Tabernacle - Royce 5'9

Yeah

I wanna share some shit with y’all

All truth, all truth

Uh, 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

Uh, my name is Ryan Daniel Montgomery

Recovering alcoholic, I grew up on 9 Mile

Uh, I’m not a gangster, drug dealer or thug nigga

Just an MC who made a name with his rhyme style

Now, 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

And listen to Redman and Heltah Skeltah

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

Uh, 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 just 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

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 emotional rollercoaster

My momma said «The baby here yet?»

I said «Maybe»

She said, «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 centimeters dilated so I waited

She got to get to 'bout nine 'til 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 on 9 and another lady dying on 5»

By this time I don’t even fuckin' remember that I got a show

Somebody had to remind me, the doors was already open at the venue

I got emotions runnin' every which way

All the nurses and stuff is like, «We'll keep you posted about the baby

We’ll keep you posted about your granny.»

I didn’t like seeing my mama like that, so I had to get out of there

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 (now you know) powerful day (now you know)

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