Lesson from a Nomad
Zack Hemsey
[Verse 1]
I am icon
I am that pictured in those tales to song
I am that which from the brink responds
I bring unrest when the seas have calmed
I am legend, I am fool
I am one of many, I am under no rule
I am peasant, I am loon
I'm disparaged, I'm consumed, I'm most certainly confused
Am I seeing something real or is it smoke?
Am I on the ground or am I hung without a rope?
And this is fantasy or from the dream have I awoke?
Am I steady on the path or am I clinging onto hope?
Am I?
Am I?

[Verse 2]
If you gather all the teachings that the wise have told
Compile every scripture from the books of old
And muse upon the meaning of the truths you've sewn
You will germinate the mind, but the fields won't grow
This is the high of low
This is the friend turned foe
This is what the light can't show
If you stand still, don't expect the Earth will slow
See that every wind up plateaus
If you want a seed to rise up, let go
The greatest tragedy is every breath takes toll
Is to live a life and never witness depth of soul
Snake inside the rocks, your tail you will consume
Liberate the mind, but lock the body in a groove
Know that sedentary can be tantamount to tomb
This is why a coma patient must be regularly moved
[Verse 3]
In the quest for plenty
Know the paths of many
But few will lead you past the regions where the past is buried
Giving is the levee that will bound a man's greed
Prison is the dwelling when you take no leave
Faster than a sparrow flies, trap the cupid by surprise
Grab his bow and arrow and shoot straight into the empty sky
You can spend eternity immersed in what's inside
But if you're searching for a purpose, then no purpose will you find

[Bridge]
Icon, icon, icon, icon
Icon, icon, icon, icon

[Verse 4]
I am icon
I am that vision, I am fate transformed
I am that allegiance to the sword you've sworn
I am false idol, I am fraud
Ratchet down disaster like a phoenix in decline
Imagine double rapture, but no miracle am I
If you sing inside a cavern like canaries in a mine
Know indulgence is a hazard, so be wary with your time
To mean something, we live and we strive for it
To feel something, we fight and survive for it
To love something, we scream out and cry for it
But tell me now, are you willing to die for it?
Take of what may come as you lay on the line for it
Armored at the call, at the ready and primed for it
Breach the battleground with the courage to drive forward
And to know the fundamentals of being alive, am I?
Am I?
Write the lyrics for a rap song made in 2016, titled "Lesson from a Nomad", by artist "Zack Hemsey".