Honorable Mention | “Real Life”

Honorable Mention
“Real Life”
Derek Wright
Lansdale, Pennsylvania

Videos by American Songwriter

I remember when trouble hit back in nineteen ninety one / I’m facing jail time moms faced with losing her son / my life spun / I felt it slipping but its yet to begun / Me and my man being charged with crimes we aint done / I heard the pain in her voice my mothers hurt i can tell / never once thought her only son would be in a cell / But i was standing tall ma yeah i just fell / Just like that my life was crashing had me wanting to yell / On the phone i heard her voice than all my courage was gone / And i said i miss you mamma when you bringing me home / we hung up that very moment i was feeling alone / but always kept my head up man i had to be strong / and i swore never would i let her see me be weak / never knew she sensed the fear inside my voice when we’d speak / How i wish i could hug her wipe the tears from her cheek / Let her know theres a chance i may go down in defeat / And its deep / cause the lawyer that they got wasnt cheap / sacrificed every dime to get me back on the street / back on my feet / and it aint over till my trials complete / so i pray every night before i lay down to sleep /

chorus
yo this is real life you know this aint no game / locked down now a number yo they stole our name / Now expalin how we aint do it but we facing the time / innocent but standing trial tell me which is the crime /

yo this is real life you know this aint no game / locked down now a number yo they stole our name / Now expalin how we aint do it but we facing the time / innocent but standing trial tell me which is the crime /

i remember the night the C.O. came and said i made bail / i was glad but hurt to leave my man alone in the cell / as we spoke parting ways dog you more than a friend / me and you we ride this thing out co dee’s down to the end / you stay up you know the number call collect every day / and i know you’re making bail and you gonna be on your way / and with that i hug him tightly give him dap than i roll / as i step out of the prison yo its windy and cold / as i’m cuffed and driven miles man my eyes didnt blink / all my thoughts was on my mother wondering what does she think / can she sleep how is she doing can she function at work / is her mind in total choas got her going berzerk / as for me my thoughts is calm as though i had them rehearsed / me and my man both realist we prepared for the worst / innocent but treated guilty yo its like we was cursed / in this verse / you aint never really feeling my hurt /

seven months pass now we heading to trial / and its wild / the situation got it where we cant smile / cant even grin / cause all want is for this madness to end / cause we been / put through the fire felt it burning our skin with they lies / now we sit and watch lawyers devise / a plan in hopes the truth prevents this type of demise / can we rise / above the charges are we destined to fall / time is getting short i guess its anyones call / and now i’m gettin nervous as it draws to a close / as we rose / to hear the verdict yo my body was froze / i was told whatever happens remain calm and composed / even though i felt that tingle from my head to my toes / and like that they read the verdict its not guilty as charged / and i paused / closed my eyes and said a thank you to God / And whats odd / is that a part of both our lives just got robbed / as we mobbed / up out the courtroom mamma broke down and sobbed /