Inside Out - Mars Ill: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts

Inside Out

29

Hip-Hop

Inside Out was released on August 19, 2003 by Gotee Records as a part of the album Backbreakanomics

Song Details

AlbumBackbreakanomics

Release DateAugust 19, 2003

LabelGotee Records

LanguageEnglish

Melodicness

Acousticness

Valence

Danceability

Energy

BPM88

OVERVIEW

LYRICS

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS

Mars Ill

Performer

Greg Owens

Lead Vocals

COMPOSITION & LYRICS

Flynn Atkins

Composer, Lyrics

Lyrics

Building in a cell block, shocked at the mystery

Unlocked the misery kept inside his body's chemistry

And when he's by himself, he has to cry to keep on living

Reads letters from his children from far outside the prison

And it isn't enough that he didn't pull that trigger

Just a neighborhood fixture on the corner drinking liquor

A two-time offender who got caught up in the moment

Was close by when a robbery was operated sloppily

And somebody got shot, his son was fingered in the lineup

Tossed into a 6 by 9, stuck because his time's up

Fine luck, had to be the brother on his first day to

Protect his own best interests in life the worst way

Blames the system that built jails instead of schools

Blames religion as a set of useless rules

Blames his father that he never even knew

Looks in the mirror, yeah, he blames him too

He starts to read books, an empowered resolution

Malcolm, Dr. King, Mumia and Huey Newton

Learns that nothing worth having is ever gonna be easy

He studies philosophy while everyone's watching TV

And after 33 weeks, he starts to do the science

Sees God's handwriting there underneath the fine print

Had been there all along just waiting for him to find it

But he'd been blinded by his time spent trying to fight it

But the spark ignited the fuel inside him, and

Now he holds the flame that burns the brightest

Because the slightest touch from the heavens can heavily change the

Tides and tip the scales to either side of the problems in our lives

He found faith in a cage and his mind's already free

And he can float through these walls far beyond what he can see

He sees his cell as a cross that he'll carry if need be

But of course, his body wants to join his soul and be free

So he's a new man, motivated to slice through the hatred and

Radiate to those that play with death and want to take his breath

He'll make each step count for something greater, understands

That he can hate the game and still love the players

He shares a cell with another one-strike-too-many

Type of John Doe who wants his rights back though

The conversation words flow and get kind of thorough

And it just so happens that they're from the same borough

From the same neighborhood, from off the same freeway

From the same ghetto and from the same PJs

And John Doe knows how his situation started, how

Kids were busting shots at the local supermarket

On that one fateful night that changed our hero's life

And how he got knocked wrongfully and how it isn't right

But strangely, our man is calm and doesn't lose sight

He knows that he was broken so that he could

Find Christ, and for that, he's thankful

No shank pulled out him, he's never felt so

High while he was standing at the bottom

And after six months, a judge heard his appeal

Released into a city that becomes his mission field

Pulls a free breath that feels fresh despite all the smog

He used to hit the bottle, but now he fights for God

And since he's seen it all, he can say what it's about

And to think this all started from the inside out

Written by: Flynn Adam Atkins

Shazam Footer

Select language:

Company

Legal

Terms
Privacy Policy
Manage Your Data

Chrome Web Store

Galaxy Store

Follow Us

© Copyright 2026 Apple Inc. and its affiliates | Supplier Responsibility

Loading...