My Younger Self - BreastMilk

MY YOUNGER SELF *Artist:* BreastMilkMusic *Genre:* Ghanaian Afro-Fusion / Soulful Afro-R&B *Mood:* Nostalgic, vulnerable, deeply emotional, determined [Intro – The Letter] Dear little me… I don't know how to explain this life to you. You used to think say by this age, everything go make sense. You used to look at the sky and see your whole future. Chale… I wish I could tell you how far we have come. And how far we still have to go. [Verse 1 – ] I remember you beneath that old streetlight Talking big dreams with your friends all night You said one day Mama go smile without a worry And Papa no go have to work till him body tire You wanted to buy that house with the garden Put everybody inside, make the suffering end You wanted your name on something that mattered Wanted to be somebody your younger brothers could respect You didn't have much, but your heart was so full Every little setback, you still believed in you You thought hard work alone could open every door Nobody told you some doors lead to ten more Little man, I wish I could sit beside you Tell you some things that nobody told me Some of the people wey you love go change And some of your dreams go take longer than you think [Pre-Chorus – ] You go lose some nights to worry You go smile when you want to cry You go ask yourself some questions That no one can answer right But listen to me, little brother There's something you must know [Chorus – If you see me now, don't be disappointed I no reach the place wey we promised But I still get the fire wey you gave me And I still believe in the life we wanted If you see these scars upon my body Know say every one of them mean something I may be tired, I may be broken But I never stopped becoming [Background choir – ] Never stopped becoming… Never stopped becoming… [Verse 2 – ] Dear little me, the road no be straight line Some years go feel like you dey move backwards You go work all day, come home with empty pockets And wonder whether the effort even matters You go see your friends achieve the things you wanted Clap for them outside, then cry when you get home You go make some choices you wish you never made And carry certain regrets like stones inside your soul Some people go promise you the whole world Then disappear when your world starts falling down You go learn that being strong no mean you no dey hurt And being quiet no mean you have no words There go be mornings when you don't want to wake up Not because you no love life, but because life has been so hard But little me, remember why you started Remember all the people you were dreaming for And remember too… You deserve some kindness for yourself You no be machine, you be human You fit rest without abandoning your purpose You fit ask for help and still be a man [Pre-Chorus – You go lose some nights to worry You go smile when you want to cry You go ask yourself some questions That no one can answer right But listen to me, little brother There's something you must know [Chorus – ] If you see me now, don't be disappointed I no reach the place wey we promised But I still get the fire wey you gave me And I still believe in the life we wanted If you see these scars upon my body Know say every one of them mean something I may be tired, I may be broken But I never stopped becoming [Bridge – ] And little me… I need to tell you something. We no get the house yet. Mama still dey worry sometimes. Some dreams wey we carry still dey far from our hands. And sometimes… I get scared. I get scared say all this suffering go mean nothing. [Pause] But then I remember you. That small boy wey no get plenty but still believe say something good dey come. And I no fit disappoint you. [Melodic build – inner choir begins] I still dey try… I still dey try… [Final Chorus – Powerful, uplifting, cathartic] If you see me now, know I'm still fighting Though the road be rough, I still dey climbing I no reach the place wey we promised But I never let the dream die inside me And if tomorrow brings another mountain If the whole world says I can't get through it As long as breath dey inside this body I go stand again, I go keep moving [Choir – Keep on moving… Keep on moving… [Outro – Dear little me… I can't promise you an easy life. But I promise you this: We no go stop trying. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not while we still get life inside us. I still believe… [End]