"Feels Good" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 Feels good to wake up in the morning and lift my hands Breath stankin' while I'm yawning, but I woke up again My teeth ain't perfectly straight but they get the job done Roots feeling a little thick, hair's nappy but at least I got some Oh...Oh... It feels good to be alive...alive Feels good to hit the switch and know my light bill is paid My fridge ain't full, but I'll enjoy the sammich I made Yes, gas is high, but at least I have a car to drive And I don't really have nowhere to go, so I'll simply enjoy the ride Oh...Oh... It feels good to be alive...alive La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La Feels good to have some minutes to spare on my cell phone I'll use my rollover minutes and I'll call home My mom is well and my dad, I'm glad he is ok When they get some extra cash, they're gonna head up this way Oh...Oh... It feels good to be alive...alive It feels good

"How 'Bout You Shut Yo' Face!" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 Back when I was 14 in the 9th grade Basketball was the sport I played But all of a sudden, I woke up one day And my desire to hoop just went away And so I told my coach that I was through And that God had something else for me to do That black man looked and said, “you’s a fool" He said, "you’ll never make it through school…” But the next year in the 10th grade For the most part, I made all A’s My teacher pulled me aside just to say That she and my coach still felt the same way I told her that my heart was in ministry That white woman began to laugh at me She even went as far as to call me silly And she said, “that’s cute, but you need a plan B” Little did they know, I had a wonderful father Who said, “Coach just wants you on his roster And for that teacher, don’t even bother” So I went on to graduate with honors My momma told me, “continue to preach; Keep writing, for your destiny, it can be reached” So now I laugh and look back and say To everybody who said I'd never make it… Chorus: How ‘bout you shut yo’ face! Verse: So to that unmarried mother to be And that kid overlooked by society And to that college student with all those dreams And that frustrated kid who just wants to sing At some point, somebody’s got to be great Might as well be us, it’s ours to take So join with me and politely say When they speak the negativity... Repeat Chorus

"Where Have Our Songs Gone?" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 They sang songs to help gain freedom And now we act like we don't need them They sang songs about injustice But now we sing to please the public Somebody tell me, "Where have our songs gone?" They sang songs that brought us healing Now our music has no feeling They sang songs to create art But now our music's lost its heart Somebody tell me, "Where have our songs gone?" Our influence remains strong But somewhere we went wrong Where have our songs gone? They sang songs about the struggle But now our music is in trouble

"Live Love" (Feat. Chantae Cann) Words by Michael B. Hicks; Music by Ron Gilmore Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012, Ron Gilmore Music, BMI Produced by Mike Hicks & Ron Gilmore Live love, give love Show love and sow love Then you'll reap love, speak love To see love, just be love It's the look in your best friend's eyes The smile that they cannot hide It's the tears of joy they cry After a heartfelt birthday surprise It's a lover's warm embrace And the look upon their face After the perfect date They've discovered the perfect way (to) Live love, give love Show love and sow love Then you'll reap love, speak love To see love, just be love It's the note a musician plays Long after he walks off stage It's dancing the night away As a means to simply escape It's bowing five times a day To meditate or to pray It's two hands that are raised To the sky in sincere praise Live love, give love Show love and sow love Then you'll reap love, speak love To see love, just be love Love cares, love shares Love's there when all hope is gone Love won't leave you alone, oh no Love feels, love heals Love's real and Love never fails Yes, love always prevails That's love

"I Just Need You" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 I haven't felt like this in a while I thought that you should know That all it takes to make me smile Is to hear you say, "hello" I don't need expensive gifts Nor poetry with exquisite rhymes 'Cause you give my heart a lift With a little bit of your time I'm such a lucky fella You make my worst days better If it's you and me together No need for all the extra 'Cause I just need you I just need you I just need you I just need you I don't need a fancy restaurant Nor a romantic trip to France Babygirl, all that I want Is to simply hold your hand I don't need to have caviar Nor a glass of vintage wine Because a late night ride in my car, A coke, a conversation will do just fine I'm such a lucky fella You make my worst days better If it's you and me together No need for all the extra 'Cause I just need you I just need you I just need you I just need you I don't mean to sound complicated I don't want my love to go understated Next to you, those things are overrated Your company alone keeps me elated...and elevated I'm such a lucky fella You make my best days better If it's you and me together No need for all the extra 'Cause I just need you I just need you I just need you I just need you

"Better For You" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 I may pray almost everyday And I try to live life the right way I like to try to buy you nice gifts But every now and then, I'm kind of hit and miss I make sure that the bills are paid But every now and then, I may be a day late And when it comes to sticking to the plan I try to do the best that I can I want to be better...better...better...in all that I do I want to be better...better...better...better for you I like to show you how much I care Although sometimes I'm nonchalantly there And I like to stay on top of everything But sometimes I'm surprised by what life brings And your feelings I'm dying to know But every now and then I miss the little signs that you show And though I really hate to see you cry It hurts even worse when the blame is all mine I want to be better...better...better...in all that I do I want to be better...better...better...better for you

