to pay the bills and pay the rent
Barely even spoke the language so at night they went to class
Living in a small apartment in a bad part of the town
Mom got mugged outside their door, the criminals were never found
They slaved away because they saw the promise in tomorrow
Hope the generation after would grow up without the sorrow
It's finally the time, their child won't wait any longer
.Rushing to the clinic in a car they had to borrow
Labor lasts all night, they've been laboring all their lives
Dad and mom are their new names, not only husband and wife
Now she lies there in their arms, new life and they're amazed
And the nurse asks for a name - they've prepared for this for days
Because her name provides a clue to all the stories on her page
It was Grace

1:19
When you're bleeding, when you need it
When you fear you're alone
I'll be there to wipe the tears off
I'll be there to guide you home
Just call it grace (oh)
Just call my name (oh)

1:45
Now Grace is growing up, as the years are flowing past
Mom and dad can't believe, it all happened very fast
One second she's a toddler, the next second in class
Now she's in the high school, college could be coming next
But there's been some other changes in the years that came between
Dad is working so hard, he's the one she barely sees
Comin in at midnight after he closes up the store
Some weeks she only knows he's there because she hears the door
So her life at home is tense, she's been fighting with her mom
Who always says that she's ungrateful, doesn't get what's going on
She says your dad and I worked so hard, you do us wrong
When you whine about a car or a new dress to wear to prom
But she just wants to fit in - and kids can be so cruel
All her clothes are wearing out, they make fun of her at school
And she lies awake at night crying for anyone to hear
Then she falls asleep in bed and hears a whisper in her ears, saying

3:01
Mom and dad separated, said that it was for the best
She just shrugged, but inside she could feel it in her chest
And I wanted to help out, but she insisted she was fine
And I knew she knew I knew the words were nothing but a lie
All her time she spent searching for the dreams she had that died
All the things she wanted to believe but didn't dare to try
I could see it weigh her down, I just wanted her to fly
But her eyes were on the ground, never looking to the sky
She was searching for support, and she gave everything a try
Dated guys who weren't good to her and started getting high
Her body was alive, but her soul barely survived
Then one day in her room, she heard a deeper voice inside
That said - Grace, you aren't alone, in fact, I've never left your side
Been with you every moment, every second you've been mine
I'll never leave you, more than that, your future has a plan
Because every child has meaning that was shaped by my hand
So my sister switched her major and the plans for her career
No more mourning for the past, she started caring for her peers
And the poor know her by the name our parents gave to her
It was Grace
Track Name: DTR (Define the Relationship) (ft. Kevin Lien)
Intro (Talk) 0:00-0:09
When you have that friend you want to be more than a friend
It's time to Define The Relationship
Also known as: The DTR

0:09-0:27 Chorus
I kind of like you but I don't know how you feel about me
This could be awkward, how can we approach it naturally?
We gotta do the, do the, do the, do the DTR
It's time to D, D, D, D, DTR

0:27
We gotta do the, do the, do the, do the DTR
It's time to D, D, D, D, DTR

0:37
You've been in small group (together!) Bio lab (together!)
In lecture (together!) Ate breakfast (together!)
At retreat, you stayed up and talked all night
You've given her so many hugs from the side!
You like her but you don't know how to flirt
Showed your feelings by helping her with her homework
Late nights out, you drive her home
And she has a special ring on your phone
You've asked all your friends and your youth pastor
For advice - they say you should just ask her
To move forward, you have to take action
Don't be that weird friend with a secret attraction
(And sometimes, I see you smilin' at me)
(But sometimes, you're also smilin' at Andrew Lee!)
(Now I'm nervous, and I'm feelin' so anxious inside)
(So I'll text you - do you want to grab a meal sometime?)

