Don't Tell
Mark Battles Lyrics
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I will just let the uhm…
Let the beat talk to you for a second
Just take it all in
Uh
Look, look
(Verse)
She different now and everybody say she get around
But it’s cool, I ain’t judging you
Gotta pay them bills, respect yo hustle, boo it’s nothing new
One of few, two of many, shoulda known from all the naked pictures you were sendin
Feelin empty, was it my fault?
Maybe I made you too comfortable, those are my thoughts
My mind lost, yo guy how much does time cost
Can I get another 10 fore I die off?
Cause tomorrow ain’t promised
Went to record when I could’ve went to college
Now we the big 3 and none of us is Chris Bosh’in
Quit joshin, honest I’m just rhyming on the beat
And you think that I’m a visionary
Little do you know, the mean life getting scary
Losin faith, half my heart is in the cemetery
Question why we here, tryin to handle stress
Will it ever disappear?
Failure to my children is the only thing I fear
Return to cloud 9 when I hear my fans cheer
In a thing, 2 years ago I had to wash up in a sink
No hot water, it was cold enough to drink
Two pair of pants, take em off when they stink
When they stink
Lived in a studio for 6 months
Me and my girl on the couch and she ain’t tripped once
Couldn’t count how many times we had to skip lunch
Always searchin for some change I could dig up
Livin off 1 mill a day
Those are memories that I wanna seal away
I’m never going back to that, I promise you
I don’t care what I gotta do
Don’t doubt the heart of a man
Doin what I can just to market a plan
20h days then start up again
Work myself to death, goin hard as I can
I can
Don’t judge a man by his status or judge all his decisions
Haters always lurkin, be observin from a distance
I servin out permission to further doubt my vision
So be of credit, why?
Cause it motivate me
My son’ mom pray he grow to hate me
I’m going crazy
You don’t wanna save me
A different day, a different hotel
Let’s get away and get a hotel
Pay for yo hair and yo nails
Oh well just blow a kiss and don’t tell
Oh well just blow a kiss and don’t tell
Don’t tell
Shh
(Outro)
Don’t forget it
It ain’t where you been, it’s about where you headed
Where you headed
Where you headed
And you gotta keep it separate
Won’t get to you less you let it
Unless you let it
Unless you let it
In Mark Battles’s song Don’t Tell, the artist reflects on his past experiences and struggles. The song initially starts with the beat and no lyrics, indicating that the listener should take a moment to appreciate the music. The first verse of the song talks about his ex-girlfriend who is now a stripper. He expresses that he isn’t judging her and understands that she has bills to pay. Battles then moves on to question himself about whether his actions led to this turn of events. He admits that he feels empty and that he's battling with his thoughts. He questions the meaning of life and whether his hard work will pay off or not. He shares his experiences of going through tough times and how he had to live in a studio with his girlfriend, struggling through a day with just a single meal. Battles shares the memories of his struggles, which he wishes to keep buried deep within him. He promises himself that he will never go back to that life and will continue to work hard to reach his goals.
The outro of the song emphasizes the importance of not letting one's past define their future. The lyrics encourage listeners to focus on where they are headed instead of where they've been. The artist advises them to keep their personal and professional lives separate and to avoid letting others bring them down. The overall message of the song is to never give up and to continue striving towards one's goals despite the obstacles that come their way.
Line by Line Meaning
Get on Instagram, see my old chick a stripper now
I saw my ex-girlfriend on Instagram and she's now a stripper.
She different now and everybody say she get around
People say she has changed and is now promiscuous.
But it’s cool, I ain’t judging you
I don't judge her for her current job or lifestyle.
Gotta pay them bills, respect yo hustle, boo it’s nothing new
I acknowledge that she's doing what she needs to do to make a living, and I respect that.
One of few, two of many, shoulda known from all the naked pictures you were sendin
I was not the only person she sent nude pictures to, and I should have seen that as a warning sign.
Feelin empty, was it my fault?
I feel empty and I wonder if I'm to blame for our relationship ending.
