Rise Above - J. Cole

(Chorus)
Rise above, rise above
You got to
Rise above, rise above

(Verse)
She had her little daughter with er, it was cold out
She said aight I hate this motherfucker then she rode out
He aint answering his phone, she yells what the fuck?
Then told her daughter buckle up, yea thats for safety
See she been stressin lately cuz this nigga she done been with for the past 2 years
Is now the current reason for her last few tears
She text, he dont text back
When she see him she be tryina sex, he dont sex back
Its hard to be on jet black
She call, he dont call back
All he say is fall back
Nigga just need his space, so she headed to his place
Cuz she just got a call from her home girl Ronda
Who say he be creepin, he been fuckin with Yolanda
Yolanda? Yea girl, Yolanda
Told you he aint shit but you aint listen, I was tryna (click)
Hmm, hung up that phone and hop right up in that Honda
Headed to his crib, she said she fed up with this shit
Thought this time this was the one
Thought I got better at this shit
Picking out Mr. Right, sticking out through the fights
And long nights for what? This niggas is all alike
She gon set it off, her daughter gon witness it all tonight, damn

(Chorus)
Rise above, rise above
You got to
Rise above, rise above

(Verse)
She said she just finish school, could barely pay tuition
Now she teachin 7 grade, tryna make a difference
Aye but the kids frustrated, said if they dont listen
A ass like that, how the fuck they spposed to pay attention?
Im fuckin wit you but for real she said they hopeless, a class full of jokesters
Creatin all the obstacles, impossible to focus
Little niggas barely read, tryna give em what they need
And they dont even try, one little boy, he caught her eye
Cuz he looked just like her brother, she be havin to call his mother
But she act like she dont care,
Where father? He aint here
Now she frustrated, thinkin that she just made the mistake of her life
Underpaid, be havin to waitress at night
Six years of college down the drain
Drinking, tryna drown the pain
Party with her girls, feelin sorry for the world
Cuz aint no hope for the youth
Well, aint that the truth?
When all your role models either rappin or they hoop, damn

(Chorus)
Rise above, rise above
You got to
Rise above, rise above

(Outro)
We got to
Rise