The Sound of Joy

Don't know where to start
I guess I'll tell my story
No drugs or violence
I guess it's kind of boring
But then again it's worth exploring
'Cause I bet you can relate to what it means
To search for calling
I mean you tried this
You tries that
Followed every line
Like you're trying to build a mindmap
But then the letter's returned to sender
Feel like playing Elvis records
So someone can "love you tender"
But in your mind
You know there's some design
And if only you could reach it
Somehow it would be fine, but
Breathe in, breathe out
Stress of life got you trying to pull a weave out
But still you're devout
Living out your faith as you walk under these clouds
Love, you're not alone
This is We now

That's the sound of joy
You hear the sound of joy
"Joy, I got the joy"
"Joy, I got the joy"
That's the sound of joy
You're listening to the sound of joy
"Joy, I got the joy"
"Joy, I got the joy"

Vulnerable to the point you see through me
The contents of my heart
And what moves me
Those inner scars that I try to cover up
Didn't know there was an inner me uncover, yup
I am what I am
But it's shaped by others
Take on each other's features
Like we're long-term lovers
But it's not you
It's what you represent
A heaven-sent gift of when pad hits the pen
So even though we never trod the same streets
I praise God that I could ride the same beats
I'm blessed
You gave me a language to get my heart out my chest
That's why I learn to do my gramar
Spend my time and invest
So if its up to me I'll keep speaking
'Til the day my joints wither and my flesh weakens
Hip hop, it's hard to think how
But what I do know is you're part of me now

That's the sound of joy
You hear the sound of joy
"Joy, I got the joy"
"Joy, I got the joy"
That's the sound of joy
You're listening to the sound of joy
"Joy, I got the joy"
"Joy, I got the joy"

All I hear is mad rappers
Delivering lines like they're bad actors
Playing characters they're mothers wouldn't recognise
A whole host of guys
But in the mirror
I wonder what they see
That there's more to self
Than power, lust and wealth
Or that a gangster is all they'll ever be?
Feel like the human side of hip hop
Is finally pressing in
Behind the music and thrones we hide in
What began as a childhood admiration
As a man shifts focus in your maturation
Still feeling the same love
Past infatuation
I'm seeing the scars
Seeing the stretch marks
Seeing how you act when you're drunk and in bars
Can I learn to love without conditions?
Not overlooking faults
But caring with all wisdom?
Love, you can speak
I'll listen

That's the sound of joy
You hear the sound of joy
"Joy, I got the joy"
"Joy, I got the joy"
That's the sound of joy
You're listening to the sound of joy
"Joy, I got the joy"
"Joy, I got the joy"

Looking for truth in a land of punchlines
Listening to beats while standing in lunchlines
Thinking up rhymes communicating thoughts
Most of the time all of the work comes to nought
But for some reason it's valuable in itself
Like a reassuring touch
A gift to my inner self
And yet it's far more
Open the car door
Exit to a world that questions what it's all for
Feeling like square peg in a round world
But happy cause I bought the field and I found pearls
Twirl the pen and let it simmer just a little bit
The page is looking at me like I just offended it
As if to say, "You need to write
The gift's not yours
Work 'til your faith is sight"
And so I must press on
And I don't even know if you'll feel this song
But hey