Maybe I made you too comfortable, those are my thoughts
I think that I made her too comfortable in our relationship, which may have led to its downfall.
My mind lost, yo guy how much does time cost
I am lost and wondering how much time I have left before I die.
Cause tomorrow ain’t promised
I understand that life is unpredictable and tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Went to record when I could’ve went to college
Instead of going to college, I pursued a career in music.
Now we the big 3 and none of us is Chris Bosh’in
Now that my music group is successful, we are like the big three in basketball, but none of us are the lesser known member like Chris Bosh.
Quit joshin, honest I’m just rhyming on the beat
I'm not joking around, I'm just rapping over the beat.
And you think that I’m a visionary
You may think I'm a visionary for my success, but you don't know the struggles I've faced.
Little do you know, the mean life getting scary
You don't realize that life can be brutal and terrifying.
Losin faith, half my heart is in the cemetery
I am losing hope and feel like a part of me has died.
Question why we here, tryin to handle stress
I am questioning the reason for our existence and trying to cope with stress.
Will it ever disappear?
I'm wondering if the stress will ever disappear.
Failure to my children is the only thing I fear
The only thing that scares me is failing my children.
Return to cloud 9 when I hear my fans cheer
I feel amazing and happier than ever when my fans cheer for me.
In a thing, 2 years ago I had to wash up in a sink
Two years ago, I had to wash myself in a sink because I didn't have access to a shower.
No hot water, it was cold enough to drink
I didn't have hot water, and the water was so cold it was like drinking water.
Two pair of pants, take em off when they stink
I only had two pairs of pants, and I would take them off when they started to smell.
Lived in a studio for 6 months
I lived in a recording studio for six months.
Me and my girl on the couch and she ain’t tripped once
My girlfriend and I lived on a couch, but she never complained about it.
Couldn’t count how many times we had to skip lunch
There were times when we couldn't afford to eat lunch.
Always searchin for some change I could dig up
I would always search for any change I could find so we could buy food or other necessities.
Livin off 1 mill a day
We were living off of one dollar a day.
Those are memories that I wanna seal away
Those are memories that I want to forget and never have to experience again.
I’m never going back to that, I promise you
I vow to never go back to living in poverty again.
Don’t doubt the heart of a man
Don't underestimate the determination and strength of a man.
Doin what I can just to market a plan
I'm doing everything I can to execute my plan and promote my music.
20h days then start up again
I work 20-hour days and then start all over again the next day.
Work myself to death, goin hard as I can
I am working myself to the point of exhaustion, pushing myself as much as I can.
Don’t judge a man by his status or judge all his decisions
Don't judge someone based on their social status or judge them for their past decisions.
Haters always lurkin, be observin from a distance
There will always be people who hate and judge you, so it's best to observe them from a distance.
I servin out permission to further doubt my vision
I am allowing others to doubt my vision and second-guess myself.
So be of credit, why?
I need people to acknowledge and credit my hard work and dedication to my music.
Cause it motivate me
Being recognized motivates me to keep working hard and pursuing my goals.
My son’ mom pray he grow to hate me
My son's mother hopes that our son will grow to resent me.
I’m going crazy
I am losing my mind and feel like I am going crazy.
You don’t wanna save me
You don't want to help me or understand what I'm going through.
A different day, a different hotel
Every day is different, and I stay in different hotels for my music career.
Let’s get away and get a hotel
Let's escape and stay in a hotel to relax and get away from stress.
Pay for yo hair and yo nails
I'll pay for your hair and nails as a treat.
Oh well just blow a kiss and don’t tell
Just blow me a kiss and keep it a secret.
Don’t forget it
Remember what I've said.
It ain’t where you been, it’s about where you headed
Your past doesn't define you; it's about where you're going in life.
And you gotta keep it separate
You must keep your personal life separate from your professional life.
Won’t get to you less you let it
The stress and negativity won't affect you unless you allow it to.
Unless you let it
It's entirely up to you whether you let stress and negativity affect you or not.
Contributed by Anna S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.