Grateful
Dave East Lyrics

Two of the closest niggas there for me
I had two really close friends who were always there for me.

They no longer here with me
Unfortunately, they are no longer alive.

I'm wide awake, I'm scared to sleep
I can't sleep because I'm afraid of what nightmares might haunt me.

Afraid, though I ain't never been, Grandma said ain't no fear in me
Despite never being afraid, my grandma always told me that I was fearless.

Criminal, I prepared to be, in your feelings? Won't hear from me
I anticipate being treated as a criminal, but I won't let anyone's emotions affect me.

I talk to God, the devil on the other line stressin'
I communicate with God, but the devil constantly tries to stress me out.

Keep a weapon there, 'cause slippin' ain't how I'm gon' learn no lesson
I carry a weapon to avoid making mistakes and experiencing the negative consequences.

Ain't no actors here, I told Bully, "I wish that Stack was here"
We're not pretending or faking, I expressed to my friend Bully that I wish our deceased friend Stack was still alive.

Mugga too, my hoody blue, so much ice, they gon' have to stare
Even my friend Mugga and I dress in blue hoodies, and we have so much jewelry that people can't help but stare.

Used to hate my building smell, half for the homies still in jail
I used to dislike the smell in my apartment building, but now I realize it's the scent of my friends who are still incarcerated.

Harlem different, either kill a cell or pray to lift your bail
In Harlem, you either end up dead or have to rely on prayer to afford your bail money.

White rice and tuna fish, way before Ruth Chris
There was a time when we could only afford to eat plain meals like white rice and tuna fish, long before we could dine at upscale establishments like Ruth Chris.

We was broke, I ain't care who was rich, stick up kids do exist
We were so poor that I didn't care about the wealth of others, and it was a reality that there were kids who committed robberies out of desperation.

Hard news, just listen, the dog food was clickin'
I'm sharing some difficult truths, so just listen carefully, because the drug business was booming.

They moved bitch, long before I heard of Ludacris
They relocated and disappeared a long time ago, even before I knew who Ludacris was.

I watched it with my own eyes, dirty kitchen for home fries
I observed it firsthand, living in a dirty apartment kitchen but trying to make the best of it by cooking home fries.

Hajjis if ain't nothin' open, just make sure they toast mine
When there's nothing else available, we rely on the local convenience store, and I always make sure they toast my food.

I'm thankful for them steak and cheese, I love the hood, I'd hate to leave
I appreciate having steak and cheese sandwiches, and I have a strong attachment to my neighborhood that I would be sad to leave.

How the fuck was we trappin' outside when it was eight degrees?
I can't believe we were selling drugs outside in freezing temperatures of eight degrees.

I still have a hard time tryna understand why Ma$e would leave
I'm still struggling to comprehend why Ma$e, a rapper, decided to leave the music industry.

Gave niggas the reason, plus the truth, I could relate to Beans
Ma$e provided people with an explanation for leaving, and his honesty resonated with me as it did with Beanie Sigel, another rapper.

Free Meek, I'm just tryna chase a dream
I support Meek Mill and his fight for justice, as all I'm trying to do is pursue my own dreams.

They'd rather us upstate and grainy, you never had to chase a fiend
The system prefers to see us in prison, captured in poor-quality surveillance footage, rather than having to pursue drug addicts.

Passed them off the 'Gram, and then they ran before they paid you
I gave them drugs through social media, but they fled without paying you.

Plus you gotta pay yo' connect and at your crib, it ain't no cable
Not only do you owe money to your drug supplier, but you can't even afford cable TV at your place.

You can't watch your favorite TV show, your jacket and your sneakers old
You can't even enjoy watching your favorite TV show because your jacket and sneakers are old and worn out.

Summertime, you make it through, but you ain't tryna see the cold
You manage to survive the summer, but you don't want to endure the harshness of winter.

Niggas turn to strippers when they see the pole
Some people resort to desperate measures, like becoming strippers, when they see an opportunity for quick money.

Plant the seed, the seed'll grow, my daughter need three million 'fore she three years old
I must invest in my daughter's future now, as she will need three million dollars by the time she turns three years old.

Loyalty and love over everything
Valuing loyalty and love above all else.

Flowers over stones and the choir sings
Preferring to give flowers instead of gravestones, and this decision is celebrated by the choir singing.

How many of them do we know though?
How many people in our lives truly embody these values?

Lost so many loved ones and now they're gone too
We have experienced the pain of losing many loved ones, and now they are gone forever.

Gone too soon, streets raising kings
Many young lives are tragically lost, and the streets are left to raise the next generation of leaders.

And queens, we gotta fight to believe again
We need to regain our strength and confidence, especially the women, and fight to restore our belief in ourselves and our dreams.

