Stuck In My Hometown

[00:00.44] Stuck in my hometown, workin' nine-to-five
[00:05.82] I'm tryna stay strong, but I got tears all in my eyes
[00:10.33] I'm goin' down, down, I'm goin' down
[00:15.39] I'm goin' down, down, I'm goin', I'm goin' (ay)
[00:20.38] Heartland dreams, late-night fantasies
[00:22.34] Tryna make somethin' out of this life they handed me
[00:24.96] Wanna marry a girl and start us a family
[00:27.46] Blue-collar, workin' every day is makin' a man of me
[00:30.14] There ain't a lot of jobs 'round here except the sawmill
[00:32.81] This part of the state has been forgotten, got a raw deal
[00:35.37] Couple Dollar Generals, Little Caesar's, and a ball field
[00:37.91] Give up on our dreams, man, it seems that we all will
[00:40.68] Settle for less is better than nothin'
[00:42.63] We ain't got a lot to give, but we got food in the oven
[00:45.18] We got church every Sunday, yeah, we got aunties and cousins
[00:47.31] We're always fightin' and fussin', but you know we still love 'em
[00:50.25] There's lotta problems 'round here, like it's a math test
[00:52.93] Small towns you couldn't find with GPS or MapQuest
[00:55.41] Schools need funding, teachers needs access
[00:58.17] Kids need guidance, and the homeless need a mattress
[01:00.46] I ain't a politician, I'm just makin' observations
[01:02.86] Tryna find a better way to make a statement, no debatin'
[01:05.42] There's a lotta homes that's vacant, lotta souls been taken
[01:08.48] A lot of congressman complacent
[01:09.93] Some are even complicit, you wonder like "what's the motivation?"
[01:12.99] It's like when people hit the church plate to make a donation
[01:15.74] Then see the pastor flyin' private jets on his vacation
[01:17.92] Like I'm sayin', don't y'all see what's goin' on? Man, it's so blatant
[01:21.08] Stuck in my hometown workin' nine-to-five
[01:26.70] I'm tryna stay strong, but I got tears all in my eyes
[01:31.10] I'm goin' down, down, I'm goin' down
[01:36.12] I'm goin' down, down, I'm goin', I'm goin' (ay)
[01:40.92] Read the paper this mornin', flipped open the page
[01:43.62] Recognized the photo next to a familiar name
[01:45.90] A guy I went to high school with in 11th grade
[01:48.40] Was the prom king, baseball team played second base
[01:51.17] Everybody liked him, he had a smile and sense of humor
[01:53.76] His dad is a lawyer, and his mom is a tutor
[01:56.15] Came from a good home, and had a real bright future
[01:58.61] Wish I would of thought to catch up with him sooner
[02:01.07] But after graduation, he got so many offers
[02:03.71] I went off to state school, and he went off Oxford
[02:06.23] I think somebody told me he was gonna be a doctor
[02:08.64] Or maybe an attorney in the footsteps of his father
[02:11.04] But the story goes, the way it was written
[02:13.41] It was a summer night, there was a head-on collision
[02:15.96] And by the grace of God, he made it out alive
[02:18.78] A couple broken bones, but he was supposed to be just fine
[02:21.84] Then the doctor gave him somethin' for his pain
[02:24.07] Wrote him a prescription, it was then his life changed
[02:26.36] A chemical reaction something deep inside his brain
[02:29.10] After a couple refills, he'd never be the same
[02:31.43] He tried to get the fix where he could find it
[02:33.86] His parents paid for rehab, they were open-minded
[02:36.28] Like this sort of thing happens, let's just put it all behind us
[02:38.95] We know things can get better if we just believe in the science
[02:41.27] It was a Tuesday night, they found him on the floor
[02:44.00] 11:32, paramedics rushed through the door
[02:46.48] They recognized this apartment, they had been there before
[02:48.83] But they were too late this time, they tried and they tried some more
[02:51.80] Saturday mornin', they laid him down in dirt
[02:54.08] His friends gave speeches 'bout how he was always down to earth
[02:56.46] Would always light up a room and put everybody else first
[02:59.03] But it seemed like the last few years that he'd been cursed
[03:02.10] And now his picture's next to his obituary
[03:04.35] And I'm just sittin' here, thinkin' like
[03:05.92] "Isn't it scary life ain't fair?" Addiction don't discriminate
[03:08.87] There's a lot of people strugglin' up and down this interstate
[03:11.92] Families settin' tables with one less dinner plate
[03:14.16] I don't know what I'm tryna say, I just hope this can resonate
[03:16.98] I'm tired of the reality of where I'm from
[03:19.20] I'm tired of seein' tragedy, and the good die young
[03:21.77] I'm tryna wake up every morning with the risin' sun
[03:24.10] Look in the mirror and be proud of who I've become
[03:27.44] Stuck in my hometown, workin' nine-to-five
[03:33.11] I'm tryna stay strong, but I got tears all in my eyes
[03:37.41] I'm goin' down, down, I'm goin' down
[03:42.58] I'm goin' down, down, I'm goin', I'm goin'
[03:47.40]