"Tabernacle" lyrics - ROYCE DA 5'9"

Yeah
I wanna share some shit with y'all
All truth, all truth

Like I'm standing inside a Tabernacle
I promised not to lie in not one of these verses
I started out as a battle rapper
All I knew was Maxells, ADATs, DATs and gats
My name is Ryan Daniel Montgomery
Recovering alcoholic, I grew up on 9 Mile
I'm not a gangster, drug dealer or thug nigga
Just an MC who made a name with his rhyme style
Sometime around '95 I found my calling
And that all coincides with the time that I found my darling
Now later on in the story I tell you her significance
But now let's talk about me, specifically
Three brothers and one sister see
My daddy taught me consistency with his fucking patterns
Hallelujah I'm the son of a addict
My addiction was music
All I would do is go to the studio and The Shelter
And listen to Redman and Heltah Skeltah

Aye y'all remember that one joint from the Heltah Skeltah album called...
Sean Price be like, "I'm not sure any..." yeah that was my shit. I used to bump that shit all day.
By this time I knew I wanted to be an artist, I didn't want to be anything else.
You know, but my mom had plans for me, she wanted me to go to school, so you know

To make mom's happy
I took some general courses in college
Took the bus until I got hella bored with that
Because the bus stop I had to walk to
Was right across from the first studio I ever recorded at
Now I would have to assume that
It was either meant for me to be rapping
Or meant for me to be laughing at God's
Geographical humor
As soon as I stepped foot in the open-mic it was like a reunion
I was a shoe-in
I met Kino there too
And he asked me to manage me
And that was back in like, let me see
'97, my girl was pregnant
Hurdles was prevalent
And it was therapeutic just for me to breathe into my mic
Started learning why the lord put certain people in my life
And the way he started blessing me, uh
I guess before my inner-demons got the best of me
Like sneezing was my vice
Needless to say that December 29th was the day I became a believer in fate

Okay now it's December 28th, my day has gone great. Kino booked me a show under contract to do that night.
I got a call from my girl's people saying she's in labor in the hospital right now, 9th floor.
I get on the elevator. Elevator stops on the 5th floor, elevator opens up, my uncle's standing there crying.
Now I'm caught off guard, I'm like, what the fuck?

My uncle standing there like "Ryan, they that way"
I walk out, I see my momma and that entire side of my family
Looking like there's some kind of drama happenin'
I said "what happened"
They like "Granny's been in a bad accident, and it ain't looking good"
I'm like "man, what?"
I'm having a baby four floors up
Before I froze up
I'm trying to figure out why the Lord chose us
Or maybe chose me
To ride in this emotionally roller coaster
My momma said "the baby here yet?"
I said "maybe"
She said "maybe? Baby, go see"
I walk away feeling like a good father, the same time as a terrible son
Get to my girl she 5 centimetres dilated so I waited
She got to get to 'bout nine 'til it's that time
And meanwhile I'm more popular in this hospital than the doctors
Nurses watching, whispering like "that's the one right there
Who got a lady in labor 9 and another lady dying on 5"

By this time I don't even fuckin' remember that I got a show. Somebody had to remind me.
The doors was already open at the venue. I got emotions runnin' every which way.
All the nurses and stuff is like, "We'll keep you posted about the baby, we'll keep you posted about your granny."
I didn't like seeing my mama like that, so I had to get out of there

Yeah, I hit the stage at 11:50, killed it
I got off at about midnight
With about six types of different emotions floatin' around inside me
Hopeless, tryna find me
Hopin' in time God'll guide me
In the future, just as I was about to leave out
I saw Kino talkin' to Marshall and then he introduced us
We talked about collaboratin' and how chasin' this rap thing is aggravatin'
But I'll get back, I got the family waitin'
I get to skatin'
As soon as I get to the hospital they tell me that my granny didn't make it
She just died, I'm feelin' helpless, it hurt me
On the flip side, my little boy is healthy in the nursery
I picked him up, looked in his eyes for the first time and just cried
Ain't no denyin' this is the power of God
I said, "I love you, Granny" and looked to the sky
Like even though he just got here, goodbye

This is how the story goes
Powerful day
Powerful day
Most significant day in my life. I mean aside from meetin' my man Marshall, my son bein' born and my granny dying on the same day.
My grandma didn't live anywhere near that hospital. I learned a lot this day.
I learned that the universe has this way of balancing itself out.
For me to lose such a beautiful soul in my granny, and gain such a beautiful soul with my first born son, little Royce, it showed me that God is real.
God is real. And you know what they say: God giveth, God taketh away