[Verse 1]
The star of the story we love so well, well enough to repeat, imitation's flattery and everything it precedes, 
Imitation happens to be everything we believe, and everything we see leave, 
But leaving doesn't come with us so never would we leave, 
So if there's ever a moment you do see leave, 
Then it was live or die, it fit you like a reply, 
And then all of the attention is with you until you blind, 
And then all that you was given was written for you to find, 
As true as the religion concealing your .45, 
.45's and gauges, Macs in fact, it switch places, act for act, 
It switch stages or switch pages it gets make shift and gets taken, 
It gets layman's then gets sacred, 
It's a complicated turn of a events with lights over it, 
And based on any further intent, you might notice it, 
Like, intent on being noticed for what you been on, 
And what you stood on being the motto that you live on, 
'cause what you stood on came from the crate you would sit on, 
And you would look on and see how you was 'sposed to get on, 
And when you get on, you put on where the attention at, 
And know that looking on is to listen back, and getting back 
Everything you did it for, bright as what you living for, 
Promise it would never turn dim at all 

[Chorus]
And all it took to come to life was a stage to live it, 
Shit can happen overnight if you're awake to get it, 
Like aiming before you draw and what it takes to hit it, 
Or Caine and O-Dog, the stick up tape from menace 
Before you leave, make sure you leave with it 
[Verse 2]
It's like knowing where the cameras in the walls are, 
And they were already talking for you before the talk starts, 
And your direction comes into question like it was On Star, 
It's either turn it on for the tape or turn into wall art, 
Or maybe you was there but you really wasn't, 
In the cut, but before it cut you can feel it coming, 
Quicker than you ever could've thought without interrupting, 
Bottle on the floor and now you wishing you didn't touch it, 
Empty the cash register out 'fore you get to running, 
Now there's a motive on top of that tape rolling 
On top of that other motive that same tape ain't notice, 
It's all context, but get all that acclaim and you'll get to love it, 
It starts as a flash, it grows into fluorescence, 
It goes into an essence that poses when you press it, like the tape do, 
It dares you to mimic it like "son what your aim do?”, 
And however you fit in that light is how it takes you, 
Like, word to a shooter's touch, steady as ever like you shooting up, 
Brighter than ever, you ain't losing much, 
And validation is everything that you knew it was, 
You finger prints on a bottle but that ain't proving much, 
For the importance of needing importance, 
Until its loud enough where somebody's seeing you for it, 
And calling for everything you did it for, as dull as what you living for, 
Promised it would never turn dim at all  
[Chorus]
And all it took to come to life was a stage to live it, 
Shit can happen overnight if you're awake to get it, 
Like aiming before you draw and what it takes to hit it, 
Or Caine and O-Dog, the stick up tape from menace 
Before you leave, make sure you leave with it 

[Spoken Word Verse]
Leave with enough time for them to forget what they heard, 
But still enough time for you to spread that word, 
Word is that words don’t be enough 
But certain words be worth speaking up, 
Up over how we think they know us, 
Still up under where they hold us, 
Eye level with what they showed us but, 
Still up, all up with “they”, but “they” who?, 
“they” me or “they” you?, 
'cause “they” see what “they” do 
And “they” mean what “they” drew 
But “they” keeping “they” cool, and, 
They need you to be you, so go ‘head, be you, 
But know that that tape's on 
And you might not be able to take shorty to the back like 
“bitch that tape ain’t yours, hand that over so me and my man can break north”, 
Still up, and still us, all for validation 
Because they told us we wasn’t valid, 
Told us we ain’t matter so, now we matter right?, 
Matter to us, matter to you, matter to they, 
It matters what we say and what we portray 
But what matters is what we became, 
All for “they”, so for better and worse 
Make sure they spread that around, 
Cause all it took to come to life was a stage to live it, 
Shit can happen overnight if you're awake to get it, 
Like aiming before you draw and what it takes to hit it, 
Or Caine and O-Dog, the stick up tape from menace 
Before you leave, make sure you leave with it