Break Tradition

Lyrics

[Verse 1] He's from a place where fighting is a way of life Fighting every single minute just to stay alive His parents called him a waste of time And when he left in the morning, they wouldn't say goodbye You could see from the bags under his eyes, he was under slept 'Cause at home he was under threat So he went to school thinking he could make an escape But at school he never did get much respect It's no wonder the little man was in such distress When his self-esteem was barely at one percent No one could guess just how much it meant Those scars go far deeper than the marks the punches left HIs one regret was how clear it was That not much of his love was left And he knew that was the only thing he needed And he knew that was the only thing he was never gonna get [Chorus] What we do is who we are and what creates the system What we learn is what we teach, it's how we raise the children From where we come from to where we go, we have to make decisions But ain't nothing gonna change unless we break tradition [Verse 2] So the kid grows up with a chip on his shoulder And the mentality of a soldier It only gets worse as he gets older He's a ticking time bomb, a loaded revolver Somebody told him not to let it get the better of him So a boy's gonna do what is expected of him He's gonna fight back, but when he strikes back The scene's moving too quick like a time lapse Picks an innocent victim He's thinking this is what I was given and now I'm giving it right back He's got one thing to make clear He's nobody to mess with, somebody to fear He's from a place where fighting is a way of life Fighting every single minute just to stay alive He's just a kid, he was never ready to take a life Now he's gotta pay the price just to make it right [Chorus] What we do is who we are and what creates the system What we learn is what we teach, it's how we raise the children From where we come from to where we go, we have to make decisions But ain't nothing gonna change unless we break tradition [Bridge] Just 'cause there's violence in our lives Does that make it a part of us? Something we cannot change? Just 'cause there's violence in our streets Does that mean we should settle for A world where violence reigns? [Verse 3] (Break tradition) We either victorious or we victims It's in us from the very beginning, we gotta (Change the pattern) The pattern that has been happening always The more we ignore it, the more we all pay (Break the cycle) It's easier said than done, but either we get it done Or we will forever suffer, so (Turn the table) Take the situation by the reigns, break the chains It is something we can change if we break tradition [Chorus] What we do is who we are and what creates the system What we learn is what we teach, it's how we raise the children From where we come from to where we go, we have to make decisions But ain't nothing gonna change unless we break tradition