Macklemore - Ten Thousand Hours

[Verse 1:]
I hope that God decides to talk through him,
That the people decide to walk with him,
Regardless of Pitchfork, cosigns I've jumped,
Make sure the soundman doesn't cockblock the drums.
Let the snare knock the air right out of your lungs,
And those words be the oxygen,
Just breathe,
Amen. Regardless I'ma say it,
Felt like I got signed the day that I got an agent,
Got an iTunes check, shit, man, I'm paying rent.
About damn time that I got out of my basement,
About damn time I got around the country and I hit these stages,
I was made to slay them,
Ten thousand hours.
I'm so damn close, I can taste it,
On some Malcolm Gladwell,
David-Bowie-meets-Kanye shit.
This is dedication,
A life lived for art is never a life wasted,
Ten thousand.

[Chorus – x2:]
Ten thousand hours felt like ten thousand hands,
Ten thousand hands, they carry me.

[Verse 2:]
Now, now, now
This is my world, this is my arena,
The TV told me something different, I didn't believe it.
I stand here in front of you today all because of an idea,
I could be who I wanted if I could see my potential,
And I know that one day I'ma be him.
Put the gloves on, sparring with my ego,
Everyone's greatest obstacle, I beat him, celebrate that achievement,
Got some attachments, some baggage I'm actually working on leaving.
See, I observed Escher,
I love Basquiat,
I watched Keith Haring,
You see, I studied art.
The greats weren't great because at birth they could paint,
The greats were great ‘cause they paint a lot.
I will not be a statistic, just let me be,
No Child Left Behind, that's the American scheme,
I make my living off of words,
And do what I love for work.
And got around 980 on my SAT's,
Take that, system!
What did you expect?
Generation of kids choosing love over a desk,
Put those hours in and look at what you get,
Nothing that you can hold, but everything that it is,
Ten thousand.

[Chorus – x2]

[Verse 3:]
Same shit, different day, same struggle,
Slow motion as time slips through my knuckles,
Nothing beautiful about it,
No light at the tunnel
For the people that put the passion before them being comfortable.
Raw, unmedicated heart, no substitute,
Banging on table tops, no subs to toot,
I'm feeling better than ever, man,
What is up with you?
Scraping my knuckles, I'm battling with some drug abuse,
I lost another friend, got another call from a sister,
And I speak for the people that share that struggle too,
Like they got something bruised.
My only rehabilitation was the sweat,
Tears and blood when up in the booth.

It's the part of the show where it all fades away,
When the lights go to black and the band leaves the stage,
And you wanted an encore but there's no encore today,
‘Cause the moment is now, can't get it back from the grave.
Part of the show.
It all fades away.
Lights go to black.
Band leaves the stage.
You wanted an encore but there's no encore today,
‘Cause the moment is now,
Can't get it back from the grave.

Welcome to ‘The Heist',
Welcome to ‘The Heist'.