Do or Die

The Story Behind the Song

I tried to go to college half a dozen times across my life, but it wasn't until 2021 that I finally made the leap to leave 911 dispatch behind and pursue computer science and technology. I started with zero credits, and in December 2025, I'll graduate with a master's degree in computer science. Do or Die came from staring down this long, broken road and deciding it wasn't too late. I could change my life. I could take a different path. And I could finally be happy. This song is my anthem of determination — for me, and for anyone else who needs to know that no matter how far gone you feel, there's still time to turn the wheel and blaze a new path for the better.

Performances

This Long Broken Road is released in three performer editions, each with its own real performance — durations differ by artist, not just persona.

Lyrics

Spent too many years thinkin' 'bout what could've been... All those sleepless nights, all the trouble I got in. And it hit me one day, stopped me dead in my tracks: The days kept on comin’, and there was no goin’ back. I never found a way to turn back the time, Regrets take more than a nickel or a dime. But deep down you know the way  — you know what’s right: When you're up against the clock... Is it gonna be do or die? I spent all my life runnin’ from my own name, Blamin' the rest of the world for my own chains. But the truth don’t blink and it don’t ask why — You can’t outrun that pain deep inside. I never found a way to turn back the time, Regrets take more than a nickel or a dime. But deep down you know the way  — you know what’s right: When you're up against the clock... Is it gonna be do or die? Take a breath, take a chance, take a stand, Make it up, make it work, make it count! Dig in deep — yeah, dig yourself out. Let 'em see, what you got inside! Prove 'em all wrong — prove you were right——— I never found a way to turn back the time, Regrets take more than a nickel or a dime. But deep down you know the way  — you know what’s right: When you're up against the clock... Is it gonna be do or die? Have you spent enough time, Has enough passed you by? Every path has a choice: Is it gonna be do or die?