"I Want You Back" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 I want you back, I need you back...I want you back, I need you back I want you back, I need you back...I want you back, I need you back I want you back, I need you back...do I keep on singing? I want you back, I need you back As a kid, I had a different mind state I was cool and all, but I could never relate to my peers Because amidst all of the tears at the basketball games, you were there You were always on time--you were the first in line to shake my hand You were the perfect example of a man and I was your biggest fan It was like you could do no wrong The records you played at home became my favorite songs We always got along and I was proud to say that my daddy was never gone But then, the roots of things started to fall apart An unforeseen divorce--it broke my heart And it was like somebody pressed reset and caused life to restart when you remarried No, I wasn't happy, but we tried to make it work Your friends became jerks, you quit preaching at church And I knew that it hurt It was never the same, you tried, but your priorities began to change And not to throw blame, but things quickly got a little strange And dad, I won't lie...I won't sit here and deny that I became really bitter It wasn't your wife--I didn't have too many issues with her I had a problem with us--well, the sudden lack thereof See, you were at her boy's concerts, but not at mine And even as a man, I wished that you would make the time And I was done making an effort at all But my girl (who you've not met yet) said I should call I find it hard to do, so in reaching out to you, I put it on wax 'Cause I want you back, I need you back I've always wanted an opportunity to tell the whole world exactly what you mean to me And though I downplay it kind of subtly, Let's not overlook the fact that now I've been overseas And when I get love for what I do here and abroad I'ma always think of you and thank God But pride and pain are so hard to juggle Which makes calling you a harder struggle See, you're the reason for all that I have and now you're all that I lack And I want you back...dad, I need you back So I keep on singing

"Debt/Sallie" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 I received an ovation at the '05 graduation It was a celebration of my matriculation But I made an observation that caused me much frustration So about this revelation I'll render this proclamation We equate our education to overpriced information A job with long duration is our justification But after much perspiration due to financial obligation Debt is my habitation, searching for an occupation I borrowed money to go to school, I went to school to make money But how I use that money is kind of funny, but I'm not laughing 'Cause I worked hard for it and now I can't enjoy it 'Cause more money--I owe it, and I'm wondering how that happened It's financial incarceration with limited visitation It's a jacked up situation--an unbalanced equation Hopefully articulation will clear up speculation Like most folks in our nation, I was sitting in a congregation Where Biblical misinterpretation and religious indoctrination Caused faulty application and self condemnation But I found liberation through personal adaptation Christ purchased my salvation...I'm talkin' 'bout reconcilation A different kind of debt did I owe, no amount of seed that I could sow Could cause enough fruit to grow to buy me life again It was the grace of God alone, He called me as His own Was lost, but now I'm home, no longer indebted to my sin So I'm free...debt free I went to high school in a small town, college in a small city Where I met this girl named Sallie...Sallie was really pretty Nobody warned me that Sallie could be really sadiddy The way she flirted with me was really kind of witty See Sallie looked up my address and she sent me a letter She said she really like me and she wanted us to be together And so we started strong and it just kept getting better Sallie would always buy me things, and I would always let her See, Sallie's of a different mold, she's a different type Her charm had me in a hold, and she held on tight I asked her, "…school is costly, but i should finish right?" She said, "I got you covered, go do what you like… You wanna go to school? Then I support you, Mike… You wanna shoot for the stars? I'll help you take flight." She'd always bring me the sweetest bread--I'd take a bite My graduation cap and gown was her favorite sight And once I graduated, Sallie started acting funny I looked her in the eye and asked, "Sallie, what's wrong, Honey? My future looks bright, our sky--it looks sunny…" She said, "we're finished, Mike…and now I want my money… A future for us? Little interest… I hooked you up & you talkin' 'bout you been blessed… Remember when we met…and that letter I sent? Next time, boy don't forget to read the fine print." Sallie Mae Sallie, may I take this time to tell you that I don't want you no more...

