Yo Dee, what?
Come on
What? What? Come on

"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 was 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
You know what I mean?
Pesos, Francs, Yens, cowrie shells, Dollar bills
Or is it the mind state 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

Not strong, only aggressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite
Now who the nicest? Not good but well behaved
Chasin' after death, so we can call ourselves brave?
Still livin' like mental slaves

Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you look twice
Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you look twice

Yo, I'm sure that everybody 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 slave ship
Strangeness, you don't control this, you barely hold this
Screamin' brand new when they just sanitized the old shit

Find more similar lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.com/vC9Suppose 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 cemetery
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 camera 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

Lot of people don't understand
The true criterion of things
Can't just accept the appearance
Have to get the true essence
(They ain't lookin' around)

Not strong, only aggressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite
Now who the nicest? Not good but well behaved
Chasin' after death, so we can call ourselves brave?
Don't livin' like mental slaves

Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you look twice
Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you look twice

Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you look twice
Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you look twice

Stop hidin', stop hidin', stop hidin' yo' face
Stop hidin', stop hidin' 'cause ain't no hidin' place
Stop hidin', stop hidin', stop hidin' yo' face
Stop hidin', stop hidin' 'cause ain't no hidin' place

Say, say there ain't no hidin' place
Say, say there ain't no hidin' place
Say, there ain't no hidin' place
Say, there ain't no hidin' place

Say, there ain't no hidin' place
But stop hidin' yo' face
You stop hidin', stop hidin'
Stop hidin' yo' face

Be brave, be true, keep shinin'
Be brave, be true and keep shinin'
Be brave, be true, keep shinin'