I Can’t Win Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Whoever said the grass was greener on the other side
Never tried to lift a piece of their lawn

The pressures of the world won't let up, I'm so hungry yet I'm fed up
I spent half my life tryna get on
I never knew the day would come, when I had about 5 records out
Still work a day job, livin at my mom's house
Still hoppin' turnstiles, can't catch a taxi
Tryin' to sell records every week in front of Phat Beats
This can't be the way it is for cats I seen on TV
If I said I was a rapper, I don't think you would believe me
It's easy to make it seem easy to make it
But it's much harder than the eye can see when it's naked
You think you can take it, then you needa think again
Cause you about to play your hand in a game you can't win, c'mon

[Hook]
I've gotta find a way (time's runnin out)
And there's no time to waste (I won't stop, and I won't quit)
But no one... (and no one's gonna get in my way)
Can even comprehend (they don't get it)
And they won't let me in (and I'm just tryna make noise, but I never get hurt)
My back's against the wall
But I keep movin...

[Verse 2]
I can't get a job if I wear my hip-hop clothes
Can't get a deal if I use my hip-hop flows
Nobody wants to pay me to do all these hip-hop shows
Bout time my album dropped, shit is 5 years old!
Now I've been told, "patience, this year you gonna make it"
Then December 31st comes I hear the same shit

But I'm so close I can taste it
I'm so next that me and success is adjacent

But time is wastin, I ain't been getting any younger
Can't wait to gain weight, my life is driven by this hunger
Shit, I hardly ever sleep yet I'm a slept-on emcee
You don't mention 9/11 then you ain't considered deep
But I am the epitome of what a real emcee should be
No matter how loud you critics speak, you won't get rid of me!
It shouldn't be this much of a struggle and hustle, but it is
Shouldn't be this much trouble just to get a couple spins

Records should be reaching millions, not just a couple friends
But the dollar signs and numbers win, welcome to the biz! Yeah

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
Yo, I get mad frustrated when I rhyme
So I sit and write more rhymes to take out my frustrations
A infinite loop, and the shit isn't cute
My lifestyle on the line, less than a minute to shoot
I try kickin' the truth to these inquisitive youths
But they won't listen to you unless you fit in a group
So when I get in the booth, it's like I'm tryna feed my fam
Then someone comes along and just spits in the soup
On top of that I got these wannabes, eatin' right in front of me!
I look 'em in the eye like "that wasn't for you"

Now I do what I love, and I love what I do
It ain't my hobby, it's my passion, and by now it should be obvious
I'm sorry kid, I just HATE dealin with these politics
Got less in common with rappers than senators and lobbyists
And 99.9% of it is who you know
The other .01% is how you flow

Even if your love for this is infinite with room to grow
A demo and a dream ain't really gonna get you through the door

So by the hairs on my chin and every inch of my skin
I play again and again until the day that I win, shit

Yeah
That's it y'all (word up)
I know y'all probably be listenin like "Damn" (what the fuck?) "When's this
Shit get better?" (Man, I do not know)
That means y'all know exactly how I feel (word up)
So I did my job (that's how I feel every day)
And we gonna keep it like that
"My back's against the wall, but I keep movin..."
QN5! Peace

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About

Genius Annotation

Track #3 on PackFM’s critically acclaimed 2006 debut album whutduzFMstand4?

Hook sung by Camelia Rose Qabazard.

On this track, Pack tells about the troubles he’s having making it. There’s a lot of hardships for indie artists in the hip hop genre. Not just that, rappers are generally looked down upon by society, which he also issues.

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Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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