Kings Never Die

Here to stay
Even when I'm gone
When I close my eyes
Through the passage of time
Kings never die
I can hear the drummer drummin'
And the trumpets, someone's tryna summon someone
I know something's comin'
But I'm runnin' from it, to be standing at the summit
And plummet, how come it wasn't what I thought it was?
Was it too good to be true?
Have nothin', get it all but too much of it
Then lose it again, did I swallow hallucinogens?
'Cause if not, where the hell did it go?
'Cause here I sit in Lucifer's den by the dutch oven
Just choosing to sin, even if it means I'm sellin' my soul
Just to be the undisputed again
Do whatever I gotta do just to win
'Cause I got this motherf- cloud over my head
Crown around it, thorns on it
Cracks in it, bet you morons didn't think I'd be back, did ya?
How 'bout that? I'm somehow now back to the underdog
But no matter how loud that I bark
This sport is somethin' I never bow-out at
I complain about the game, I shout and I pout, it's a love-hate
But I found out that I can move a mountain of doubt
Even when you b- are countin' me out
And I appear to be down for the count
Only time I ever been out and about
Is drivin' around town with my f- whereabouts in a doubt
'Cause I been lost tryna think of what I did to get here
But I'm not a quitter, gotta get up, give it all I got or give up
Spit on, sh- on, stepped on, but kept goin'
I'm tryna be headstrong
But it feels like I slept on my neck wrong
'Cause you're moving onto the next, but is your respect gone?
'Cause someone told me that
Kings never die
Don't give me that sob story, liar, don't preach to the choir
You ain't never even had to reach in the fire to dig deep
Nobody ever handed me sh- in life, not even a flyer
Wouldn't even take sh- into consideration
Obliterate anyone in the way
I think I see why a lot of rappers get on these features
And try to show out on a track with me
But it'd actually have to be
A f- blow-out to get me to retire
Tell these new artists that kings never die
I know sh- has changed in this age, f- a Twitter page
Did it just say I've been upstaged?
Why am I online? It's driving me crazy
I'm ridin' shotgun tryna get a gauge
On what's hot, but I'm not one to conform
But as days pass in this s-
And opinions sway, I can hear 'em say
If I stay passionate maybe I can stage a miraculous
Comeback, as if I went away
But detractors just say (so much) for the renegade
Someone's gonna make me blow my composure
Here I go again, center stage, and I feel like I'm in a cage
They so want a champion to fall
It's no wonder why I laugh at 'em
'Cause why can't we win 'em all?
So f- what these cynics say!
It just goes to show that when my back's against the wall
And I'm under attack again, that I'll act as if I'm 'posed to
With this pent-up rage, 'cause all these plaques in my office
On the floor stacked against the door
Are they just metaphors for the odds of me comin' back again?
'Cause all the accomplishments, accolades, awards
And trophies just don't mean jack anymore
If I'm here today and gone tomorrow, and I'm not gonna be
Here to stay
Even when I'm gone
When I close my eyes
Through the passage of time
I want it, I'm comin' to get it (kings never die)
So you son of a b- don't duck
You're gonna get Riddick Bowe'd
Critics'll end up in critical
Think your sh- is dope, all you're gonna get is smoked
And I ain't stopping 'til I'm on top again
All alone and on a throne, like a token of respect
Or a homage poem, or an ode I've been owed
Tossed in the air by my own arm
And launched so hard it broke my collarbone
And when it's my time to go
I'm still not leaving, stop for no one, I don't know
But I've been told, an obstacle that blocks your road, ya
Knock it over, time to go for the pot of gold, 'cause
They say kings never die
Just ask Jam Master Jay
They just grow wings and they fly
So, hands up, reach for the sky!
Try to hold on and prolong these moments
'Cause in a blink of an eye
They'll be over
So you're tryna secure your legacy like Shakur
And ensure nobody's ever gonna be what you were
So before you're leavin' this Earth
You want people to feel the fury of a pure evil cerebral, berserk
Deacon of words, syllable genius at work
Plus, I'm thinkin' that they're mistakin' my kindness for weakness, kill 'em with meanness
I went from powdered milk and Farina
To flippin' burgers on the grill for some peanuts
At Gilbert's to arenas, call me Gilbert Arenas, still appeal to the dreamers
I made it to the silverscreen but Rocky's still what the theme is
Khalil on the beat, 'cause makin' the beat
Ain't the same feelin' to me as killin' the beat is
Or fulfillin' to me is what fillin' a seat is
It's that sound-bombing, Thirstin Howl
Common, underground, Diamond D, Outsidaz
Stomach growl, throbbin' hunger, out-rhymin' everyone
God, just give me one shot, I swear that I won't let you down
I'ma be around forever-and-a-day, even in the ground
You ain't never ever gonna hear 'em say I ain't
Here to stay
Even when I'm gone
When I close my eyes
Through the passage of time
Kings never die
Kings never die