Mess with me

Lyrics

[Intro — spoken] You know what hurts worse than an enemy? Somebody who knows where you grew up. Knows your mama’s name. Then makes you explain your own. [Hook] If you’re gonna come at me, better come full force, I got truth in the booth, let it run its course. When I hit back, it’s the facts I explain, Every word that you wished I would take to my grave. You can tell your version, I can tell mine, Put ’em both on the table, let ’em stand in the light. You wanted me quiet, wanted me ashamed— Now the whole damn song got something to say. [Verse 1] Same childhood kitchen, same cracks in the floor, Never thought I’d feel like a stranger at the door. That’s my brother standing there, looking through me, And his wife telling people that they never really knew me. From my side, love started sounding like a deal, Everybody talking money, nobody asking how we feel. I kept asking questions, got a different answer back, So I started saving messages and writing down the facts. I remember when a handshake used to mean we understood, Now I read the fine print where a promise used to stood. Had to learn that sharing blood don’t settle who is right, And being called the problem doesn’t make me leave the fight. I’m angry—yeah, I said it—there’s no dressing that in gold, There’s a mother and a father getting caught in getting old. And underneath the paperwork, the thing that cuts me deep: I miss the kind of family where a son could call in peace. [Hook] If you’re gonna come at me, better come full force, I got truth in the booth, let it run its course. When I hit back, it’s the facts I explain, Every word that you wished I would take to my grave. You can tell your version, I can tell mine, Put ’em both on the table, let ’em stand in the light. You wanted me quiet, wanted me ashamed— Now the whole damn song got something to say. [Verse 2] I call it lying when the story keeps changing, Call it betrayal when the family starts trading Years of being brothers for another bitter conversation, Then my wife gets the wreckage and the midnight frustration. She sees the bills spread out beside an untouched plate, Says, “Come to bed, Monty, it’s already late.” But I’m staring at a message that I’ve read ten times, Trying to find my brother somewhere between the lines. I feel cheated out of time I can’t buy again, Out of ordinary Sundays that should never need defending. I wanted answers, didn’t want another song, But the silence got expensive and the nights got long. Now the kick drum knocks while I work through the grief, Some bars come angry, some barely leave my teeth. You might hear a diss track, I hear what it cost: A brother still alive and a brotherhood lost. [Bridge — half-time] Let the records speak. Let the questions stand. I won’t put a fist Where I can put a pen. God, keep me honest When the anger comes through. Don’t let me bend a fact Just to win this feud. [Final Hook] If you’re gonna come at me, better come full force, I got truth in the booth, let it run its course. When I hit back, it’s the facts I explain, I won’t trade my name for a comfortable lie. You can tell your version, I can tell mine, Put ’em both on the table, let ’em stand in the light. I’m done being quiet, I’m done being ashamed— Monty on the record, got something to say. [Outro — spoken] I still remember my brother before all of this. That’s why it hurts. That’s why I’m talking.