Released: October 10, 2005

Producer: Budo

[Intro: Macklemore]
Yeah
Bring my drums in, bring my drums in
Now bring my drums in, Now bring my drums in
Nod your head come on now nod your head I’m gonna do it a check in

[Verse 1: Macklemore]
Yo, we all know that life can get hectic
But if you live in the second
You exist in the present
And that's how you stay connected
Through good times and hardships if you learn to just accept it
And know that every struggle in life is there to teach you a lesson
It's times like this that make you
It's always the darkest part of the night right before the sun has its breakthrough
The spirit's there to knock you down, but if you make that the end
You'll never know the beauty of being able to stand up again
And face it with patience
The basis is dealing with judgements and hatred, depressed hopeless feelings
But I've been told that you only create your own ceiling
And life is limitless and knowing this is what the spirit is

[Hook: Macklemore]
That's why I try and inhale deep
So I can find peace
In essence just find me
That's why I lose myself in these beats
As I become one with the drum and set myself free

[Verse 2: Macklemore]
Whatever direction life leads me
There's a purpose behind it, that's the way it was supposed to be
At anytime you could turn over a new leaf
We all know the truth, it's up to us to use the key
It's been three years since my first album dropped
And it's been fear that's really got me stuck in this spot
Not wanting to put out anything whack
So instead of putting my licks on tracks
I put my lips to a sack
Cause it's easier to spend your life drunk and high on drugs
Than to put everything in a recording, put it out, and then get judged
We look for the audience to put their hands up and show love
But when their hands go down, our confidence really takes the plunge
So instead of making music that people might not like
I went into isolation and traded in my mic for the pipe
Started living the college life - drinking and smoking every day
Rationalizing to myself that I was going through a phase
That I'd stop, thinking my music would take its place
But when you live in fog, inspiration's hard to create
It takes more to get connected than to quit smoking for a day
And when I get frustrated I get a Swisher and get blown away
Then all of a sudden it hit me: these kids are listening
If I'm not making music then why the fuck am I existing?
How can I talk about the problems of something else
When I don't have the motivation and confidence to change myself?
It's been so long since I really truly felt
What it's like to live life without substances to help
Massive struggle, that's natural to one's health
But with addiction in my blood, I play the cards I was dealt
Knowing that it's the most calm right before the storm
And when you least expect it, it doesn't rain it pours
I swear to God you can never be warned
And with or without umbrella nature's still gonna' take its course

[Hook]
That's why I try and inhale deep
So I can find peace
In essence just find me
That's why I lose myself in these beats
Put away the weed and turn to my M.P.C

Macklemore

Macklemore is probably best known for his creative musical endeavor with producer Ryan Lewis which spawned the number one hits “Can’t Hold Us” (six million copies sold, multi-platinum) and “Thrift Shop” (ten million copies sold, multi-platinum, viewed more than a billion times on Youtube) in 2012. But there is more to him than a radio hit and a meme song.

Born June 19, 1983 as Ben Haggerty, the Seattle native of Irish descent has been releasing music independently since 2000. Formerly known as “Professor Macklemore”, he bonded with Ryan Lewis in 2008. The rapper-producer-duo gained a significant online fanbase before making their mainstream breakthrough and gaining international recognition.

Their debut studio album The Heist, released 2012, was a major commercial success, charting #2 on the US Billboard 200 charts, selling 78,000 copies in the first week. It also won a Grammy for best rap album, one which was heatedly debated.