Still loyalty and love over everything
Even though we've faced hardships, we will continue to prioritize loyalty and love above all else.

Still flowers over stones and the choir sings
We are steadfast in our decision to offer flowers instead of gravestones, and this is celebrated by the choir singing.

Thank you, I'm grateful
Expressing gratitude for everything I have.

Thank you Lord, I'm grateful
Thanking God for everything I have and expressing my gratitude.

Ooh, thank you Lord, I'm grateful
Utterly grateful to God for everything in my life.

(Just thankful to be here, been through a lot)
(I'm simply thankful to still be alive and have experienced so much.)

Uh, every time it rain, I feel that bullet
Whenever it rains, I'm reminded of the violence and danger that I have experienced.

Hood insane, wish I could change it, but I couldn't
The neighborhood I come from is filled with chaos and madness, and I wish I could change it, but it's beyond my control.

I'm just grateful for them whuppings my pops used to give us to keep us out the street
I'm thankful for the beatings my father used to give me and my siblings because it helped keep us away from the dangerous streets.

In the projects, the water cold at least three days out the week
Living in the housing projects, we often had no hot water for at least three days every week.

This real talk, I done seen some shit wake you out your sleep
This is the harsh reality I'm sharing; I've witnessed some truly disturbing things that can jolt you awake from your sleep.

Lit the crib up with candles, felt like the lights was out for weeks
We had to rely on candles to light up our home, and it felt like we were without electricity for weeks.

I ain't had the drive, wanted to survive until I found the keys
I lacked the motivation and determination to survive until I discovered the necessary tools to improve my life.

220 on the dash and yes, we taxin', we got mouths to feed
We drive at high speeds to evade trouble, but we also engage in illegal activities to provide for our loved ones.

Thank you Lord, I'm grateful Lord, if I got it, I blame you Lord
I give all credit to God for my blessings, and if I have anything, it's because of Him.

My life, it been dangerous Lord, my faith in you could change it Lord
My life has been filled with danger, but my belief in you, Lord, has the power to transform it.

Wasn't tryna scare niggas, foreheads was what we was aimin' for
We didn't intend to intimidate others, but when we aimed our guns, we were targeting their foreheads.

I lived on the six, they raid the crib, might have to change the door
I resided on the sixth floor, and when the authorities conducted a raid, we had to replace the doors due to damage.

Let's figure out a way to make 'em hate some more
We should come up with strategies to make our enemies hate us even more.

Fuck the way the system set up, every day I break the law
I'm frustrated with the oppressive nature of the legal system, so I break the law on a daily basis.

Spend some money, make some more, never thought I'd make it poor
I spend money and make more, even though I never anticipated ending up financially destitute.

Imagine we was takin' score, militant, I relate to war
If we were keeping track, I would have a high score, as I have a strong connection to war and a militant mindset.

Thankful for my only child
I am grateful for my one and only child.

Sellin' out these shows that make my homies smile
Seeing my friends happy and proud as I sell out shows brings me joy.

Wake up in Miami to hear the ocean sound
Waking up in Miami and being able to hear the soothing sound of the ocean is a beautiful experience.

Grateful I seen eighteen, grateful I seen twenty-one
I am grateful for reaching the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, as some people don't get the opportunity to see those milestones.

Grateful that my pops ain't throw me out, he found my nigga gun
I'm thankful that my father didn't kick me out when he discovered my friend's gun in our home.

Of course I said it wasn't mine
Naturally, I claimed that the gun didn't belong to me.

Runnin' to the park told my father, let's talk another time
I hurriedly ran to the park and asked my father to delay our conversation until a later time.

'Cause he know I want to rhyme
He understood that I had a passion for rapping.

A .38, I kept it on me, I blow it like a runny nose
I carried a .38 caliber gun with me at all times and was ready to use it, just like blowing my nose when it's runny.

In the projects with like three bitches to diddy crib with like a hundred hoes
I was in the housing projects with only a few girls, while Diddy had a mansion filled with countless women.

Stomach growlin', I don't take it for granted
My stomach is constantly empty and growling, so I never take having food for granted.

I come from housin' (projects), I need some shit come with a water fountain
Coming from the housing projects, I'm used to not having access to basic amenities like a reliable water supply.

My daughter smilin', I'm thankful Freaky told me to rap
Seeing my daughter's smile brings me joy, and I'm grateful to my friend Freaky for encouraging me to pursue a career in rap.

Thankful Jungle paid attention, the streets could never hold me back
I appreciate Jungle for paying attention to my talent, and because of that, the streets could never prevent me from succeeding.

Ooh, pray, thank you, I'm grateful
I pray and express my gratitude, acknowledging that I am truly grateful for everything.

Thank you, I'm grateful
Once again, I express my thanks and gratitude.