Success
Mr. Lif Lyrics

This is rock bottom why yall, I never expected it
Mr. Lif is at the lowest point in his life and he never saw it coming.

In order to be businesslike you must meet the prerequisite
To be successful in business, you must meet certain requirements.

Leave your culture at home, smile, don't be too proud, too wild
When working in a professional environment, it is important to leave your personal culture behind and always appear respectful and well-behaved.

You may suffer, just don't cry out loud
It is okay to struggle or face challenges in work and life, but it is important to not show weakness or complain about it to others.

This notion of professionalism is like an exorcism
Embracing professionalism can feel like losing a part of oneself, as if it is something to be removed like a demon.

Forced to give your life away while you're earnin' a livin'
Working a job can feel like trading away one's time and energy for money, leaving little left for personal pursuits or enjoyment.

These thoughts had stopped me from rejoinin' the work force
Mr. Lif had reservations about returning to work for these reasons.

But now the situation I'm in, just seems to hurt more
Despite the pain and struggles of working, being unemployed and struggling financially is even worse.

Maybe it won't be bad, maybe it'll be good
Mr. Lif is hopeful about returning to work and believes it may bring positive changes to his life.

I could use a little structure in my life, maybe I should
Mr. Lif recognizes the benefit of having a routine and stable job, even if it means sacrificing some personal freedoms or desires.

Take my suit and tie out of the closet
Mr. Lif is getting dressed up to attend job interviews.

Try shinin' my shoes and brush the fuckin' dust off of my wallet
Mr. Lif is putting effort into presenting himself in the best way possible to potential employers.

Now so many interviews you know I got next week
Mr. Lif has a lot of job interviews lined up.

I'm strictly goin' from the bottom to the peak
Mr. Lif is starting from the bottom of the employment ladder and hopes to work his way up.

I'm ready focused and determined to get back on my feet
Mr. Lif is motivated and dedicated to improving his life and financial situation.

Daddy had a name tag that said, "Busy Working"
The father in the family was always busy with work, possibly to the point of neglecting his family.

Mommy had a milk carton that said, "Missing Person"
The mother in the family was absent, perhaps due to a missing person's report or simply being emotionally distant.

John had a new baseball glove, with nobody to learn with
The child in the family had new things, but no one to share them with or teach them how to use them.

I got a job at a business place I chose not to name
Mr. Lif is employed at a company but prefers to keep its name private.

Ask me how did I achieve this so quick? Yes you may
Mr. Lif is proud of his quick success in finding a job.

Back when I was compiled a stunning resume
Mr. Lif worked hard to create an impressive resume to help him land a good job.

I didn't value way back then, but boy it helped today
Mr. Lif did not appreciate the value of having a great resume until he needed it to find work.

I'm pushin' every single thought of rebellin' away
Mr. Lif is actively suppressing any desire to rebel or go against the expectations of his employer or society.

I'm workin' real hard, and my pockets are swellin', and hey
Mr. Lif is putting in effort at his job and earning more money as a result.

Can you believe I met the girl of my dreams, I swear she's meant for me
Mr. Lif has found the love of his life and feels they are destined to be together.

We've been together over 2 years, goin' on 3
Mr. Lif and his partner have been in a committed relationship for a few years now.

We married on our 4th anniversary
Mr. Lif and his partner got married after being together for four years.

Bought a house and turned a room into a nursery
Mr. Lif and his partner purchased a home and prepared a room for their future baby.

For the bouncin' baby that we're expecting in June
Mr. Lif and his partner are anticipating the arrival of their baby in June.

I sat in that delivery room from noon, to noon
Mr. Lif was present when his child was born and spent a full day in the delivery room.

24 hours of labour then the nurse asked me his title for the paper
After a long and difficult labor, the nurse asked Mr. Lif what title he wanted to give his son on the birth certificate.

You know, so the government can chase ya'
The government requires a birth certificate with a title for identification purposes.

First name: John, Last name: Insignificant
Mr. Lif chose to give his son a name (John) that could be considered ordinary or unremarkable.

I'm smiling like a proud dad; I got the birth certificate
Mr. Lif is happy to have officially registered his son's birth.