1:24-1:41 Chorus

1:41 Verse 2
You should dress up, but not too formal
Show her it's good, everything is still normal
Just a conversation, not really a date
It's a date before the date where you ask her on the date
It might be awkward when push comes to shove
Will you shake her hand - or give her a hug?
When she sits down, pull out her chair
Let the whole room know, there's a gentleman here!
For conversation, here's some tips I'll be givin ya
Resist the urge to show off your Bible trivia
Don't say "God said you'd complete my life"
And don't tell her how your parents think she'd make a cute wife
[My heart is beating faster as entrees arrive
[I'm tryna look cool, but I'm desperately praying inside
[We're making small talk as you go and grab your fork and knife
[I spit it out, as you start to take your very first bite]

2:26-2:45 Chorus

2:46 Breakdown
Looks like she really didn't expect you to say THAT.
She said she thought you were just being a good friend
[Girl says:] "I thought you were just being a good friend!"

But then you told her: Wait!
Hold on.
Can you pray about this?
[Girl says:] Um…

And we'll get together in a little while
And see what God has said to us then…
[Girl says:] I guess so?

OK...

3:04 Chorus out
I kind of liked you, but you did not feel the same 'bout me
This was so awkward, should have left you at that KFC
We coulda d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-did the DTR
Why in the world did I think this was a good idea?

02:09
One week later, I'm on facebook and you message me
You say you've prayed and we should talk, how bout we get coffee?
I've been praying - we should talk. You want to get coffee?

It's time to do the, do the, do the, do the DTR
Round two of D, D, D, D, DTR

We gotta do the, do the, do the, do the DTR
It's time to D, D, D, D, DTR
We gotta do the, do the, do the, do the DTR
It's time to D, D, D, D, DTR

[Jason speaks:]
I'll see you all next week - good luck.
Track Name: Kingdom State of Mind (ft. Priska)
1/2 speed intro chorus 0:00-0:17
If they try to tear me down? I'll build it right back up
If they try to push me out? I can take it, I won't budge
That's the kingdom state of mind (i - i)
That's the kingdom state of mind

Verse 1 0:17 - 0:51
You were labeled as an outcast, you heard that you would not last
And even if you finished, that you'd be dead last
You didn't dread that, you stayed on the path
Ignored all the ill talk, AND you stayed fresh
Never stale, never went bad
Took two steps forward, never went back, bent back
Your hat brim and stepped into the wind
Situation that was grim, but you turned it to a, grin
Cause they said you couldn't do this
You are, too young, too foolish, too stupid
But you never gave up, now they're lookin you up
Real soon, to catch up, they'll have to Google that
This is not a song, it's a dedication
To everybody who lives without a reservation
When they said you should wait you still went forward
You'll have everyone singing along with your chorus

Chorus 0:52-1:10
If they try to tear me down? I'll build it right back up
If they try to push me out? I can take it, I won't budge
That's the kingdom state of mind (i - i)
That's the kingdom state of mind

Verse 2 1:10
Others had a wishlist - you have a footprint
to leave and a thousand years of rain won't ever rinse it
You won't convince them to change their conditions
But that's OK: your path and theirs are just different
Is it instinct? Or conditioning?
Or were you given a gift that uplifted?
Either way, you didn't do what the others would
Not just a diffrent path, a whole other neighborhood
Stayed strong even when the naysayers
Came around and tried to make you mayday vacate it
But life is not a vacation
It takes a lot of strength just stayin calm in the crazy
So when I say stay fresh, I mean that
Not just a slogan that I repeat that
This is the lifestyle, fight for it, right now
Burnin with that fire even when they turn the LIGHTS out

Chorus x2

Spoken Outro
I see you in the dark, [and] you're glowing
And that flame, they'll never blow it out
You're a fire, you're a fire
Growin' brighter everyday - every day
Track Name: Dear Mom and Dad
04:
Dear mom and dad
Dear mom and dad

