Tabernacle Lyrics - Layers - Royce Da 5'9

Yeah 

I wanna share some shit with y'all 

All truth, all truth 

Like I'm standing inside a Tabernacle 

I promised not to lie in not one of these verses 

I started out as a battle rapper 

All I knew was Maxells, ADATs, DATs and gats 

My name is Ryan Daniel Montgomery 

Recovering alcoholic, I grew up on 9 Mile 

I'm not a gangster, drug dealer or thug nigga 

Just an MC who made a name with his rhyme style 

Sometime around '95 I found my calling 

And that all coincides with the time that I found my darling 

Now later on in the story I tell you her significance 

But now let's talk about me, specifically 

Three brothers and one sister see 

My daddy taught me consistency with his fucking patterns 

Hallelujah I'm the son of a addict 

My addiction was music 

All I would do is go to the studio and The Shelter 

Listening to Redman and Heltah Skeltah 

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Aye y'all remember that one joint from the Heltah Skeltah album called... Sean Price be like, "I'm not sure any..." yeah that was my shit. I used to bump that shit all day. By this time I knew I wanted to be an artist, I didn't want to be anything else. You know, but my mom had plans for me, she wanted me to go to school, so you know 

To make mom's happy 

I took some general courses in college 

Took the bus until I got hella bored with that 

Because the bus stop I had to walk to 

Was right across from the first studio I ever recorded at 

Now I would have to assume that 

It was either meant for me to be rapping 

Or meant for me to be laughing at God's 

Geographical humor 

As soon as I stepped foot in the open-mic it was like a reunion 

I was a shoe-in 

I met Kino there too 

And he asked me to manage me 

And that was back in like, let me see 

'97, my girl was pregnant 

Hurdles was prevalent 

And it was therapeutic for me to breathe into my mic 

Started learning why the lord put certain people in my life 

And the way he started blessing me, uh 

I guess before my inner-demons got the best of me 

Like sneezing was my vice 

Needless to say that December 29th was the day I became a believer in fate 

Photos 

Okay now it's December 28th, my day has gone great. Kino booked me a show under contract to do that night. I got a call from my girl's people saying she's in labor in the hospital right now, 9th floor. I get on the elevator. Elevator stops on the 5th floor, elevator opens up, my uncle's standing there crying. Now I'm caught off guard, I'm like, what the fuck? 

My uncle standing there like "Ryan, they that way" 

I walk out, I see my momma and that entire side of my family 

Looking like there's some kind of drama happenin' 

I said "what happened" 

They like "Granny's been in a bad accident, and it ain't looking good" 

I'm like "man, what?" 

I'm having a baby four floors up 

Before I froze up 

I'm trying to figure out why the Lord chose us 

Or maybe chose me 

To ride in this emotionally roller coaster 

My momma said "the baby here yet?" 

I'm said "maybe" 

She like "maybe? Baby, go see" 

I walk away feeling like a good father, the same time as a terrible son 

Get to my girl she 5 centimetres dilated so I waited 

She got to get to nine before it's that time 

And meanwhile I'm more popular in this hospital than the doctors 

Nurses watching, whispering like "that's the one right there 

Who got a lady in labor 9 and another lady dying on 5" 

Yeah, I hit the stage at 11: 50, killed it 

I got off at about midnight 

With about six types of different emotions floatin' around inside me 

Hopeless, tryna find me 

Hopin' in time God'll guide me 

In the future, just as I was about to leave out 

I saw Kino talkin' to Marshall and then he introduced us 

We talked about collaboratin' and how chasin' this rap thing is aggravatin' 

But I'll get back, I got the family waitin' 

I get to skatin' 

As soon as I get to the hospital they tell me that my granny didn't make it 

She just died, I'm feelin' helpless, it hurt me 

On the flip side, my little boy is healthy in the nursery 

I picked him up, looked in his eyes for the first time and just cried 

Ain't no denyin' this is the power of God 

I said, "I love you, Granny" and looked to the sky 

Like even though he just got here, goodbye 

This is how the story goes 

Powerful day 

Powerful day 

Most significant day in my life. I mean aside from meetin' my man Marshall, my son bein' born and my granny dying on the same day. My grandma didn't live anywhere near that hospital. I learned a lot this day. I learned that the universe has this way of balancing itself out. For me to lose such a beautiful soul in my granny, and gain such a beautiful soul with my first born son, little Royce, it showed me that God is real. God is real. And you know what they say: God giveth, God taketh away