Here to stay
Even when I'm gone
When I close my eyes
Through the passage of time
Kings never dieI can hear the drummer drumming
And the trumpets, someone's tryna summon someone, I know somethin's coming
But I'm runnin' from it to be standing at the summit
And plummet, how come it wasn't what I thought it was
Was it, too good to be true?
Have nothin', get it all but too much of it
Then lose it again, did I swallow hallucinogens
Cause if not, where the hell did it go?
Cause here I sit in Lucifer's den by the dutch oven
Just choosing to sin
Even if it means I'm sellin' my soul, just to be the undisputed again
Do whatever I gotta do just to win
Cause I got this motherfuckin' cloud over my head
Crown around it, thorns on it
Cracks in it, bet you morons didn't think I'd be back, did ya?How 'bout that, I'm somehow now back to the underdog
But no matter how loud that I bark, this sport is somethin' I never bow-out atI complain about the game, I shout and I pout, it's a love-hate
But I found out that I can move a mountain of doubtEven when you bitches are countin' me out, and I appear to be down for the count
Only time I ever been out and aboutIs drivin' around town with my fuckin' whereabouts in a doubt
Cause I been lost tryna think of what I did to get here but I'm not a quitterGotta get up, give it all I got or give upSpit on, shit on, stepped on, but kept goin'
I'm tryna be headstrong but it feels like I slept on my neck wrongCause you're moving onto the next, but is the respect gone?
Cause someone told me that(Kings never die)Don't give me that sob story liar, don't preach to the choir
You ain't never even had to reach in the fire to dig deepNobody ever handed me shit in life, not even a flyer
Wouldn't even take shit into consideration
Obliterate anyone in the wayI think I see why a lot of rappers get on these features and try to show out on a track with meBut it'd actually have to be a fuckin' blow-out to get me to re-tire
Tell these new artists that kings never dieDid it just say I've been upstaged?
Why am I online? It's driving me crazy
I'm ridin' shotgun tryna get a gauge
On what's hot, but I'm not one to conformBut as days pass in this shit
And opinions sway, I can hear 'em say
If I stay passionate maybe I can stage a miraculous
Comeback as if I went away
But detractors just say so much for the RenegadeSomeone's gonna make me blow my composure
Here I go again, center stage and I feel like I'm in a cage
They so want a champion to fall
It's no wonder why I laugh at 'em, cause why can't we win 'em all?
So fuck what these cynics say(It) just goes ta show that when my back's against the wall
And I'm under a tack again, that I'll act as if I'm 'posed ta
With this pent up rage, cause all these plaques in my office
On the floor stacked against the doorAre they just metaphors for the odds of me comin' back again?Cause all the accomplishments, accolades, awards
And trophies just don't mean jack anymore
If I'm here today and gone tomorrow
And I'm not gonna beHere to stayEven when I'm gone
When I close my eyesThrough the passage of time
Kings never dieI want it, I'm comin' to get it
So you son of a bitches don't duck you're gonna get Riddick Bowe'd
Critics'll end up in critical, think your shit is dope all you're gonna get is smoked
And I'm not stopping 'til I'm on top again, all alone and on a throneLike a token of respect, or a homage poem, or an ode I've been owed
Tossed in the air by my own arm, and launched so hard it broke my collarbone
And when it's my time to go, I'm still not leaving
Stop for no one, I don't know but I've been told an obstacle that
Blocks your road, knock it over, time to go for that pot of gold, causeThey say kings never die
Just ask Jam Master Jay
They just grow wings and they fly
So, hands up, reach for the sky
Try to hold and prolong these moments
Cause in a blink of an eye
They'll be overTryna secure your legacy like Shakur
And ensure nobody's ever gonna be what you were
So before you're leavin' this Earth
You want people to feel the fury of a pure evil cerebral berserk
Deacon of words, syllable genius at work
Plus I'm thinkin' that they're mistakin' my kindness for weakness, kill 'em with meanness
I went from powdered milk and Farina
To flippin' burgers on the grill for some peanuts
From Gilbert's to arenas, call me Gilbert Arenas, still appeal to the dreamers
I made it to the silverscreen but Rocky's still what the theme is
Khalil on the beat cause makin' the beat ain't the same feelin' to me as killin' the beat is
Or fulfillin' to me is what fillin' a seat is
It's that "Sound Bombing" Thirstin' Howl
Common, underground, Diamond D, Outsidaz
Stomach growl, throbbin' hunger, out-rhymin' everyone
God just give me one shot, I swear that I won't let you down
I'ma be around forever-and-a-day, even in the ground
You ain't never ever gonna hear 'em say I ain'tHere to stay
Even when I'm gone
When I close my eyes
Through the passage of time
Kings never die
