I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
Too much pressure on my shoulders, it gets tough to be
The person bringing in the bread and be the lover that you need
For self-care, yeah I had to let go
I'd be lying if I told you that it never takes a toll on
My mind, I need someone to save me
But I have to be the one who's saving you
When you're exhausted, I'm a shoulder where you mend
Gotta stay strong, what can I do when
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
I know a lotta men don't feel the same
But I don't feel ashamed, letting the water fall when my heart's ablaze
Daddy taught me that was how to put a fire out
So when I'm hurting I don't mind, to cry my eyes out
I only have a few examples of a man in my life
And only one who made perfection life-like
So I try to remember two words when I don't know what to do
Don't forget Jesus wept and brother, so can you
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
They said it's all in my head and I guess that makes sense
'Cause everything I feel, I keep in
'Cause it's different for men
We talk about our feelings, we're called oversensitive
We're asked to strike a balance, it doesn't exist
So we bottle everything up in our minds
We grow cold, dark and numb as we slowly die
Ya ever wonder why it's mostly men who commit suicide?
We figure why not, we're already dead inside
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
You picked me up when I was broken
You pieced together words that were not spoken
You found a way to see me as I was
Even when the world hasn't shown you the same love
You're expected to do everything on your own
Provide and then hide all the feelings that you hold
But your heart is deserving, now show it
I see you for who you are, I hope that you know
I can't hide myself (it pays to hide yourself)
I don't expect you to understand (I'll try my best to understand)
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
I know we all got decisions to make
But it seems that my decisions 'cause division
I hate this pride, I break inside, but I cannot cry
'Cause all I wanna do is provide
I was made for this, I'm a father of seven
My oldest is 20, my youngest 11 and they all gotta eat
So I bury my feelings and stand on my feet, like they told me
"Gotta be grown," they told me
"You're on your own," they told me
But we're not alone, He showed me
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
Yeah, patiently waiting for God to show me signs I need
I'm not the man for the job, all the things I can't be
Put all my feelings aside
I think that I'll be better off when I'm not alive
Fought through depression for years and I tried to hide it
Almost put pressure and pulled it but I decided
To give it all that I can
But this, what it's like to be a man
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
As a man, if you show your emotions
They take you for weak, and this ain't nothing new
Teaching my son to be mentally strong
And prepare for the battle, he ain't even two
Being a father is lit, but I gotta admit
That sometimes I don't know what to do
Provide and protect was the name of the game I was playing for you
And you know that it's true
Unconditional love ain't reality
But you can't take a look from my view
A lotta my days were blooping and dogging me
So I fought, and you didn't have a clue
When I had it, we had it together
But now we divided, your colors are true
I shouldn't have to ask for no help if you knew I was struggling
I woulda did it for you, yeah
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
I'm sorry, I never knew
All the things that you go through
I never meant to put your pain aside
Didn't mean to make you need to hide
Those demons in your head, they'll tell you, you're less than
But I'm here to tell you that you're more than perfect
And don't let the voices make you think you're worthless
'Cause you're worth it, you've got this
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain (I just hope I'll understand)
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
There's just a lot I wanna say
To be a man requires you to hide the pain
You find yourself inside a hole you can't get out
Even though you wanna shout
'Cause the pain is just unbearable (oh, no, no)
I just wanna cry and be given a hug
And be told everything will be okay
Mara ngauri nne ndiwa munna
Hezwo azwi konadzei
I have a family that depends on me, oh
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home
Look, as a man they expect you to be strong as someone to lean on
No matter what you're dealing with
I just lost a couple friends to drugs and
When I woke up in the morning, man I really wasn't feeling it
But I gotta try to bottle the pain
But when they took my son away, I had to try to find a will to live
Putting five whole years at a job
Then I got laid off and the news had me feeling sick
I've been drowning in the deep end
Anybody wanna give me a reason?
I don't even try to bother with a social life
'Cause I would rather be alone on the weekends
Chilling with my demons, and I just to suppress the depression
In need of a blessing 'cause I'm really 'bout to lose it all
Just remember that I tried to be a man
When you lose me y'all and I'm gone
I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home