"Chasing the Skyline" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI ©2012 A mind still rooted in southern ways Talking with a southern drawl, walking at a southern pace And with shoes still soiled from the southern Georgia clay He looks out into this new city Though daunting his endeavor seems He fights the appeal of those clever schemes It's the opening scene from his favorite dream And the bright lights make the night pretty He wonders what he might find Under those billboard signs He hopes to be treated kind By the four corners of these times He's chasing the skyline The noise of excitement's a deafening sound Not a thing here reminds him of his small hometown He's on top of the world as he travels underground He's fulfilled, yet he's hungry for more He's clueless as to what lies ahead Sees the dirt and the grime, calls it beauty instead He dismisses the horror stories he's read He longs for whatever is in store He wonders what he might find Under those billboard signs He hopes to be treated kind By the four corners of these times He's chasing the skyline

"Living For Better Days" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 People passing over the bridge he sleeps under A night time symphony is heard of steady rain, gentle thunder He looks up to the sky and he begins to cry Another lonely night...he's asking God, "why?" But then his crying turns into laughing He realizes that life--it happens to the best of us And surely the rest of us Embracing his ups, facing the downs A hopeful frown replacing his frown He's living for better days, when it will no longer be this way He's living for better days Slowly time passes along...he works for the lowest wage He can't afford to keep his lights on...so the moon lights up his place He looks up to the sky and he begins to cry Another lonely night...he's asking God, "why?" But then his crying turns into laughing He realizes that life--it happens to the best of us And surely the rest of us Embracing his ups, facing the downs A hopeful frown replacing his frown He's living for better days, when it will no longer be this way He's living for better days Several years have now gone by...he's made it through his rough times He is now enjoying life with his wife and children by his side He looks up to the sky and with joy, he begins to cry No more lonely nights...he closes his eyes And then his crying turns into laughing He realizes that life--it happens to the best of us And even the rest of us Embracing his ups, facing the downs A hopeful frown replacing his frown He's living in better days, and it wasn't always this way He's living in better days

"Runnin'" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 It's like, the closer I get to You...the further away I seem to feel... And regardless of the good I do, for some reason I just can't be fulfilled 'Cause when I finally seem to get a grip, I tend to stop looking for more And I find myself starting to slip further from You than I was before... So I've learned to keep runnin', runnin', chasin', chasin' after you... Even when I lift my hands in praise...and I lift my voice to tell You "thanks" I run down Your list of names, but my routine seems to push You further away... So I say "I bless You, adore You, and magnify Your holy Name..." But my list of verbs just seems to bore You; my worship is lifeless, and it all sounds the same... So I've learned to keep runnin', runnin', chasin', chasin' after you... I'd much rather catch You...knowing that in You I'll find rest... Than to stop chasing after You...and surely lose my Breath... So I've learned to keep runnin', runnin', chasin', chasin' after You...

Thousands of miles between us Yet my eyes only see you The separation makes it seem tough And I'm glad these days are few Convinced that we'll be just fine Joyful thoughts occupy my mind And of these visions, dawn is bringing more As I watch the sun rise in Singapore The heat spikes as the day progresses And as I walk down foreign streets, Thinking of love, my mind obsesses The stress reflected in misguided feet Hoping that we'll be just fine Nervous thoughts invade my mind And the rays of noon are beaming more As I feel the sun hover in Singapore I'm wondering if the sun is a sign Illuminating the difference of times Seems that we're on divided paths The hours removed put you in my past I sit contemplating at Merlion Park As dusk slowly draws near My hope fades into the dark Giving way to my deepest fear Doubtful that we'll be just fine Uneasy thoughts linger in my mind And the bells of change are ringing more As I watch the sun set in Singapore

"This Is Life" Words and Music by Michael B. Hicks Michael B. Hicks Music, BMI © 2012 It was last Friday, I had just gotten paid I worked overtime, the only thing on my mind Was that my girl and I--we were going on a date But on my way home, something kind of felt wrong My car started shaking and the noise it was making Told me that my chance of a date at 8 was gone And very timely, a car pulled up behind me The headlights--they would blind me The driver spoke so kindly With a voice that I soon recognized, standing right before my eyes To my delight and to my surprise My girl told me to hop inside It's the upside of the downs, the smiles that chase the frowns It's just life...This is life It's the joyful type of pain, watching the sun run from the rain It's just life...This is life One morning some time ago, traffic was moving really slow My schedule was tight, and I was losing the fight Caught by every light, annoyed with the radio Nobody cared that I was in a rush, I beeped the horn, but clearly it wasn't enough After being a jerk, I called into work Expecting the bossman to yell, to gripe and fuss He said he knew why I was late, I had so much on my plate It nearly took my breath away when he had something else to say I asked, "What do you need to say boss? Am I about to get laid off?" He said, "No man, you're way off...you've already asked for today off!" It's the upside of the downs, the smiles that chase the frowns It's just life...This is life It's the joyful type of pain, watching the sun run from the rain It's just life...This is life It's the good and it's the bad...this is life; yes, it's life It's happy and the sad...this is life; yes, it's life It's the ins and the outs...this is life; yes, it's life Rest assured, you'll have some doubts...it's all a part of life It's the upside of the downs, the smiles that chase the frowns It's just life...This is life It's the joyful type of pain, watching the sun run from the rain It's just life...This is life