0:10
Mom & daddy I haven't made it
but for the last 2 weeks they've been flying me all around
and I've been rappin on these stages
And the feeling is amazing
.I hope excitement is contagious
I'm writing this letter hopin you savor just how outrageous
my life has become
Look how they look at your son
Look at how when I pick up a mic
I'll be speakin to them
Look how they write about
Sometimes get excited about
Sometimes I'll get invited to a place I don't know about
But they might have heard of your kid
In fact, they most probably did
On Youtube or bluetooth speakers or word of the mouth
So it's been a couple of years since I've gotten out of the house
But I hope you know that the way you raised me pretty much turned out
//I won't tell you to not worry, I know that you must
//Just know that things will be fine, that's a promise you can trust
But the drive to go is the blood that pumps in my heart and my guts
So I sign my letters with love, but you gotta give me to God
//Everytime I lift up and the plane takes off
//Just trust this is the way that my brain wakes up
I'm tryna wake up a generation
caked up with hesitation
Make up won't ever hide it, neither will the medication
Neither will a demonstration, I just have to live it out
and if my songs don't move them maybe my life will be what they speak about
In the midst of the desperation, I've been aching for our nation
Prayin (prayin) hopin we find our way up out the basement
They're racist, sayin' we only do calculus and calculations
But I defy that - just like you raised me to do
//Until our people all are free I'm yellin freedom from the roof
Until our people all are free I'm yellin freedom from the roof
//Until our people all are free I'm yellin freedom from the roof!!!
Until our people all are seen as equal I will speak the truth
The truth
...

Dear mom and dad
Dear mom and dad
x2
repeat til fade
Track Name: Battle Scars (ft. Kevin Lien)
Intro (0:08-0:18)
Wounds heal but this never does
That's cause you're at war with, love
You're at war with, love, yeah

Hook (0:18-0:30)
These battle scars, don't look like they're fading
Don't look like they're ever going away
They ain't never gonna change
These battle...

Verse 1 (0:30-1:05)
Ah, you used to be so bright-eyed
Sincere with your interests and your insights
I used to see the light pouring out of you
Now it's like it's getting late and there's a different point of view
Can't even keep your head up, but you ain't dead - wait
I know it seems like the world is dead weight
Pressing down on you to stamp you out, and this is not the Clone Wars
But you're fighting your, self
Every time you gave your love, it didn't come back
And I know it hurt you bad, like a Heart Attack
But life ain't Trey Songz, or even Marvin Gaye songs
And hope doesn't only walk in Gotham with a cape on

Bridge (1:05 - 1:25)
I wish I never looked, I wish I never touched
I wish that I could stop loving you so much
Cause I'm the only one that's trying to keep us together
When all of the signs say that I should do better
I wish you weren't the best, the best I ever had
I wish that the good outweighed the bad
Cause it'll never be over, until you tell me it's over

Hook (1:26 - 1:50)

Verse 2 (1:50 - 2:25)
Ah, I heard about it in the rumor mill
They said that beauty is dead, and someone had her killed
They replaced her with fake implants
A publicist, speech coach, and blue contact lenses
Her name was cynicism, you could call her sin
Her sarcastic tone of voice made the boys all grin
But behind her back, the boys and the girls all cringed
Because her scars still showed when her makeup wore, thin
So we missed the love we once had
Her face on the side of milk cartons in lunch bags
Saying have you seen me? I was taken away
There's a reward if you call in and find me today

Hook (2:25 - 2:49)

Bridge 2 (2:50 - 3:23)
Cause you've set me on fire
I've never felt so alive, yeah
You hope the wound heals, but it never does
That's cause you're at war with, love

And I'm at the point of breaking
And it's impossible to shake it

You hoped the wound would heal, but it never does
That's cause you're at war with, love
Hope it heals, but it never does
That's cause you're at war with, love!
you're at war with, love!
you're at war with, love!

Verse 3 (3:23)
You looked for love in all the wrong places
Went from exclamation marks to all lower cases
Shell casings scattered in your location
You used to make love, now you settle for masturbation
You once thought that you were strong enough
but you don't have be strong to love
I mean, you have to be strong enough
But when you fail and you fall that's EXACTLY when love CAN lift you up
Thank God you're still breathing - you still survive
Cuz you were lost without your maps like the iPhone 5

Now you can get back up and give it one more try
Its hard to heal - but even dead men can rise

Hook (3:50 - 4:08)
Track Name: She Called
phone call intro

0:22 VERSE 1
After sex, we still prayed for the lord's wishes
I know the lord witnessed what we did in the kitchen
I swear to god I didn't mean to be sinning
When I saw her standing there with her hands full of dishes
If you ask me? I haven't asked for forgiveness
They say that sin traps you like a prison well but
I'm still feelin free - are my feelings just mistooken?
Or we did nothin wrong - maybe foolish but not crooked
I pray that my girl feels loved and not used
What we did in the pool was love not abuse
But I know that my heart does not love the truth
May be hidin from the light like a moth that's confused
My conscience isn't pricked by what I did with my (time)
Condemnation doesn't stick - am I losing my mind?
I don't mind - maybe I could ride around like it's fine
But my girl has a baby and signs say that it's mine

1:06
She texted during lunch, said she had something to say
I said [baby, can you wait? I got a lot here on my plate]
But she said she really needed me, I called her back
And I heard her say, [baby I think I'm late.]

