Lupe Fiasco
Coulda Been
[Intro]
And they say, and they say
And they say, and they say, they say, they say
They say ... y’know a lot of stuff, y'know what I mean?
Don't know what I coulda been
If I wasn't doin' this thing right here
Shit, yo

[Verse 1]
If I wasn't rappin', I'd probably be wrastlin'
Hand-to-hand grapplin' on the corner of Madison
Or real-estatin’, tryin’ to sell you a mansion
Or rollerbladin’, doin’ 360 flatspins
Or I'd probably be flippin’ a burger
Attemptin’ a murder, or paralyzed sippin' on Gerber
I could be workin’ at Jewels, chain-snatchin’, jerkin' your jewels
Homeless, workin’ for food
I might be cleanin’ your pool, teachin’ your school, preachin’ to fools
Leechin', smokin' weed to be cool
At DMVs, holdin' lines up
Or wind up in line-ups, time's up
Full of holes in a hole in a fine tux
Out on parole, out of control, holdin' your dime up
I could be lazy, sittin' on your couch
Or I could be crazy, cussin' pigeons out
[Chorus]
I could be hustlin' bags, strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab, shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all
I could be hustlin' bags, strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab, shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all

[Verse 2]
I could be thankin' the Academy
A friend of the family, your man deliverin' bail
Or I could be the man that delivers your mail
Or I could be takin' the stand, trickin' on L
This could be my third life, on my third strike
On my third wife, or garbage on my first mic
I could've got off easy, that n***a deserved life
Or the Orkin man, searchin' for termites
I could be stickin' up convenience stores
Or twistin' up what you fiendin' for
Gettin' buck with the meanest whores that been givin' up
On top of a buildin', leanin' forward, with no wings to soar with
They could've kidnapped my daughters
Been extorted for a couple of Porsches
I might be drunk from the Mo', stumblin' slow
Someone to know, runnin' the show, or shovelin' snow, shit
[Chorus]
I could be hustlin' bags, strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab, shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all
I could be hustlin' bags, strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab, shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all

[Verse 3]
I could be startin', guardin', or plantin' a garden, or security guardin'
Or I could be starvin' and eatin' out your garbage
And found stardom starrin' in sitcoms with Martin
I could've been marchin' with Martin
Handcuffed, North Face over the face with no comment
I might not even be dark-skinned
I might not even be conscious, comatose from a overdose
A R&B singer blowin' the notes
A tailor sewin' a coat, a sailor rowin' a boat
I could've boxed a little, fought for the title
Lost and lost my vitals on the way to the hospital
I could've lost my business
Won the lotto and lost my ticket
I could be the last one to cross the finish, shit
I could be you, I could be him
You could be me, we all got a job to do
[Chorus]
Shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all
I could be hustlin' bags, strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab, shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all
I could be hustlin' bags, strugglin' bad
If I wasn't up in the lab, shit, I just might be
Cuttin' your grass, walkin' your dog
Pumpin' your gas, or nothin' at all