Mr. Lif, Aesop Rock - Success lyrics

Success this is rock bottom, y'all
I never expected it
In order to be businesslike
You must meet the prerequisite
Leave your culture at home, smile
Don't be too proud, too wild
You may suffer, just don't cry out loud
This notion of professionalism is
Like an exorcism
Forced to give your life away
While you're earning a livin'
These thoughts had stopped me from
Rejoining the work force
But now, the situation I'm in
Just seems to hurt more
Maybe it won't be bad, maybe it'll be good
I could use a little structure in my life
Maybe I should
Take my suit and tie out of the closet
Try shinin' up my shoes and brush the
Fuckin' dust off of my wallet


Let's consider the prospects
Make a couple phone calls
Now so many interviews you know
I've got next week
I'm strictly going from the
Bottom to the peak i'm ready
Focused and determined to get back on my feet

Daddy had a name tag that said
"Busy working"
Mommy had a milk carton that said
"Missing person"
John had a new baseball glove
With nobody to learn with
That's oil and water trying to
Mix on the same surface

I got a job at a business
Place I choose not to name
Ask me how did I achieve this so quick?
Yes, you may back when I was blind
My efforts had compiled a stunning resume
I didn't value it back then but, boy
It helped today
I'm pushin' every single thought
Of rebellin' away i'm workin' real hard
My pockets are swellin' and hey
Can you believe I met the girl of my dreams?
I swear, she's meant for me
We've been together over two years
Going on three
We married on our fourth anniversary
Bought a house and turned a
Room into a nursery
For the bouncing baby boy that
We're expecting in June
I sat in that delivery room from noon to noon
Twenty-four hours of labor then
The nurse asked me his title for the paper
You know, so the government can trace ya
First name: John, last name: insignificant
I'm smiling like a proud dad
I got the birth certificate
Go to the house and here's why vanity's a sin
I looked around and nothing's good
Enough for her or him
So my eight-hour days became nine
Nine slid up to ten
A subtle slip up to eleven and then
After a twelve-hour day
I got too little energy to say
"I love you" to my lady or play daddy to J
And I thought this was the way to
Be a husband and a father
I guess I could've looked in her
Eyes and seen I lost her
But it wasn't my fault, I'm workin' hard
It couldn't be
I've been successfully existing as a
Member of this family
I was so convinced the household
Had to always be complete
I didn't realize the only thing
That's missin' is me

Daddy had a name tag that said
"Busy working"
Mommy had a milk carton that said
"Missing person"
John had a new baseball glove
With nobody to learn with
That's oil and water trying to
Mix on the same surface

There was never any talk of divorce
I can't believe how focused I was in the
Face of such a huge potential loss
Showed no signs of weakness for the boss
In fact, I was mad at my wife
As if she's trying to knock me off course
But I still visited the florist
To get her flowers
When's the last time I did this?
Hmm, not since our wedding shower
I got home and I was greeted
By the fact we'd been deleted
I was someone that my wife and
Child thought they no longer needed
And before I could say, "Where's John?"
I looked down and he was clinging to her arm
I realized I'd done them wrong
I blacked out and, by the time I came to
They were gone
But somehow I sat and shook my
Head and then I carried on
And I still completed three weeks
Of work before my breakdown
The ambulances came and I got
Medicine to take now
And it's hard to get a job
When you've been treated and released
So both my relationship and
My career are deceased
It took years to put myself
Together piece by piece
And thank God I found a woman
That's real patient with me
And I'll never let this happen again
It's not to be i'm ready
Focused and determined to get back on my feet

Daddy had a name tag that said
"Busy working"
Mommy had a milk carton that said
"Missing person"
John had a new baseball glove
With nobody to learn with
The oil left the water and
The water kept searching