1:27 VERSE 2
I know god can use this
The same way that Judas kissed Christ
And turned him to a movement
of the lords ways, i consider me a student
Bs on my card least I'm not totally stupid
But my girl missed her period
So that's the answer to the jokers out there: this is why it's so serious
Only 21, twenties barely have begun
Now a mother and a wife is what she's going to become
Like she's staring in a gun and I feel it in my gut
Evry life is a blessing - whether daughter or a son
but I never planned to bring a child into such a crunch
When she says she might miscarry, I don't even lose my lunch
.Oh God, forgive my iniquity
Viewing life like an undesired sentencing
It's not right but I feel so confused
[My girl might lose our baby, I don't know what I should do]

1:06
She texted me at home, she was feeling very sick
I said [baby, what's going on? I can be there very quick]
She said she'd be all right, but she was acting very strange
And I heard her say, [the baby might not be OK]

1:27 VERSE 3
Now I'm feeling some complex emotions
Half wanting to run, half filled with devotion
Half so afraid, half ready to begin
Wasn't thinking of proposing - now we're dealing with a kid
What are we to do? I've got work, you've got school
But a single mother's life can be so cruel
And I won't ever let them see you that way
I won't let them see you even for a second as a shame
So I'm browsing eBay for a wedding ring
Getting ready to settle down and give her everything
We had other plans - but I'm a man, I won't run away
Baby, I promise - I'll give you everything
Started to plan for the wedding we would have
So young, but maybe we could make something to last
One last text - 7 words to the brain
It's a miscarriage. I love you. J.

OUTRO CHORUS
She texted late at night, said she'd been hurtin all day
And her stomach felt wrong, is the baby still OK?
She said she really needed me, I called her right then
We were together the minute that it ended

phone call outro
Track Name: Peter
VERSE 1
Peter goes to first Presbyterian says his prayers
Prays for his parents cuz Satan doesn't play fair
When he walks down the street nobody stops or stares
All American boy is what he seems to his neighbors
His parents raised him to love and obey God
He goes to church every week just to praise God
Boy Scouts, summer camps, got a summer job
Worked hard, bought a car, high school prom
Not a jock or a nerd, he's in both circles
Plays guitar a little bit - the girls think he's soulful
Always helpful - friendly - considerate
His friends know they could trust him with anything
But can the same be said for them?
Because Peter has a secret that he's keepin in
Began to wonder why he's never had a real girlfriend
Started to realize he's actually attracted, to men

CHORUS
He has, questions for God, without easy answers; and,
sometimes he wonders - what if God's just a cancer? He,
waits for faith to replace the doubt
And wonders if he'll ever get it worked out.

VERSE 2
In the beginning, he didn't admit it, even to himself
Tried to hide it, he wouldn't confide in anybody else
Watched some porn on the internet, he tried to get aroused
Couldn't do it, it was stupid, so he tried to shut it out
Tried to reason with himself - always heard it was a choice
So he tried to choose diffrent, and just BE, one of the boys
Hanging out after practice, hearing jokes about fags
coming out, and in his eyes there was a little hint of doubt
Doesn't know how he should act - he's never known a gay person
in his whole life, does he have to wear a dress?
Psychologically a mess, 'cause his psyche is repressed
He always heard it was a sin to be attracted to a man
He's confused - he really didn't ask for this life
All his life, he prayed one day he'd find a Godly wife
But those dreams seem distant and he wonders what he did
Why him - why this - God, do you still listen, in?

