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And it begins like... |
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This, yo |
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Uh, and it begins where we left a brother chased after by death until he catches his breath |
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We embarked upon a long march too weary to rest |
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Now tell me who would ever have guessed that at the top of the west |
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A party rocker and a poet might collectively have written another chapter |
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In this fight against this self-described right, but not righteous |
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It's highly unlikely we'll take it lightly when 1000 of my compatriots are evacuatin' nightly |
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From one ave to another, University to Beacon |
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The body was never meant neither to last to be beaten |
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But Buddhas in the streets teachin' a lesson to kids in the cold |
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And if I tell all of mine there's other stories to be told, |
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Had a lot of good brothas either my age or younger |
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Who copped the 1st album when it dropped now gone under |
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And they say progress but the fact is |
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Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy is lookin' like the street we named after him |
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Permanently under construction, the people hustlin' |
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Despite the pain and sufferin' the energy we've mustered in |
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South side Seattle there's a whole lot happenin' |
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Where so called soul mates are stabbin' each other's scapulas |
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Melancholy hopeful I capture the present moment we consummated the marriage of beats, rhymes, and atonement |
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In each mind resides a potential so potent they make us think that we ain't got it |
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If we did then we'd control shit |
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Organizin' and prioritizin' what's important |
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I'm just tryin' to raise the scene while the homies have abortions |
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No distortion to the static |
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I hold the mic and pass it to the future schools in session but there won't be any classes |
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Happy to see family back, from ten months in Iraq |
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For fallen comrades rockin' a black wrist band |
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It's just a glimpse of what you missed when you gone |
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We held you down and kept chanting now "bring 'em back home" |
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We say bring 'em back home, |
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For my brothas and my sistas who've been gone too long |
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We say bring 'em back home, and I don't wanna have to keep on singin' this song |
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We say bring 'em back home, for my brothas and my sistas who've been gone too long we say |
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Bring 'em back home, and I don't wanna have to keep on singin' this song |
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And somewhere a soldier kissed his family goodbye |
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And he was walking like a warrior the water in his eyes |
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He left in late September said he'll be back in July |
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Now the child is asking mommy "Why did daddy have to die?" |
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She says he fought for freedom, but she knows it's just a lie |
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'Cause her father was a veteran with benefits denied |
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Now the fire in her eyes burn brighter with the passin' of the minutes into hours and the hours into days and |
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Days turned to night, nights turned to face the other way |
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One sister strong holding down the whole family |
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It's just one in over three thousand casualties and back home we battle with the apathy |
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We chantin' now |
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Bring 'em back home, |
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For my brothas and my sistas who've been gone too long |
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We say bring 'em back home, and I don't wanna have to keep on singin' this song |
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We say bring 'em back home, for my brothas and my sistas who've been gone too long we say |
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Bring 'em back home, and I don't wanna have to keep on singin' this song |
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So next time you see recruiters in your school or your crib |
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Tell 'em thank you for the offer but you'd rather you lived |
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We got more than just our bodies to offer |
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So fuck a coffin wrapped in red, white, and blue, withdraw passed due |
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We disgusted with the fact we pay taxes to build tanks |
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Still dropping one twomp and a half to fill tanks |
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Got a china-mans chance to fill banks like Phil Banks |
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For soldiers in the future givin' thanks in advance we say |
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Bring 'em back home, |
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For my brothas and my sistas who've been gone too long |
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We say bring 'em back home, and I don't wanna have to keep on singin' this song |
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We say bring 'em back home, for my brothas and my sistas who've been gone too long we say |
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Bring 'em back home, and I don't wanna have to keep on singin' this song |