Nobody Knows My Name

I remember as a child
Whenever I was told to sat down
Somewhere, maybe like right here, I always looked around
At the things that would surround
Me, listening to the sounds
See, ants crawl on the ground
And what made the world go 'round
It wasn't merry, at least not the way that I was raised
I saw a lot of things that I repressed and dare not say
For the fear of bringing it up and thinking about it once again
I was told never to speak about those things until my end
And even after, mmm mmm mmm, such a tragedy
And I remember the way they laughed at me
And I remember the way he looked at me
Then I remember when he was attacking me
We didn't have the things that they had
We didn't speak the same, so they said that I talk bad
So I got mad, got sad, eventually got past
Soon I began ask was it because I wore a mask
That covered up my face, covered up my mouth
Covered my identity so they would never doubt
The safety they had, a thing I ain't have
Work twice as hard, but only get half
And not even that, and I don't mean to complain
But, let's be honest, I know that we're not treated the same
And I don't understand, and I don't know who to blame
But they don't hear me though, nobody knows my name

So I'd be sitting up in this place then
I hear these conversations
About how this nation
Is walking into a new generation
Or era, or age, I forget the words exactly
I'd be lying if I said that their words did not impact me
So whenever I get the chance to take a breather from my labor
I go and ask my neighbor since I cannot read the paper
I put two and two together, but it still don't quite make sense
And things tend to change, it ain't been the same since these events
Where my work has gotten harder, my stress has gotten larger
And I'll be honest, the faith I have in the Father starts to falter
Less food to feed my family, so I take whatever you hand me
I pray for education so my kids can do better than me
Can't afford to get sick, the world is ill enough
I'm pushing through the pain, I hope my body won't give up
No matter what I do, it's almost like my time means nothing
But they took all these years from me, surely that means something?
It doesn't, we struggling, it's like I'm hitting a wall
We have nothing, well fuck it, I guess I'll end it all
I mean, it's not like I really matter in this game
I should've known from the start, nobody knows my name

So I've been grinding all these years
And I've been crying all these tears
And I've been fighting all these fears
But the way that it appears is
I've been living all this time
And I've been losing all my mind
Tryna keep the things that's mine
But it happens every time
I fail every time I try
You got so comfortable in your lie
And my peace does not reside
Up in my home, and so I cry
The images I memorized
And the words that I transcribe
And the hope that I confide
And the thoughts that won't subside
My tear ducts run dry
My prayers don't supply
But I shouldn't be surprised
Y'all get to live while we survive
You put us in the background of all your lovely paintings
The hero of your story, all we see is pain and anguish
You'd be angry if I told you 'bout those lies that you're painting
But a hit dog will holler, I always loved that saying
And I ain't playing, I'm just saying
I think God stopped saving, so I stopped praying
I mean, what's the point? I've been here this whole time
Even behind the scenes, I've been here this whole time
Like the pages for those words, I've been here this whole time
Like the chairs that you sit on, I've been here this whole time
We breathe the same air, we've been here this whole time
Your comfort came from somewhere, we've been here this whole time
We've been here this whole time! But, when it's all said and done
Nobody knows my name
Damn
Nobody knows my name



Credits
Writer(s): Marq Mervin
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com

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