My Hustle
Joey Goggins

My hustle is the reason I can make it
It’s almost like they’re putting us out into the desert
And forcing us to survive
With no water; to show us
THE THIRST IS REAL
To be successful and make a living
Not knowing the emotions we feel
Some can say I remember when
My dad helped me build a shed
Or my mom took me to get my nails done
While the rest of sit and count the number of letters we read
Cause’ our dad sits in a cell
Kissing us on our forehead
Using his imagination
See, disappointments are the reason for my determination
You don’t know my struggle
So you can’t feel my hustle
The rest of us got it on our own
Simply because we had no place to call home
Causing us to have this powerful backbone
Too often we worry about getting personal
Is it safe?
Seeing me in the halls with a smile on my face
The next day crying
I understand it’s natural to ask yourself what’s wrong with that girl
I use to think it was me against the world
Life starts from a bad memory
Daddy loved drugs
He was too much of a thug to show his little one love
So it was always about a head nod
Never about a hug
High school, 4 deep in a Monte Carlo
Dusted and disgusted tryna make it til’ tomorrow
Got in trouble for my uniform just about everyday
Cause I worked two jobs
Sold books, and art to make change in every way
To make ends meet
Had no place to hide
So I lived under my own two feet
Working double shifts; no time to sit
Looking at the clock, like aint this some ****
My hustle is the reason I can walk across the stage
My hustle started when I was 12
Ill never forget what happened that age
I thought I didn’t belong here
So I thought of everyway to escape
Like locking the door for once while I took a bath
Letting the water fill my nostrils
Or taking a pill for every time I had to tell my little brother
We will eat tonight
Not knowing when we would have our next bite
This cap and this gown
Is the reason I can walk around without a frown
Because even after all the things I’ve been through
Its impossible to bring me down