Roots Never Took (Barren Wasteland)

I wrote “Roots Never Took” from the voice of the man I am now, speaking back to the kid who never really had a place to land.

I grew up moving from state to state, house to house, always starting over before anything had time to settle. There wasn’t much room for roots, mentors, or the kind of stability most people take for granted. You learn to raise yourself. You learn to stay light on your feet. You learn that home isn’t always a place — sometimes it’s something you have to build inside yourself.

This song isn’t about regret. It’s about honesty. It’s about looking clearly at where you came from and recognizing the strength it took to grow in the cracks.

Every line carries a piece of that journey — the instability, the grit, the quiet resilience, and even a strange kind of pride in having survived what might have broken you.