Back in the days they used to call me a criminal Running from the police, hanging with the homies Gun in my waist, getting high off the chemicals I was only 16, kicked out on the streets My mama told me, "If you wanna make it You better figure out your life before they take it" Yeah, my mama told me, "You gotta get smarter Or you're gonna end up in a cell just like your father" Ooh, lord knows I try so hard Ooh, lord know I've come so far Ooh-oh, each time I touch the stars Some things always brings me back to earth And I'm back digging in the dirt And I'm back digging in the dirt I'm coming of age and they call it a miracle I'm alive and breathing, there's gotta be a reason, I'm still here So I pick up the pace, tryna make me some money, oh Come up with a scheme now, a dirty or a clean now, yeah 'Cause my mama tells me, "You better make it If not for yourself, then you should do it for your lady" Yeah, my mama tells me, "You gotta get smarter You've got a son and in a month you'll have a daughter" Ooh, lord knows I try so hard (Yeah) Ooh, lord know I've come so far Ooh-oh, each time I touch the stars Some things always brings me back to earth And I'm back digging in the dirt And I'm back digging in the dirt