Stepping Stone

Its 2002, everything was totally new We were globally huge Watching sales go through the roof We wrote and we viewed it Runyon Avenue soldiers included A multitude of homies who would bounce for no good excuse We were so bulletproof wrote, souped and soaked in our youth Thought we was running shit till we lost the sole of our shoe The death of Doody broke us in two We were thrown for a loop, ain't none of us know what to do And at the time I was going through my own struggles too So I wasn't in no condition to be coaching us through Everyone tried to go solo, really nobody blew I was hoping they do so I ain't have to shoulder the group The plan was put everyone in position so that they knew How to stand on they own and I don't want to open up wounds I just noticed the oomf was gone when we go in the booth 'Cause the truth is the moment that Proof died So did the group If I could leave this world behind I could open up my eyes and walk in a straight line Turn to the river with you Help me leave this all behind I'ma wash away my sins I'm a rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall 'Cause on the way back down I may May end up running back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones It was never the same, and it's bothered me since And the farther we drift apart the more awkward it gets The more time goes by, the more life happens And we gotta be men, we got responsibilities Plus we don't say how we feel, and I feel like this is what got us in The debacle we're in, been with you guys thick and thin But it's almost as if sometimes we're not even friends Which reminded me Biz Rockstar was the shit Y'all could've got you a hit without me on the shit If you've put D12 on it, wish I could've did More than try talking you into coming up off of it I know it wasn't my fault, but part of it probably is I think of all of the trips to BET and the rappers I wish that we would've politicked with Maybe y'all coulda clicked and got you some features But that's water under the bridge But I'm washing my sins in it till my conscious is clear If I could leave this world behind I could open up my eyes and walk in a straight line Turn to the river with you Help me leave this all behind I'ma wash away my sins I'ma rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall 'Cause on the way back down I may May end up running back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones Bacardi in hand Never thought the party would end One minute you're bodying shit but then your audience splits You can already sense the climate is starting to shift To these kids you no longer exist Went from raining cats and dogs in this bitch To tiny drops full of drips And by the time your reign is over, you'll hardly be missed You start thinking of all the artists you gift All the carnage you left Is this the kinda karma you get? For turning your fucking back on Bizzy, Kuniva and Swift A Freudian slip Subconsciously, I honestly wished I ain't feel so much guilt and y'all didn't harbor resentment But it's hard to pretend that y'all ain't got none of this Wish I had words But I guess they're just owning for this Still, my point is I just can't say how sorry I am This is not how I planned for our story to end I love all of you, men But I just can't be the guy Everybody depends on for entire careers 'Cause that's not even fair I will always be here But that spark isn't there And I don't know how to recapture that time and that air I've tried hearkening back to But I'm fighting for air I'm barely charting myself Feels like I'm under the sink But it was not my intent To treat y'all like a stepping stone Though I ain't left no one behind But we been down every road Done all we possibly can I know we kept up our hopes up But the longer we spend living this lie that we live The less is left for closure, so let's let this go It's not goodbye to our friendship, but D12 is over I'm a wash away my sins I'ma rinse away this dirt I forgot to make amends To all the friends I may have hurt I better stop and say my grace From that I pray that I don't fall 'Cause on the way back down I may End up running back into them all I never meant to use you all as my stepping stones I never meant to make you feel like my stepping stones I never meant to use you all for my stepping stones