VERSE 3
So he sits in the church on Sunday
He toys with the idea - could it all just go away?
Maybe if I don't act on it then I could find escape
Maybe things will all change if I just keep on praying
.And he wonders if he'll ever find love
So he cries out to God - are you listening above?
This is who I am, I don't know if I can change it
But I'm here to listen if you're speaking in my language?
Now he notices, every single time
someone mentions homosexuality like it's a crime
So many sermons that he hears just drive him away
But he knows "God is love" - so he clings to his, faith
Peter goes to first Presbyterian, still saying prayers
He prays for his parents - Satan doesn't play fair
When he walks down the street, nobody stops or stares
All-American boy is what he seems to his neighbors.
Track Name: Exhale (ft. Joe Kye)
0:11
The visor gives shade as the driveway fades
Reminiscin on the days when I was a little craze
They were stalled, checked out, while I opened new lanes
They were smellin the flowers, I was sellin bouquets
Now I listen: Lupe, playin that new Drake
New Kendrick Lamar, new Jin mixtape
Many Christians, missionaries makin mistakes
left a sour taste in mouth, now I need a new fra-grance
And I need some more patience
I'm waitin on my day, writin songs like Amadeus
sittin itchin to create, sittin, waitin for my fate
already written on my face (already written on my face)
'Cuz they say your future's written by decisions that you make
In your high school age or your college-going days
I'm tired of overanalyzing things I cannot change
So I'm riding down the highway playing songs I didn't, make

0:56
Just listen let the world breeze by
Pull your sleeves up, roll down the windows
This is just what I've seen in my life
What you're hearing is what I've experienced

1:18
So I breeze past quickly in the left lane
Playin that left brain, bangin in my left brain
When I went back, man, barely recognized it
High school memories have very big surprises
We used to skip class in the hot dog store
Now it's all closed up, we don't hang there no more
Someone scratched up my door, oh well, that's life
Hit the signal to my left but I turned out all right
I used to have a fantasy of driving through the night
I could be in Boston by the break of first daylight
Had an old girlfriend whose mom lived out in the burbs
Dated one long summer fumbling under her shirt
.But the streets that I'm takin never go there
So even in my memories, I rarely ever go there
It's not that I don't care, but life moves on
And memories live on in the past - and in songs

2:02
Chorus x2
Track Name: On the Way (Back Home)
Chorus
I've traveled so far, but I'm always coming back to you
I've wandered so far, but I'm always coming back again
I've been out to see the world
A million other different places
But none of them compares to when I'm back with you

Verse 1
She left for college at the end of the summer
Kissed her momma goodbye, said that she'd always remember
Advice they gave her and the way that they had raised her
She wouldn't end up like the stories in the paper
She packed up her room, put her childhood in a bag
The bag in the trunk of the car she got from dad
Out her driveway, and she's on the way to school
Whole new situation with a whole new batch of rules
She didn't want to party cuz she's on the straight and narrow
But a guy in freshman English has the wit of Clarence Darrow
Not a party girl, but she's honestly attracted
He asks her on a date, and she skips piano practice
They get serious - she took sex education
but condoms can fail; now she's missing menstruation
Small town girl, and she's out of her zone
She calls mom and dad and says - please, take me home.

Chorus

Verse 2
He was a soldier who didn't want to kill
He signed up for the service because of all his bills
Married at 20 to his high school girl
No college diploma, minimum wage world
Plus a baby on the way, and it caused more drama
Cuz he barely made the rent - now he's blaming Obama
Ten years ago, he'd be angry at Bush
The pressure's all around him, now he's feeling the push
He signed for the service and the guaranteed money
Wasn't really sure what he'd be doing for the army
Now he's in a place that he's barely even heard named
Waving guns at kids that look like they're in the third grade
He's on patrol one day, and it turns grey
He wakes up in a bed without his legs
But there's a message waiting on his phone
It's his wife, she says - honey, I'm waiting for you at home

Verse 3
A little town, stuck away from the city
Living life there as a teenager was not so very pretty
Spending summers at the beach and spending weekends at the mall
Anything we could just to get away from it all
We thought we had it figured out, we thought we knew it all
Racing cars at night, cuz our lives felt like they're stalled
High school classes, cliques, and the locker room stalls
Crushes, rumors, romances, just to top it all off
I thought that I would leave and escape from my past
Little did I know how difficult it would be on that path
I'd stay awake at night, in my room in the basement
as I wondered how my friends were that I left at graduation
Has it really been that long since I went back to that town?
My hand turned the doorknob in front of my old house?
It's been a couple years that I've been out here on the road
But I know eventually - I'll make my way back home.

