GOLDEN STATE OF MIND

Lyrics

[Orchestral Intro – spoken] Yeah... Funny how the city sounds different when you finally stop runnin' from it. Strings in the rearview... whole world in front of me. West side. [Verse 1] Sunset fallin' on the boulevard slow, Palm trees lean while the Cadillac rolls, White tee clean, but the story got scars, Came from the pavement, now I'm talkin' to stars. I ain't gotta yell just to make 'em believe, Real ones move quiet with a trick up the sleeve, Had dreams in my pocket and dust on my shoes, Learned every victory begins with a bruise. Mama said, "Boy, don't you lose who you are," So I kept that advice while I raised up the bar, Now the violins cry when the kick drum knocks, Little bit of heaven with the rhythm of the block. And I still know the corners where the young boys dream, Where a dollar feels large and tomorrow feels mean, But tonight ain't heavy, let the whole thing breathe— Top down, cool wind, California breeze. [Hook] It's a golden state of mind, Let the whole world fall behind, Got the city in my eyes, Got the stars all synchronized. We don't rush, we just ride, Let the strings and the bass collide, From the dark into the light— West side, west side tonight. [Verse 2] Cello low like a voice from the past, Every note remind me nothing good ever lasts, So I toast to the moment, don't chase what is gone, Some kings wear a crown, some just quietly move on. I got love for the people who stayed through the rain, For the ones who knew my heart before they knew my name, Before lights, before stages, before anybody cared, When the fridge wasn't full but the dreams were still there. Now the horn section rises like the sun on the coast, I don't brag about survival, but I carry it close, Every loss gave perspective, every wound gave design, Turned pressure into rhythm, turned the struggle to rhyme. No revenge in my bloodstream, I'm too grown for the game, If you hate, keep the hate—I ain't carryin' your weight, Got a beautiful woman and a beautiful night, And an orchestra behind me makin' everything right. [Hook] It's a golden state of mind, Let the whole world fall behind, Got the city in my eyes, Got the stars all synchronized. We don't rush, we just ride, Let the strings and the bass collide, From the dark into the light— West side, west side tonight. [Bridge – half sung / half spoken] Let the violin speak... I ain't got nothin' left to prove. Been down enough roads to know peace is a flex too. No race. No fear. No rearview tears. Just another warm night and another good year. [Final Verse] So if tomorrow gets loud, I'ma answer it calm, With a beat in my chest and the world in my palm, Not because I own it—I just know where I stand, That's the difference between having power and being a man. From the concrete cracks where the wildflowers grow, To the ocean where the orange sun disappears slow, Every chapter connected, every scar got a line, That's the reason I'm living in this golden state of mind. [Final Hook – full orchestra] It's a golden state of mind, Leave the old days far behind, Let the whole horizon shine, This moment here is mine. We don't rush, we just ride, Let the strings and the bass collide, One more beautiful night— West side, west side for life. [Outro – spoken] Yeah... Sometimes winning ain't about going faster. Sometimes... it's finally being able to enjoy the ride.