American’t Dream Lyrics

[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 pass 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

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About

Genius Annotation

This 2013 spoken-word piece by Suli Breaks takes on the rat race, contemporary work culture, and the difference between “surviving” and “living.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzcxOl4b7IA

Suli Breaks homepage

Suli Breaks YouTube page

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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