 [Talib Kweli]
Yo Dee (What?)
Come on (Yeah..)
What? What? Come on
(Yeah)
"Give me the fortune, keep the
fame," said my man Louis
I agreed, know what he mean
because we live the truest lie
I asked him why we follow the law of
the bluest eye
He looked at me, he thought about it
Was like, "I'm clueless, why?"
The question was rhetorical, the
answer is horrible
Our morals are out of place and got
our lives full of sorrow
And so tomorrow comin later than
usual
Waitin' on someone to pity us
While we findin beauty in the hideous
They say money's the root of all evil
but I can't tell
YouknowhatImean, pesos, francs,
yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills
Or is it the mindstate that's ill?
Creating crime rates to fill the new
prisons they build
Over money and religion there's more
blood to spill
The wounds of slaves in cotton fields
that never heal
What's the deal?
A lot of cats who buy records are
straight broke
But my language universal they be
recitin my quotes
While R&B singers hit bad notes, we
rock the boat
of thought, that my man Louis'
statements just provoked
Caught up, in conversations of our
personal worth
Brought up, through endangered
species status on the planet Earth
Survival tactics means, bustin gats to
prove you hard
Your firearms are too short to box with
God
Without faith, all of that is illusionary
Raise my son, no vindication of
manhood necessary
[M.D.] Not strong
[T.K.] Only aggressive
[M.D.] Not free
[T.K.] We only licensed
[M.D.] Not compassioniate, only
polite
[T.K.] Now who the nicest?
[M.D.] Not good but well behaved
[T.K.] Chasin after death
so we can call ourselves
brave?
[M.D.] Still livin like mental slaves
[both] Hidin like thieves in the
night from life
Illusions of oasis makin you
look twice
[both] Hidin like thieves in the
night from life
Illusions of oasis makin you
look twice
[Mos Def]
Yo, I'm sure that everbody out listenin
agree
That everything you see ain't really
how it be
A lot of jokers out runnin in place,
chasin the style
Be a lot goin on beneath the empty
smile
Most cats in my area be lovin the
hysteria
Synthesized surface conceals the
interior
America, land of opportunity, mirages
and camoflauges
More than usually -- speakin loudly,
sayin nothin
You confusin me, you losin me
Your game is twisted, want me
enlisted -- in your usary
Foolishly, most men join the ranks
cluelessly
Buffoonishly accept the deception,
believe the perception
Reflection rarely seen across the
surface of the lookin glass
Walkin the street, wonderin who they
be lookin past
Lookin gassed with them imported
designer shades on
Stars shine bright, but the light --
rarely stays on
Same song, just remixed, different
arrangement
Put you on a yacht but they won't call
it a slaveship
Strangeness, you don't control this,
you barely hold this
Screamin brand new, when they just
sanitized the old shit
Suppose it's, just another clever Jedi
mind trick
That they been runnin across stars
through all the time with
I find it's distressin, there's never no
in-between
We either niggaz or Kings
We either bitches or Queens
The deadly ritual seems immersed, in
the perverse
Full of short attention spans, short
tempers, and short skirts
Long barrel automatics released in
short bursts
The length of black life is treated with
short worth
Get yours first, them other niggaz
secondary
That type of illin that be fillin up the
cemetary
This life is temporary but the soul is
eternal
Separate the real from the lie, let me
learn you
Not strong, only aggressive, cause
the power ain't directed
That's why, we are subjected to the
will of the oppressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not live, we just excitin
Cause the captors.. own the masters..
to what we writin
Not compassionate, only polite, we
well trained
Our sincerity's rehearsed in stage, it's
just a game
Not good, but well behaved cause
the ca-me-ra survey
most of the things that we think, do,
or say
We chasin after death just to call
ourselves brave
But everyday, next man meet with the
grave
I give a damn if any fan recall my
legacy
I'm tryin to live life in the sight of God's
memory
Like that y'all
[Mos Def]
A lot of people don't understand the
true criteria of things
Can't just accept the appearance
Have to get the true essence
[Talib Kweli]
They ain't lookin around
[M.D.] Not strong
[T.K.] Only aggressive
[M.D.] Not free
[T.K.] We only licensed
[M.D.] Not compassioniate, only
polite
[T.K.] Now who the nicest?
[M.D.] Not good but well behaved
[T.K.] Chasin after death
so we can call ourselves
brave?
[M.D.] Still livin like mental slaves
[both] Hidin like thieves in the
night from life
Illusions of oasis makin you
look twice
[both] Hidin like thieves in the
night from life
Illusions of oasis makin you
look twice
[both] Hidin like thieves in the
night from life
Illusions of oasis makin you
look twice
[both] Hidin like thieves in the
night from life
Illusions of oasis makin you
look twice
[Mos Def (singing)]
Stop hidin, stop hidin, stop hidin yo'
face
Stop hidin, stop hidin, cause ain't no
hidin place
* repeat 2X*
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