[Verse 1: J. Cole]
I put my heart and soul in this game, I'm feelin' drained
 Unappreciated, unalleviated
Tired [bad word]  up short, [bad word] abbreviated
 Want my whole name spelled out, my own pain spilled out
No pain, no gain, I blow brains, Cobain
Throw flames, Liu Kang, the coach ain't help out, so I call my own shots
I'm David Blaine, I'm breakin' out of my own box, you stay the same
 But homie if you change, man you change for the better
 Back when Martin King had a thing for Coretta
 One year she seen all the dreams he was dreamin'
 Did she have a clue of all the schemes he was schemin'
 Still loved her just enough to put up with the cheatin'
 Must go by and only see him for a weekend
 I say a prayer, hope my girl ain't leavin'
 We all got angels, we all got demons
 As you fall through the club
 Bad [bad word] down to do all the above [bad word] fast so bein' hungry don't last
Look in the mirror you saw who you was
 Cole World, it couldn't be more clearer
 The time is now, couldn't be more herer
 My reign gonna last like 3-4 eras
 Say hello to the real, I can be your hero

 [Hook]
 Hey, I'mma put us all on the map
 Gone and I ain't lookin' back
 I knew they gone feel it like they tank on  I promise baby, you can bet the bank on me
 Cause ain't nobody tell me why their ain't gonna be no more
 Thinking I'mma fall? Don't be so sure
 I wish somebody made guidelines
 On how to get up off the sidelines

 [Verse 2: J. Cole]
 Up in 1st class, laugh even though it's not funny
 See a white man wonder how the [bad word] I got money
 While he sit and coach, hate to see me walk past em
 Young black pants sag, headphones blastin'
 Know what he askin', "how did he manage?"
 "With all the cards against him, he used them to his advantage!"
 Slang we be speakin' probably soundin' like Spanish
 Then I [bad word] they heads up when a [bad word] show manners
 Some New York niggas thought it was funny callin' us Bamma
 Laughin' at the grammer cause they didn't understand us
 Must've thought they slow, but little do they know
 I came up in here to take advantage of that [bad word] you take for granted
 Opportunity that I would kill for
 Lookin' at rappers like "what the [bad word] you got a deal for?!"
 When I was assed out with my funds low
 It's nice to know I had the whole world at my front door

 [Hook]

 [Verse 3: J. Cole]
 I made it to the Roc, even though they tried to box me out
 I got the key to the game, they tried to lock me out
 But what they don’t understand is this is all plan
 It’s a bigger picture and you can’t photoshop me out
 Some [bad word] ask me why Jay never shout me out
 Like I’m supposed to give a [bad word] Don’t you know that I be out in France
 Where the fans throw they hands like Pacquiao
Not cause my looks, cause my hooks could knock Rocky outt
 And my lines is designed from the heart
 Young Simba been a lion from the start
 Dumb [bad word] s, ya’ll been lyin from the start
 My life’s like a move, [bad word]  And these niggas is dyin for the part
 But, you’ll never play me like LeBron vs. Jordan
 Twenty years, wonder who they gone say was more importan’
 Both changed the game, came through and made a lane
 Who’s to say that who’s greater, all we know, they ain’t the same

 [Hook]