[Verse 1]
Let's play a game
You guess who used to work at the Gap: Kanye West
Guess, who used to sell hot dogs at the Mall: Eva Mendes
I heard President Andrew Johnson was a tailor
George Washington was a surveyor
Herbert Hoover was an engineer
Theodore Roosevelt was a rancher
And President Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer
Hugh Jackman who plays Wolverine was a clown
But look who's laughing now
You know what I noticed about successful people?
Successful people take a course of action, which coincides with their belief or pa**ion
[Verse 2]
Put your hand up, if you work a 9 to 5 or 5 to 9
Or just any job, which you don't enjoy
But takes up half your time.
Well hopefully in a couple weeks, months, days, years' time
You'll be able to come back to this video, hear that first line
And keep your hand down
Because how many times have you visualized
Taking the pen from the manager's desk
Or the one that cashier keeps behind the till
The one your supervisor places strategically in their hair
Or the one the security guard keeps behind his ear for extra intimidation in writing your resignation
[Verse 3]
Because there's nothing wrong with making a honest living
But be honest, are you honestly living?
With this menial job which allows you just to stay afloat
Yes, a job, a J-O-B
Which leaves you just over broke every single month
Living your life just for the weekend
Living life just on the weekend
Because the other five days belong to your manager
You see there's a big difference between a job and a career
Because in the career, no matter how many hours you work
You do it because it's satisfactory
But in a job you do it for a salary
Because you're stuck in the rat race
And you know being stuck in the rat race is one of the biggest of traps
Because as a matter of fact, even if you win the rat race
You're still just a rat.
[Verse 4]
See I understand the need to have a job temporarily
But pursue a career eventually.
Because in my J-O-B, I used to sell at least 200 shoes a day
And none of that was ever reflected in my pay
One of my colleagues once made the company five grand in one month
And you know what he got
An e-mail, a £20 discount voucher, and a complimentary lunch.
And you think you're safe because your job is commission-based
Until you've been working there for three years
And a secretary with the short skirt gets a promotion
Because her and her boss went for dinner real late
I'm sure you can relate, but wait
Are we still happy, with an extra week holiday
And a raise in the salary
Perhaps, we need more clarity, let's look at the "statistics".
Because the industrial revolution was beneficial technologically
But it coerced a lot of people into factories
For ridiculous salaries to benefit their families
And that shaped people's mentalities exponentially
And essentially it became the norm
To work for someone else by the turn of the century
And I could have regurgitated facts and figures to support this
But I choose not to boast
Plus, that would give them nothing to write about in the Huffington Post
[Verse 5]
Now in three years, I've had six jobs
And that made me think that long-term, I could never be happy
Working one of these jobs
And I used to have a rich uncle called Steve
And they say the apple don't fall far from the tree
So, maybe subconsciously I was trying to get one of Steve's jobs
[Verse 6]
I understand more than anyone
That job allows you to pay the bills, make ends meet, and survive
But that's exactly what it is, surviving not living
I hope you are aware of the difference
It's like when you hear, but don't listen
Because you can hear good advice, but if you don't heed it
It does no benefit to your system
The same way; only knowledge with application is wisdom
I hope you're creating the distinction
[Verse 7]
Shawn Corey Carter said it best
"9 to 5 is how you survive, and I'm not trying to survive"
So he strived hard for his dream and look where it took him
So bear that in mind next time
You drive pa** the arena in Brooklyn
But then again, survival is the only trait that every human being has in common
And do not take this as a reason to quit your job,
Go back home and stare at a computer screen
Because a government check plus idleness does not equal success,
Success will not fall in your lap.
In my family, we have a saying, it says
"If you really want to grow trees pray for rain
But don't neglect to water your seeds"
Chase your dreams, because I wrote this
On the back of the payslip on a late shift
The grave shift, a slave shift for makeshift wages
Google the term corporate sharecropping
And you'll understand what I'm talking about
[Verse 8]
If somebody wants, if somebody wants to do these jobs then let them
And from the bottom of my heart, I respect them
Because I once met garbage man
Who was the happiest man that I've ever met
But don't become a slave to a paycheck
Because a job is a safe net
The condom which the system uses to screw you
And none of us would be here if everyone practiced safe s**
[Verse 9]
Stand Tall
And if you're not sure if you're building someone else's dream
Maybe this will help
Jerry Gillies said, "you will recognize your own path when you come upon it"
Because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination you will ever need
And don't be afraid to innovate
Because it's not about how much change you make
But rather about how much change you make
Because a business that makes nothing but money
Is a poor business
[Verse 10]
So you decide what your life is worth
Your pa**ion or your paycheck
Because your "playing small" does not serve the world
Because what is our deepest fear - it's not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
Confucius, "choose a job you love
And you will never have to work a day in your life"