Chorus
Track Name: One Child (ft. Eva Li)
VERSE 1
In a land of a billion what's a few hundred million?
Empty buildings, cement on the ceilings
Cut the lifeline and left a population reeling
Breaking off the future without thinking of the children
I heard a girl cry, saw a boy laugh
Saw the future turn white in a camera flash
As the camera snaps, it all blows past
No more light now, it's growin all black
See the future but can't make it change
So I say my prayers for those who aren't of age
As behind closed eyes I see the unmarked graves
And I, try to smile, but my expression's - changed
What will they do with the playgrounds
When the ones who used to play there don't come round
And there's no one to replace them
A generation crying out because we couldn't save them
Who will wash them, who will bathe them?
Commemorate them in their last days?
And in a mother's eyes, and a father's face
I glimpse a painting that was left untraced

CHORUS 1
What about your deepest feelings?
What about your broken heart?
What about someone who's there
When everything else falls apart?
A true brother, a true sister
Is there with a helping hand
When you cry, you'll find my shoulder
When you need me, I'll be there

One child, one child
One child might be a king
One child, one child
She could be everything

VERSE 2
Top university with big dreams
The best school in the country was in Beijing
She was smart with a bright future - He had a smile like hers
and caring eyes, that looked right through her
Cold winter, but he made her warm
So when he asked her out she texted right back - sure
Her roommates all teased her
When his picture showed up on her phone screensaver
Same classes, the same major
Together all day from 6 AM until he made her
Go home to sleep, and in her dreams
She didn't count sheep, she saw him as her savior
Their first kiss in a corner of the campus
His lips were untrained but she taught him manners
At three months, they had a special date
Rented a hotel room with the money he had saved her
At four months, it turns out she's late
They both knew that the moment had sealed their fate
A pregnant woman can't run the rat race
It was done in three hours on a Saturday, ay

CHORUS 2

VERSE 3
Married in the fall; pregnant by the spring
Their future was as bright as the diamond on her ring
By the summer it was clear that the winter would bring
Another life into their family, that's what they had dreamed
The new year brought a new life into the world
A new generation, a little baby girl
Finally, they felt so complete
Named her faith: their future, made concrete
Mom went back to work, dad taught his class
Grandma watched the child while grandpa took a nap
But in their hearts, they felt a hole
Next to little baby faith where another should go
But the law said one child is all they need
More than that is unpatriotic indeed
Another child means paying steep taxes and fees
And they were told: it's just one more mouth to feed
.So when her belly gets large again
The moment should be joyful but it's hard on them
In their own family, they don't have a voice
Because the law says the country doesn't have a choice
Track Name: In the Car (Outro)
I promise to tell our stories even if I starve tryin
Rather be poor and truthful than rich and always lyin
I get asked - WHY use your education to do rap?
I reply - why use YOURS to just make MONEY for a BANK?
Comfort is the opposite of change
And I'll be damned if I ever let my inner fears get in the way
Of the message I've been given - I am no longer afraid
No longer a slave to wages, I've been waging war on shame
Because they tried to shut us up, pretend we had nothing to say
As if the stories of my parents will go with them to their graves
But I can't take that - So take this, take my chances - take a stance
against the factions that give silence for an answer
So I'm antsy, anxious, angsty asking when we'll get our chances
When the faces seen on TV are chosen at anything but random
You can't wait for them to hand you anything, you have to make it
Plant your own garden, water, harvest, clean and pack and crate it
Why be waiting for a spaceship that will never ever land?
When the world is all around you and it's waiting for your hand?
Why be waiting for a spaceship that will never be realistic?
When the world is all around you and it's waiting for you sister
Why be waiting for a spaceship that will never ever come?
Why be waiting for a spaceship that will never ever come?
Why you waiting for a spaceship that will never ever come?
I'm not waiting for a spaceship - I'm flying straight up towards the sun
Much Love. Volume one.