Learn You
Joell Ortiz Lyrics

I know that I missed out on you
I acknowledge that I was absent from your life

Sorry that I'm never there
I apologize for not being present

I tried to get everything you wanted
I did my best to fulfill your wishes

I hope you know I really cared
I want you to know that I genuinely loved and cared for you

To learn you now, to learn you now
I want to make up for lost time by getting to know you better now

Lemme learn, lemme learn you now
Please give me the opportunity to learn about you and spend time with you

Had to chase this dream, I was on my grind
I was pursuing my aspirations and working hard for them

Workin' on my craft took up all my time
I dedicated all my time to improving my skills and talent

I gotta beware, I'm near at the drop of a dime
I need to be cautious because my schedule is unpredictable

But through all my travels y'all stayed on my mind
Even though I traveled often, I was always thinking of you

My two lil' boys, two pieces of me
My two sons are a significant part of my identity

Sorry I didn't go them places I needed to be
I regret not being present in important moments of your life

Trips that I missed with your school
I couldn't attend some events with your school

Games I ain't root for your team
I failed to support your sports team in some games

Feels like yesterday I would wake up to your screams
I remember when you were babies and woke up crying in the morning

Y'all was cryin' for bottles, when did y'all turn into teens?
It's amazing how quickly you've grown up from when I had to bottle-feed you to now being teenagers

Tryna grow mustaches, peach fuzz look clean
You're trying to grow facial hair and it looks good, even though it's still thin

Your voices got deeper, make sure you say what you mean
Your voices have changed as you've grown up, so be sure to express yourself honestly

Happy y'all don't say y'all hate me for all the time I was away
I'm glad you don't hold resentment towards me for not being there often

What good was the toys if I never stayed there to play?
It's pointless to have toys if I didn't take the time to enjoy them with you

I would stare at y'all pictures on the bus after shows
I would look at pictures of you on my phone while traveling after my performances

It was rough on the road, must have been tougher at home
Traveling was tough for me, but I realize being at home without me was tougher for you

Even on the west, I'm movin', but that bus driver know
I travel even on the west coast and my bus driver knows how much I miss you

Find me that Western Union, I'd send your mother some dough
Using Western Union, I would send money to your mother while away to help with expenses

Y'all ain't lil' boys no more, look at how much you have grown
You're not small children anymore, and it amazes me how much you've matured

My youngest one taller than me, my oldest my skinnier clone
My younger son is now taller than me, and my older son looks like a skinnier version of me

Bothers me down to my soul, my lifestyle was out of control
It deeply troubles me that I wasn't more present and my lifestyle was hectic

Replaced time with the money, trade that I tried to barter
I traded time with you for money, which I now realize was a mistake

I'm askin' you both for forgiveness, can we start over today?
I'm asking for your forgiveness and hoping to start anew today

You don't have to answer that now, I just wanted to say
You don't have to respond immediately, I just wanted to express my feelings