I said I said I said I′m sitting in quarantine
Want a burger with double cheese
I ain't showered no mister cleanAnd the female a mystery
On a month with confusing texts, putting me with the rest
This world is a mess, I got a lot to get off my chest
I knew a girl she took my hand and showed me everything
She woke me up one sunny morning said she had a dream
My first encounter with the presence of the Reverend King
She lift the curtain on the campus, ain′t the way it seem
It hides in cracks in hides in corners, shit it hides in the open
In the bleachers, hides in teachers and the textbooks they holding
In the barrel of a gun and in the arms of a woman
In the rights of every man, and the land that we've stolen
In class she feel like she the only one
She in AP and still they called a Black student dumb, no!
Where'd you learn that from?
Teach me where you learned that from?
I told that professor white Jesus ain′t the only son
The symbiotic morals of hypocrisy and Christians
Your neighbor is your neighbor lest your neighbor any different
A privilege to know your neighbors, you better cherish them
Y′all an embarrassment
I was bout to tell em hallelujah
I just made a cup of ramen noodles
But the news got on another shooter
So here I pray, an every day consumer
And you, in your living room
With your curtains pulled so tight, you behind that Blue
She said don't shoot right as the bullet leaving
She had 2 kids at home and Terry barely started teething
He said I asked you more then once so we′ll just call it even
Why she a nuisance on the news but he's a human being
She brought me round strong folks who carry heavy hearts
Who still continue to shine, like every one is stars
And uh, my part? I learned to listen as they opened up
She let me in on so much
She introduced me to communities of people I knew nothing about
Even though right out my window I could see their house
Oh man, you on the couch and think the NEWS laid it out?
You don′t know
I suggest you get a first hand account
Cause it's a privilege to know, a real privilege to know
A friend in need is a friend, and information is gold
Okay the love of a homie, or the love of a girl
If folks a target to you, well then you′re missing the world
When we connecting our cultures our vantage point starta grow
And I'll be watching your back, I said I'm watching the throne
To know a person of color, to know a love of your own
We didn′t bring them here to leave em alone
I was bout to tell em hallelujah
I just made a cup of ramen noodles
But the news got on another shooter
So here I pray, an every day consumer
And you, in your living room
With your curtains pulled so tight, you behind that Blue
I knew a girl and we
I knew a girl and we
We marched for justice, and for peace
But there′s none of that now
Cause there's a war in the streets, catch my face in the crowd
She made me conscious to police
Wish that I made her proud
I left town
Cause my heart was in doubt
Because
Weeks before I lost a piece of my heart
A girl I thought that I would marry, had me sure from the start
In the midst of mental illness, I was coming apart
And you stopped me, "let′s get some coffee, wanna talk about art?"
Mmm
My heart was bruised and bleeding
In 2017 when
My world stopped, and the spinning was inside of me and
I could stand to put my heart out again
But now this new love was mixing with the rage in my veins
I must admit, V we should have been together in this
Despite our history, I couldn't take a partnership
Just like my heritage, American, the Civil War
Afterwards, we forgot the folks we fought it for
To build up who built this country from the bottom floor
And who built me into the man who still is marching forward
I couldn′t take the pressure, every night was lucky to undress ya
But every morning like I never met ya
I think the pressure was... hmm
I think the pressure was you showed me the truth
You woke me up one sunny morning, sun set on my youth
What is a PWI? Felt like exclusion to you
It hides in classrooms, the walls of bathrooms, it's hides in front of our eyes
I′m walking blind, as they tell us "everything is alright"
All that glitter ain't the only thing your eyes can see
This ain't in history books, why my country lie to me?
What you showed me was a lot to conceive
How it felt to live on campus, in the land of the free
I wasn′t ready to speak up
Not ready to stand out
Among the study body with the voice I had found
After Emancipation, White America denied relation
With Black Americans who built the nation
I was indoctrinated, to deny the love that I was facing
I′m filled with shame, for our love was wasted
It doesn't hide in basements, it′s inside the very food we're eating
It′s behind this Sunday's gospel reading
White America, our cross is bleeding
Our roof is leaking
The foundation is shaking with reparation seeking
Man it′s loud and clear the way The People feeling
We hit a ceiling
Cops are shooting, you concerned with stealing
I'm anthem kneeling
America, the curtain's peeling
Police revealing
That our flag is the fabric that keeps oppression beating
We have a long relationship with Black Americans you can′t stand to hear it
To this day, U.S.A. tries to keep it a secret
We hide in plain sight, I just still can′t believe it
Maybe part of that's in me, maybe that′s why I cheated
Maybe that's the pressure, maybe that explains the way I left ya
I called you homegirl, you wanted better
My role models were a wicked gender
So I failed our Bronx Tale... I won′t forget ya
Cause your love, set me on the path that I march on today
Years later I'm better having been in your space
You always brought me to meetings, I always thought you were brave
You woke me up one sunny morning, I stayed awake
I don′t expect to ever hear from you that it's okay
My only hope is that in justice you find peace one day
I know I loved you, I know I loved you, I know I loved you
I think you loved me too
And still we rise, determined, until we see it through
I advise you go meet your neighbors, turn off the news
I'll never understand, never understand, I′ll never really
But I′ll stand with you