And I looked around and nothing's good enough for her or him
Mr. Lif feels like he has not been able to provide enough for his family.

So my 8 hour days became 9; 9 slid up to 10; a subtle slip up to 11 and then
Mr. Lif started working longer hours to try to make more money and support his family better.

And after a 12 hour day, I too little energy to say 'I love you' to my baby
Mr. Lif was so exhausted after working long hours that he did not have the energy or time to spend with his family or express love to them.

Or play daddy to J, and I thought this was the way to be a husband and a father
Mr. Lif believed that working hard and providing was the most important thing he could do for his family, neglecting the emotional or relational aspects.

I guess I could've looked in her eyes, and seen I lost her
Mr. Lif failed to recognize that his wife was unhappy or feeling neglected and focused only on his work.

But it wasn't my fault, I'm workin' hard, it couldn't be
Mr. Lif defends his hard work and does not see it as a possible reason for his family's unhappiness.

I've been successfully existing as a member of this family
Although Mr. Lif was neglecting his family emotionally, he believed that providing financially meant he was successfully fulfilling his role as a family member.

I was so convinced the household had to always be complete
Mr. Lif believed that his family needed to have everything he could provide, but missed the importance of quality time and emotional connection.

I didn't realize the only thing that's missing is me
Mr. Lif eventually realizes that he has been neglecting his family and that his presence and emotional connection are the most important things he could provide.

There was never any talk of divorce
Mr. Lif and his partner never discussed the possibility of divorce, suggesting that they were still committed to making their relationship work.

I can't believe how focused I was in the face of such a huge potential loss
Mr. Lif is surprised that he was able to stay committed to work despite potentially losing his family.

Thought I signed a grievance with the boss
Mr. Lif believed that his work had caused issues in his relationship with his family.

In fact, I was mad at my wife, as if she's trying to knock me off course
Mr. Lif directed his anger towards his wife instead of recognizing that it was his own actions and priorities that were hurting their relationship.

But I still visited the florist, to get her flowers
Mr. Lif attempts to make things right with his wife by buying her flowers.

(When the last time I did this?) Hmm, not since our wedding shower
Mr. Lif had not done anything romantic or thoughtful for his wife in a long time.

I got home and I was greeted by the fact we'd been deleted
Mr. Lif returned home to find that his wife and child had left him.

I was someone that my wife and child thought they no longer needed
Mr. Lif's neglect and prioritization of work had caused his family to feel like he was no longer necessary in their lives.

And before I could say, 'Where's John?'
Mr. Lif realizes that his child is missing and he does not know where he is.

I looked down and he was clingin' to her arm
Mr. Lif's child is with his wife, further highlighting Mr. Lif's absence in their lives.

I realized-ed that I'm wrong
Mr. Lif recognizes that he has made a mistake and been neglectful towards his family.

I blacked out and by the time I came to, they were gone
Mr. Lif was so upset and overwhelmed that he lost consciousness and when he woke up, his family was no longer there.

And somehow I sat and shook my head, and then I carried on
Despite the trauma of losing his family, Mr. Lif continues going through the motions of his life and job.

And I still completed 3 weeks of work, before my breakdown
Mr. Lif continued working for a few weeks before suffering an emotional breakdown.

The ambulances came and I got medicine to take now
Mr. Lif needed medical attention to recover from his emotional breakdown.

And it's hard to get a job when you been treated and released
Mr. Lif's emotional breakdown may have made it more difficult for him to find employment.

So both my relationship and my career had deceased
Mr. Lif's neglect of his family and prioritization of work led to the downfall of both his career and relationship.

It took years to put myself together, piece by piece
Mr. Lif struggled to recover and needed several years to put his life back together.

And thank God I found a woman that's propitiate with me
Mr. Lif is grateful to have found a partner who is compatible with him.

And I'll never let this happen again, it's not to be
Mr. Lif has learned from his mistakes and will prioritize his family over work in the future.

I'm ready focused and determined to get back on my feet
Mr. Lif is once again motivated and driven to improve his life and situation after learning from his mistakes.

The oil left the water and the water kept searchin'
The family was not able to mix or work together harmoniously, with the oil representing work and the water representing family.