It's been a long way, but I made it here with love
I made it here with love, love
Said I've been and up and down and I've been through it all
Took a while to know my heart
Oh, yes, it did, yeah
Before love like this, you go
Through the fire and valley lows
But if you just hold on
Please hold on 'cause love is strong, it'll save yah
Oh, please hold on, it'll save yah, save yah

Truth can be the sweetest pain
It can mess up everything
It's the only way you know
I'm payin' for it, I'm changin' for it
Oh, oh, and it hurts
But I'll make it work
'Cause I'm no beginner
I'm a winner, paid dues, I know my purpose

Thought they'd put my life on hold
But I knew somethin' they didn't know
I know myself too much to ever fold
Dark clouds are movin' past you

Oh, you gotta love yourself
If you really wanna be with someone else
You gotta feed yourself
Before you feed somebody else
You gotta stay open, and don't be foolish
'Cause everybody don't mean you well
You gotta love yourself
Before you love somebody else

Yeah, gotta love yourself
Uh, you know what I'm sayin'?

I decided not to use my color as a handicap
He a designer, artist, producer, and he rap
Never found virtue from patience
In a dark room just pacin'
Precious time is just wastin'
You do not know what we facin'
I cannot be complacent
In my job, be courageous
Another kid just got shot
They can't find the assailant
Made it out of the basement
Made it out of the underground
From a time where you outta town
They might gun you down, blaow
There goes another round, blaow
There goes another round
Came from the Chi and wow, look what the fuck they found
A young legend, comin' to shut the summer down
You need to talk to me like you don't when your mother 'round

Oh, you gotta love yourself, oh yeah
If you really wanna be with someone else
You gotta feed yourself
Before you feed somebody else
You gotta stay open, and don't be foolish
'Cause everybody don't mean you well
You gotta love yourself (you gotta love yourself)
Before you love somebody else

I don't feel no one's time
Can't get restless in the soul
Hold your heart, the world is cold
Keep singin', don't you stop prayin', woman
Yeah, it will come to pass
Don't worry 'bout nothin'
God knows that you're worth it
You deserve it, can't nothin' else hurt you

Thought they'd put my life on hold
But I knew somethin' they didn't know
I know myself too much to ever fold
Dark clouds are movin' past you

Oh, you gotta love yourself, oh yeah
If you really wanna be with someone else
You gotta feed yourself
Before you feed somebody else
You gotta stay open, and don't be foolish
'Cause everybody don't mean you well
You gotta love yourself (you gotta love yourself)
Before you love somebody else (somebody else) Writer/s: Charles Alexander, Darhyl Camper Jr., David Debrandon Brown, Kanye Omari West, Mary J Blige
Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind