[Hook]
Oh, the pain won’t stop (the pain don’t stop)
Almost like it’s got a hold on me (on me)
Shackles and cuffs
I can be no more than a slave
And still the pain won’t stop
Like my demons got control of me
Won’t take me alive
I guess someone’s gonna see the grave

[Interlude]
And it won't be me, and it can’t be me
And it won’t be me, I won’t let it be me
And it won’t be me, and it can’t be me
And it won’t be me, I won’t let it be me

[Verse 1: Joe Budden]
I’m starin' at the pain in the mirror – or is it a facsimile?
Question hurts more than the fact that it resembles me
Thought I left 'em all in the past, I mean essentially
So when we side by side I just act like it’s all a memory
And then I got a whole market of fans
With no clue what I speak of, but some of y'all understand
If you knew about my woes you wouldn’t target the man
And if you did it’d be about more than a marketing plan
I got a heart that’s ice cold, I’ve been tryin' to melt
It's talent, honest to y'all all while lyin' to myself
Seem like I do the most damage all when tryin' to help
And no one asked for it, I decided myself
You think the road a n***a traveled
Has been long enough for y'all to see the winner in him?
Don’t know if I’m fightin' my demons or goin' to dinner with em
I sit across from that table just lookin' brave and tough
But it’s only right they get the check, figured that I paid enough
[Hook]
Oh, the pain won’t stop (the pain don’t stop)
Almost like it’s got a hold on me (on me)
Shackles and cuffs
I can be no more than a slave
And still the pain won’t stop
Like my demons got control of me
Won’t take me alive
I guess someone’s gonna see the grave

[Verse 2: Joe Budden]
Fans say they waitin' on a break up, don’t want me at the altar
But how would their lives alter, I figure how could they fault ya?
Followed me in this business
You witnessed me go through torture
With my exes, so a death wish I wouldn’t want anymore
Begs the question what do n***as really want in me?
Couldn’t be as simple as misery lovin' company
Can’t be as cliché as bein' a gift and a curse
But how could you ever claim
To love someone, then wish him the worst?
It appears my happiness has some people resentin' me
Should I appreciate love that come with contingencies?
Y'all get mad whenever someone else mentions me
Ironic, got a ex that’s showin' similar tendencies
Spite stems from hate, I try to never be near it
Do you only want the best for Joe when we could share it?
That can become obsessive like you wouldn’t believe
Don’t take my word, just look at what happened to Steve
It got Raqi lookin' rocky, had 'em by me
And I watched 'em both deteriorate, was ugly
If you trust me, then you wouldn’t want to share their fate
And so it seems the people I'd jump in the casket for
Their mind’s playin' tricks, I wish they knew they mattered more
Would they ask for more or would that will subside?
Poured my heart out all these years, I’m shocked I'm still alive
Tell him like I told Stack, it gets no realer
You love somethin' too much, guarantee it'll kill ya, for real
[Hook]
Oh, the pain won’t stop (the pain don’t stop)
Almost like it’s got a hold on me (on me)
Shackles and cuffs
I can be no more than a slave
And still the pain won’t stop
Like my demons got control of me
Won’t take me alive
I guess someone’s gonna see the grave

[Verse 3: Joe Budden]
I crashed a million times, still I’m without a dent
They come to me to air it out, but I’m without a vent
I have nightmares about the shit I thought I said
Cried enough that Posturepedic is a waterbed
Look at you like a nobody, it ain’t much I could ask of you
And I'd give you a hand, but what the fuck would you attach it to?
Finish one chore, God will throw you some more shit
It’s not enough I’m fightin' mine, still I battle your shit

[Hook]
Oh, the pain won’t stop (the pain don’t stop)
Almost like it’s got a hold on me (on me)
Shackles and cuffs
I can be no more than a slave
And still the pain won’t stop
Like my demons got control of me
Won’t take me alive
I guess someone’s gonna see the grave
[Outro]
And it won't be me, and it can’t be me
And it won’t be me, I won’t let it be me
And it won’t be me, and it can’t be me
And it won’t be me, I won’t let it be me