Did you ever wonder?

Yeah, do you ever wonder

What he might be going through on his own, and

The demons that he's facing alone

Just climb the ladder, girl. Keep climbing.

I hate that sometimes I can't go home

And it just ain't the same on the phone, no

But everybody's gotta go on, don't they?

I press my hands through the water, pushing forward, climbing the invisible ladder. Water trickles through the small gaps in my fingers. I turn my head to breathe and glimpse water pouring from my arms as I lift… and dunk. Lift… and dunk. Lift… and dunk.

So if you need a hero

Just look in the mirror

My eyes follow the line on the old floor, its black paint long gone. Worn away by the constant movement of water. Keep climbing, girl.

No one's gonna save you now

So you better save yourself

Other swimmers splash beside me, all of us pushing our hardest to win the race that none of us would ever admit we’re racing.

And everybody's hurting

Everybody's going through it

My legs can’t kick fast enough. My arms are giving out.

But you just can't give up now

'Cause you gotta save yourself

10 feet to the wall… 8 feet… 5… 3…

The Sun'll come out

Nothing good ever comes easy

I know times are rough

But winners don't quit

So don't you give up

I stretch out my arm the farthest it can go, imagining my 5 foot 7 form is now 6 feet.

The Sun'll come out

But we've been struggling endless days

Someday we'll find the love

'Cause after the storm's

When the flowers bloom

My fingers touch the wall, struggling for purchase, I pull myself forward and out of the water.

Kali, what you mean?

I take it offensive

'Cause I'm the hottest flower boy

That popped up on the scene

Feeling better, better than ever

'Cause your umbrella, -brella (-brella, light)

My chest heaves, and a rushed, choked laugh comes out.

Sun is beaming on me like headlights beaming on Bambi

Now let's pretend the street is the room

And you are a Camry

'Cause your drama candid

The Tito to my Randy

Now let's produce some thrillers

My chocolate wit' yo' vanilla, uh

The thunks and whooshes of water as the final swimmers come in fills my ears. Water sprays as they pull themselves up to breathe. We barely catch our breath before our eyes turn to the screen.

The Sun'll come out

Nothing good ever comes easy

Barely a few seconds before we must start again.

I know times are rough

But winners don't quit

So don't you give up

The black screen turns yellow as the numbers count down. 5… 4… 3…

The Sun'll come out

But we've been struggling endless days

2… …1: Green.

Someday we'll find the love

'Cause after the storm

I sink into the water, and my legs pull up behind me. Practiced precision pulls off as my legs push off, propelling me almost ten feet forward. Time to lock in.

I know it's hard

But do you even really try?

Maybe you could understand

When all you had to do was ask

And just open your mind

Keep breathing. Out through your nose; in through your mouth.

When everything is passing by

Anchor your right hand; then pull up with your left.

And all you had to do was try

Keep climbing the ladder.

Yeah, all you had to was try

Try, try, try, try, try

You’ll get there, girl.

All you had to do was try

Keep climbing.

Try, try, try, try

After the Storm - Kali Uchas, Tyler, The Creator, Bootsy Collins