Castle walls

Everyone thinks that I have it all

But it's so empty living behind these castle walls

These castle walls

If I should tumble, if I should fall

Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls?

There's no one here at all

Behind these castle walls

Observing the estate through the gate

From the outside looking in

Bet you would think I got it made

Better look again

I got a butler, got a maid, and a mansion

The belief is that I'm living out a millionaire's fantasy

With Phantoms and Ferraris in the driveway

But you see, it came in exchange of a sane man's sanity

Your vision jaded by the Grammys on the mantelpiece

Just switch your camera lenses

You would see the agony

Apparently it's damaging the man you see before you

On the canvas he may seem alright but all the disadvantages

His family encounters overshadows his extravagance

Walk in my nine's a while, I dare you, it'll scare you

While it surely seem like the king life seem glamorous

As seen through the eyes of untrained amateurs

Because the camera doesn't see beyond the walls of the smiles

Only counts until it falls in the pile

Everyone thinks that I have it all

But it's so empty living behind these castle walls

These castle walls

If I should tumble, if I should fall

Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls?

There's no one here at all

Behind these castle walls

Honestly to me, I think I'd lose every benefit

Of all that I've accomplished if my kids never win at shit

Me knowing this, why should the verses I've laid

Be more important to me than the persons I've raised?

I guess I'm saying that to say the opportunity

That they just don't equate to all the time they take away

From the kids all the shit I did right's a mistake

If they should end up a stripper and make jack slanging yay

How could I ever consider myself a great

If Messiah ain't paid and Nique Nique ain't straight

Would your favorite song about the whips, money and shit

Be relevant if you found out the money wasn't rich, nope

So me being the G.O.A.T. ,shouldn't mean more to me

Than see it to a king though

From a bad ass kid to man with some dough

Otherwise I may well have stayed poor

So while they stay focused on me beefin'

With Flip and Shawty Lo

Gucci or Ludacris, or if I'm fucking with a ho

Did I snitch when I got arrested or will I die over nonsense?

Internally I'm dealing with this conflict

So excuse me if I don't get the chance to kiss the hand

That slapped me in the face, ay, I'm just a man

If they saying I ain't the best at making hit records

It's cause this my life these ain't just rapping

Shit, you think of that deep, did you dawg

See you can't see the castle through the walls till it falls

Bitch ain't thinking with the deep, did you dawg

Cause see you can't see the castle through the walls till it falls

Everyone thinks that I have it all

But it's so empty living behind these castle walls

These castle walls

If I should tumble, if I should fall

Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls?

There's no one here at all

Behind these castle walls

Nobody knows I'm all alone

Living in this castle made of stone

They say that money is freedom

But I feel trapped inside it all

And while I sit so high up on a throne

I wonder how I can feel this low

On top of the world it's beautiful

But there's no place to fall

For the record ay, I give a damn if I never said shit again

My career was meant for me to come and tell you this

Honest interpretation of how affected when faced with

Matters most rappers choose to keep

Locked away in the basement

Every day that I walk away I ain't sayin' that I'm amazin'

Downplaying the way I kept fellas from catchin' cases

Won't take into consideration how much it mean what I'm saying

If when I say what I mean

Even when I'm surrounded by the fakers

From one of the greatest sinners

Blessed with most of God's graces

Who made his way amongst the greatest

From the grimiest places

So next time you rating royalty

And more is being given to recordings

Than the level of your loyalty

You obviously been ignoring me

Who else ya seen make it through the storm

Unharmed this charmin'

While all the critics was looking for Prince Charmin'

Disregarded the King of the South but raised doubt

Even though he made a castle out what used to be a house

He did shit that all your favorite rappers only rap about

But most of y'all don't see the castle for the walls

And the smiles till it falls in piles so while

Everyone thinks that I have it all

But it's so empty living behind these castle walls

These castle walls

If I should tumble, if I should fall

Would any one hear me screaming behind these castle walls?

There's no one here at all

Behind these castle walls

• Artist:T.I.
• Album:“No Mercy” (2010)