From the streets of San Diego to the slums of Echo Park   Broke down and homeless is where I got my start   I bounced around for years doing this and that   But now I'm doing good and I'm never looking back      I began with nothing, I still ain't got much   When life got me down I had to be tough   From the age of 14 I was on my own   No one would do it for me so I did it alone      Shelter to shelter and jail to jail   I'm here to tell you right now that I will not fail   I wish my old friends could see me now   Because they never would believe what I am doing now      I never gave up      Right now I'm where I want to be   Maybe not for you, but it's good enough for me   Don't need no fancy cars or diamond rings   All I wanna do is get on stage and sing      My dream is today and I'm doing it strong   No matter what the odds, I will still push on   I will do it for the poor who have no voice   And for all of the victims who had no choice      I will do it for the weak who cannot fight   For those who were wronged I will make things right   It's been an uphill battle, my fingers have bled   But I'm almost there and I am far from dead      I never gave up      When I came to the city of Hollywood I was broke down and beat   I slept behind dumpsters on the side of the street   There's one thing that always got me through   The one thing I always held true is that I never gave up   I'm never gonna give up      I never gave up