[Chorus: Dave Patten]
Oh man I wish I knew, I wish I knew it then
But I don't let it stop me you know I'll be back again
All the mistakes I've made, trouble that I've been in
It shaped me into the person you see standin' here
I wish you knew me back when I was young
You could see me, and just how far I've come
So don't judge me, you don't know me
Please, oh yeah believe me

[Verse 1: Meek Mill]
Yeah
Up to third grade it was all As, fourth and fifth grade was the hard days
Detention and suspension was an always, by the time high school it was the hallways
Them was the wish I had a car days, 'cause all the stewards that was trapping they was all payed
And we was all broke, that's when the law broke
Cops catch us wouldn't say a word like our jaw broke
Picture me back then, look at me right now
Preforming in front of twenty thousand on the mic now
I caught a couple cases, I had to pipe down
Was living in the dark I'm in the light now
You grind hard, then you shine harder
I'm going hard like my last name Carter, Dwayne, Sean, and Vin
Who'll play my life if I be born again

[Chorus: Dave Patten]
Oh man I wish I knew, I wish I knew it then
But I don't let it stop me you know I'll be back again
All the mistakes I've made, trouble that I've been in
It shaped me into the person you see standin' here
I wish you knew me back when I was young
You could see me, and just how far I've come
So don't judge me, you don't know me
Please, oh yeah believe me
[Verse 2: Dave Patten]
Yeah, don't have to listen to me, you don't have to believe a single word I say
No, that's what my mother told me, still I went out and learned everything the hard way
And I've been crying, no no, I've been crying, no no
Oh yeah, she told me to grow up, I grew up and stood up now each day I move up again
I got a minute to say what I want, trying to make for everything that I've done wrong
But that made me who I am, and if I broke your heart, well I'm sorry again

[Chorus: Dave Patten]
Oh man I wish I knew, I wish I knew it then
But I don't let it stop me you know I'll be back again
All the mistakes I've made, trouble that I've been in
It shaped me into the person you see standin' here
I wish you knew me back when I was young
You could see me, and just how far I've come
So don't judge me, you don't know me
Please, oh yeah believe me

[Verse 3: Meek Mill]
Thinking back when I was in the trap
Without a dollar to my name, I wasn't thinking rap
N***as say I change, ask what I think of that
I say change for the better, I'm never thinking back
I should be a power forward
Shitting so much I think my toilet outta order
Take 'em out the box they like a fish up out the water
But me, I'ma survive, put that on my Ma swear to God
How you gonna win when you never try
I can see my future like I'm living in a mirage
Everyday I'm living life like I could never die
Old clothes in my closet, new whips in my garage
New chick in my bedroom, old chick by my side
New watch on my wrist saying this is my time
So don't judge me, just love me
Their is nothing above me
My future so pretty, say God don't like ugly
[Chorus: Dave Patten]
Oh man I wish I knew, I wish I knew it then
But I don't let it stop me you know I'll be back again
All the mistakes I've made, trouble that I've been in
It shaped me into the person you see standin' here
I wish you knew me back when I was young
You could see me, and just how far I've come
So don't judge me, you don't know me
Please, oh yeah believe me