The Book of Soul
Ab-Soul Lyrics

Your momma told me read the book of Job
Your mother advised me to read the book of Job for spiritual guidance

They shoulda called it the book of soul
The contents of the book of Job are more relatable to the soul

I came into this hurtful earth in perfect health
I was born healthy into a difficult world

Caught Steven Johnson syndrome when I was ten years old
I contracted Steven Johnson syndrome at the age of ten

Internal and external fever
Experiencing both internal and external fevers

80% fatality rate at that time
There was an 80% chance of death from the syndrome at that time

Ain't that some shit
That's quite unfortunate

Severe pink eye
My pink eye was extremely severe

My eyes swollen shut
My swollen eyes couldn't open

For like two or three months
This condition lasted around two or three months

It still bright as fuck
Despite the condition, everything was still vividly bright

And I even lost my lip skin
I even experienced loss of skin on my lips

Grew back darker than it's original pigment
The regrown skin had a darker shade than before

Skin disfigured from boils and blisters
My skin became disfigured due to the presence of boils and blisters

Unidentifiable by my little sister
My little sister couldn't recognize me due to the disfigurement

Come to think of it, I could've got a crazy check
In retrospect, I could have received disability benefits

The shrink thought I'd be traumatized, but I'm alright
The therapist believed I would be traumatized, but I proved them wrong

My first years of junior high school were not alright
My early years of junior high school were difficult

Them dimes wouldn't give me no time
The attractive girls at school ignored me

No, not a nod
Not even a simple acknowledgment

I mean not even you
Not even you gave me any attention

We eventually got cool
Eventually, we became friends

But I was nobody
I still felt insignificant

You was the hottest hottie in the school
You were considered the most attractive person in school

But the world to me
However, you were extremely important to me

Not saying that cause I'm your dude
I'm not saying this just because I'm your boyfriend

I'm glad I got to watch the woman that you blossomed too
I am grateful to have witnessed your personal growth

Ironic we always had the same classes
It's ironic that we were always in the same classes

I copied off your work
I often copied your school assignments

And you ain't always had the right answers but it worked
You didn't always have the correct answers, but it worked out

Mama, thanks a lot
Thank you, Mom

Probably wouldn't have graduated had you not
I likely wouldn't have graduated without your support

Somewhere down the line, we became an item
At some point, we started dating

The love was in the air like this flight I'm lightin'
Our love was strong and present, like the air on this flight

The first few years was so excitin'
The initial years of our relationship were thrilling

Got deeper in this rap and started pushing shit back
I became more invested in my music and neglected other things

My money got funny
I faced financial difficulties

You wanted to go on dates
You desired to go on romantic outings

I had a Soundwave beat tape tryna be Drake
I focused on creating music, inspired by Soundwave and Drake

Could've spent every minute with you but I had to get it
I could have devoted all my time to you, but I had to pursue my goals

For me and you
For our future together

You sing too so you knew the business
You were also involved in singing, so you understood the industry

I know it was hard but you stayed down
I understand that it was challenging, but you remained loyal

My fam had doubts
My family had doubts about our relationship

You told me you was proud
You reassured me that you were proud of me

I did some things, you did some things
We both made mistakes

Always came back together
But we always reconciled

We knew the only way to make it work was work together
We knew that the key to our success was supporting each other

Seven whole years, seven whole years
We spent a significant seven years together

It was supposed to end with our grandkids
We expected to have a lifelong commitment and build a family

Luckily for me I'm used to being cut short
Fortunately, I have become accustomed to things ending abruptly

But I'm such a nice guy, why Lord?
Despite being a good person, why do bad things happen?

Why Lori?
Why did you have to take her from me, Lord?

Why'd you have to take her from me?
Why did you have to separate us by taking her away?

Guess you needed your angel face for all of heaven to see
Perhaps God wanted her pure soul to be in heaven

Your picture still on my mirror and it's so scary
I still keep your picture on my mirror, and it evokes strong emotions

I swear I still ain't looked at your obituary
I haven't been able to bring myself to read your obituary

So now I'm so doped up I think I'm flying
To cope with the pain, I turn to drugs and feel a sense of euphoria

I hope the spliff will never finish
I hope this joint will never burn out

I guess the Mayans wasn't lying
Perhaps the ancient Mayans were correct about the world ending in 2012

2012 my world ended
My world fell apart in 2012

You used to say that I could see the future
You believed I had the ability to foresee things

You was wrong, cause you was in it
But you were mistaken, as you were a part of my future

And I was just with you the day before
I had spent time with you just the day before

You said you loved me, I said I loved you more
We expressed our love for each other, with me claiming to love you even more

And as much I wanna cower and bid the mic adieu
Although I feel like giving up and abandoning my music career

And fall off a fucking tower tryna find you
Or even contemplating suicide to be reunited with you

I gotta stay cause I remember that day
I must continue because I recall the moment

I looked you in the face and told you nothing can stop me
When I confidently told you that nothing could hinder my success

Not even you
Not even your absence can hold me back

Stick to the plan
I must stick to my goals

I'll meet you at our spot
I hope to meet you in our special place someday

If reincarnation is true and we don't get too lost
If reincarnation exists and we don't lose our way

Even if you forget me and everything you left behind
Even if you forget about me and all the memories we shared

I never lied
I never deceived you

I love you in a place where there's no space and time
My love for you exists beyond the constraints of space and time

I close my eyes and I can still hear you singing loud
When I shut my eyes, I can still hear your powerful singing

We never got to tell them who The Love Religion was about
We never revealed who The Love Religion was dedicated to

I ain't finna stage a cry in this rhyme
I won't pretend to cry in this song

Signed Sincerely yours
With heartfelt sincerity

I live to let you shine
I live to ensure your memory shines brightly

Everything I love most get taken away
Everything I cherish deeply is constantly lost

My momma and music is next
The next things I fear losing are my mother and my music

And if that happens before I turn 28
If I lose them before the age of 28

Then I'm going out with Curt Cobain
Then I will meet the same fate as Kurt Cobain

I still believe in God, we jut ain't never spoke
I still hold on to my faith in God, although we've never had direct communication

Unless we talkin symbolically then I might agree
Unless we are discussing matters symbolically, then I might find agreement

But if you really wanna look at it that way then
But if you truly want to perceive it in that manner

Hey man
Hey, my friend

God don't like me
It feels like God holds some resentment towards me

I refuse to believe that
However, I choose not to accept that notion

But what's acceptable is anything's possible
What we should acknowledge is that anything can happen

But nobody special
I am not considered special or extraordinary

My ma took my TV, - took my radio
My mother confiscated my TV and radio

Now I'm on TV and on the radio
Ironically, now I am appearing on television and being played on the radio

Don't be dethroned by these systems of control
Don't allow these oppressive systems to take away your power

Just keep your fingers crossed
Simply hope for the best

And keep them locks off your soul
And prevent anything from imprisoning your soul

Soul!
Soul!