Just Handle With Care - JohnnieB

Lyrics

( Johnnie B On The Beat) Call me fragile, but don’t act like I’m weak, I got cracks in the glass but the shine still speaks. I got truth in the box and a blade underneath, So don’t grab my soul if your hands ain’t clean. I’m not made for soft ears and fake concern, I’m a warning label wrapped around everything I learned. You shake this bottle, better watch how it burns, ’Cause pressure only teaches when the cap gets turned. I came with scars, not bubble wrap, A foul-ass mouth and a God-given map. A heart full of love with a snapback trap, One wrong touch and the whole thing cracks. This ain’t “keep away,” this is “know what you’re holding,” A man still healing with emotions exploding. The package looks calm, but the contents are loaded, Not with violence, bitch, with truth I’ve been holding. Parental advisory on the front of my pain, Not because I’m evil, but I don’t talk plain. I say fuck when the clean words don’t explain, How a good heart walks through a bad-ass rain. They want the music, but not the damage inside, Want the punchlines, but not the tears I hide. Want the brand name, but not the nights I died, Want the full JohnnieB without the warning sign. Big John says, “Handle your peace with care,” Little Johnnie says, “Break shit, who cares?” JohnnieB stands in the middle right there, Like, “Read the damn label before you stare.” I’m not for everybody, that’s printed in bold, Too hot to ignore, too cold to hold. Too young in the wound, too grown in the soul, A damaged-ass package with a heart made gold. Hook Just handle with care, don’t drop what you don’t understand, I got glass in my chest and fire in my hands. I’m not hard to love, I’m just hard to command, I’m a whole damn storm in the shape of a man. Just handle with care, read the warning right there, I got pain in the ink and truth in the air. You can judge from a distance, but don’t act unaware, JohnnieB comes marked: just handle with care. Verse 2 I’m not a toy on a shelf for your boredom, Not a clean little product you can open and force in. I got layers in layers like boxes in storage, Every old wound got a new-ass chorus. They call me damaged like that ends the discussion, But damage made rhythm, and rhythm made function. I turned every fracture into construction, Built a whole damn brand from internal combustion. See, I’m hazardous only when handled wrong, Like truth in the hands of a weak-ass song. Like pain in a chest that stayed quiet too long, Like a man with a mic finally proving he belongs. This ain’t a recall, bitch, this is release, I’m not defective, I’m built with teeth. I got love in the wiring, rage underneath, And a warning that says, “Don’t mistake me for peace.” I’m safe when respected, sharp when dismissed, Soft when I love, hard when I’m pissed. I can pray with a fist, I can curse with a wish, I can bleed in a verse and still call that shit a gift. They want me censored, diluted, and still, Want the real me quiet with a fake-ass seal. But the whole point of art is to make you feel, And some feelings cut when the cut gets real. Don’t blame the label when you skipped the directions, Don’t blame the mirror when it showed reflection. Don’t blame the song for your own projection, I’m just packaging pain with lyrical protection. I’m not “dangerous” like they try to imply, I’m dangerous to lies that were meant to survive. I’m dangerous to masks when the truth walks by, I’m dangerous to fake shit pretending it’s fine. So if you pick me up, hold the whole thing steady, I got a heart still healing but the pen stays ready. I got a mind too loud and a soul too heavy, But I turn that weight into something deadly. Hook Just handle with care, don’t drop what you don’t understand, I got glass in my chest and fire in my hands. I’m not hard to love, I’m just hard to command, I’m a whole damn storm in the shape of a man. Just handle with care, read the warning right there, I got pain in the ink and truth in the air. You can judge from a distance, but don’t act unaware, JohnnieB comes marked: just handle with care. Verse 3 I got “fragile” on my soul, but “freight train” in my walk, A soft heart beating with a steel-toe talk. I learned silence breaks, so now I don’t stop, If the truth got weight, let the whole box drop. I’m the glass and the hammer, the wound and the stitch, The prayer and the temper, the smile and the bitch. The warning and the reason that the warning exists, The whole paradox with a barcode glitch. I don’t come assembled, I come with history, Some parts still missing, some parts still mystery. Some days I’m victory, some days misery, But every damn version still belongs to me. So don’t mishandle my name like it’s yours to bend, Don’t open old scars then pretend you’re a friend. Don’t shake my peace then complain when it ends, Some shit won’t break, but it damn sure dents. I’m learning to carry myself better now, Learning to set what I won’t allow. Learning that loud don’t always mean proud, Sometimes loud means