Tight Rope
Brother Ali Lyrics

Frigid frozen Minnesota
Minnesota is a cold and unforgiving place where it's very hard to survive

Chip on his shoulder
He's angry and defensive because he's never been accepted by those around him

Sick sleeping on a pissy sofa
He's sick and sleeping on a dirty couch because he doesn't have anywhere else to go

Unwanted visitor in a different culture
He's never been accepted as part of the culture he's living in

Missing home and he cant go their civil warin'
He's homesick but he can't go back to Somalia because it's in the midst of a civil war

Listen solider forget getting over
He can't just forget about everything he's been through and move on

Prison state around the corner homeless is even closer
The threat of prison and homelessness is always lurking just around the corner

Kids with similar skin color still don't even wantcha
He's not even accepted by other kids who look like him because he's an outsider

Spit and insult ya cause they have been here longer
They belittle and insult him because they feel they have more of a right to be there than he does

He leave his crib he guaranteed the pigs approach ya
Whenever he leaves his home, the police always seem to hassle him

Where ya going where ya from any weapons on ya?
The police always stop and frisk him, assuming that he's a danger to society

Your family is stressed out your getting older
His family is worried about him and he's getting more and more anxious as he grows up

You dont live the way they did back in Somalia
He's struggling to adjust to a new way of life that's vastly different from what he grew up with

Its extra difficult to be a daughter
It's especially hard for him to fit in because of his gender

Trying to keep it modest with the sinners all around you
He's constantly trying to stay true to his values, even though it's hard when everyone else around him seems to be living a different kind of life

Where the wrong garment your parents get an ulcer
If he doesn't dress the way his parents want him to, they get upset and worried

If you wrap it up the other children picking on you
If he tries to fit in by wearing the same kind of clothes as everyone else, he's still picked on because he's an outsider

[Chorus: x2]
The chorus repeats twice throughout the song

Live in two worlds with your eyes closed
He feels like he's living in two different worlds, but he can't fully see or understand either one

Tip toeing on a tight rope
He's trying to balance two different cultures and ways of life without falling off

Holding on for survival
It's not just about fitting in or finding a place to belong – it's a matter of survival for him

Nobody to blame this is just how it goes
No one person or group is to blame for his struggles – it's simply the way things are

Holidays and you know what the business is
During the holidays, he knows what to expect – bouncing from one family member's house to another

You get two birthdays and two Christmases
Because of his divided family, he gets two of every major holiday

Older you get you present how sick it is
As he grows older, he realizes how messed up it is to receive presents as a way of making up for the lack of stability in his life

They're trying to cover their guilt with the gifts they give
His family members are trying to make up for past mistakes and neglect by giving him presents

Bounce from his house to her house
He's always moving from one family member's house to another

Too bad that marriage didn't work out
His parents' failed marriage has lead to a lot of instability in his life

Now you don't have a your house
He has no permanent home of his own

Daddy fighting mommy they both tell me they love me
His parents are constantly arguing, but they both claim to love him

If I get to close to one the other one start acting funny
If he gets too close to one parent, the other gets jealous and starts acting weird around him

Ma went and had a baby with a different dad
His mother has had a child with a different man, further complicating the family dynamics

You act happy to please em but you are really sad
He tries to put on a brave face for his family, but he's really deeply unhappy

Seeing first hand that family that you will never have
He sees other families that are stable and happy, and knows that he'll never have that

Plus you ain't no real brother, you're just a half
He's reminded that he's not really a full part of any family – he's always just a 'half'

Got to pick up the pieces and move on
He has to try to move beyond his difficult family situation and make a life for himself

Bed time stories and greet them on the phone
He has to communicate with his family from afar, through phone calls and other distant means

Live in two houses and neither one is home
He's constantly moving back and forth between different family members' homes, but none of them feel like his real home

Wishing you were grown have the freedom to get gone
He wishes he were older and could leave and make his own way in the world

Daddy was a preacher momma was a Sunday school teacher
His parents are religious leaders, which adds extra pressure for him to be a certain way

Big brother a football squad leader
His brother is a jock and popular, which makes it harder for him to fit in

Now far be it for you to disappoint or displease them
He feels immense pressure to live up to his family's expectations

Your just being what you feel you see in
He's trying to be what he thinks everyone else wants him to be

That mirror every time you peer in
He's constantly reflecting on himself and his situation

Swallow the tears inside that empty feeling
He tries to suppress his emotions even though he feels very alone and sad

Her boy terrified to let the world in
He's afraid of opening up and showing his true self to people

He has girlfriends but doesn't want a girlfriend
He dates women but can't commit to a real relationship because of his own issues

He retreats inside himself
When things get tough, he withdraws into himself and becomes very introverted

Where he lives life itself in secret
He keeps his real feelings and emotions hidden from the world

Daddy says people go to hell for being
His father is very strict and warns him that he could go to hell for living the way he does

What he is and he certainly believes them
He takes his father's words to heart and feels guilty for the way he lives

Cause there ain't no flame that can blaze enough
He feels very strongly about the way he loves people, and no amount of pressure or guilt can change that

To trump being hated for the way you love
He'd rather be hated for being true to himself than try to be someone he's not

And cry yourself to sleep and hate waking up
He feels very alone and unhappy with his life, and it's hard for him to find any joy or meaning in it

Its a cold world ya'll shame on us
The world can be a very cold and unforgiving place, and we should all feel ashamed for how some people are treated