Make or Break

To be the best at what you do

You just kept kicking, and kicking, and kicking

Until the back wouldn't move

Until these shins went numb

You just kept powering through

He wants to look after his mom

Something his dad couldn't do

He used to train out in the park

In the blistering cold

Until the roads went dark

And the street lights gave out an orange glow

He would keep kicking

But he would get kicked back till he had a broken nose

He could have been boxing, could have been wrestling

He could have been tae kwon do

Didn't matter, he was there six days a week

Same gym bag, same trainers on his feet

Worked on the door so he could eat

Trained hard 'cause he didn't want to taste defeat

But sometimes you have to lose and learn

Before you become the man to beat

And the night his mom still nested a key

To support him, it was just clear to see

She kept paying, and paying, and paying for sessions

And all of 'em paid off

'Cause now when he kicks he doesn't feel pain

And he could take somebody's face off

He won in the second round but by then

His mama just ruined the makeup

He made thirteen grand and dropped it all

On his mother's table

Life is only what you make of it

We're born alone and time begins to tick

I pray you, I pray you never let it break you

Yeah, yeah

Life is only what you make of it

We're born alone and time begins to tick

I pray you, I pray you never let it break you

Yeah, yeah

To fail and know it's too late

There was three of them, all of 'em cousins

And they would play on the estate

They didn't get along with the other kids

So they would get into fights

But the oldest cousin felt like he had to make sure they were nice

So he started fighting, fighting, always fighting

Just to protect

He put himself in a position where nobody liked him

He got arrested for the last time

Say goodnight to the bad guy

Only 16, looking at eighteen months and at least he'll do nine

And this meant the younger cousins

Were left on the streets to fend for themselves

And now the protection's gone for the oldest

And the two equals hell

And now he's just fighting, fighting, always fighting

But he's not originally from this country

So he's on his final warning

He got deployed, back to his hometown

Where the older cousin was home now

Feeling guilty his younger got sent home

So he's ringing his mobile phone now

But he didn't answer

And when he went on his Facebook he just said, R-I-P

The reason I know this story is

Is because the oldest cousin in this was me

Life is only what you make of it

We're born alone and time begins to tick

I pray you, I pray you never let it break you

Yeah, yeah

Life is only what you make of it

We're born alone and time begins to tick

I pray you, I pray you never let it break you

Yeah, yeah

Life is only what you make of it

Life is only what you make of it

Life is only what you make of it

Life is only what you make of it

I pray you

I pray you

I pray you, I pray you never let it break you

Life is only what you make of it

We're born alone and time begins to tick

I pray you, I pray you never let it break you

Yeah, yeah