Off the Hook

Verse 1: Your lookin' at an ex-crook
In fact, I'm lookin' back at the day I got off the hook
And put the crookin' act back behind
Man I got, no plans to rewind
I used to be blind
But now I see fine, with divine spectacles

Some biblical meats and vegetables, my level's risin' like cholesterol
Best of all, I'm blessed to call God my father, I got arrested, y'all

Let me tell you how it happened
Check it, y'all
Though I'm tough like shoe leather
I always new whether
Or not I did good, I always could do better
Plus I knew a lot of fellas worst than me
I thought, "How bad could I be?"

Then I got a letter
A subpoena
To pre-bema
Court trial. I thought, "How?
Of course I'll plead not guilty
I'm just a poor child
I figured, "No lawyers needed...
The court speeded
They're mistaken.
I'll take my own case and plead it."
Conceited
I figured I'd throw the judge one line
Blow his dumb mind and be out of there by lunch time

Dressed to impress
With my best clothes on
Just then the Judge stepped in
With a red robe on
(hold on)
This must be a dream
It's Chief Justice Supreme Judge
Elohim
I'm feelin' sick like disease
Cause in His court we all fall short like midgets on our knees
My lunch plans canceled
I don't stand a chance
He'll pull my file
I'm in distress like a damsel.
I'm shocked and in awe then my jaw hits the floor
The prosecutor comes in and it's Mr. Law
(Awww)
No more hope and now I'm waitin'
He's known
For bringin' condemnation
With his open statement
My heart is poundin' as he states what the charge is:
"THE DEFENDANT'S GUILTY OF NOT KNOWIN' WHO GOD IS."

Chorus: I'm in trouble man
I better come up with a plan
Maybe I can make the dash
Or give the judge a little cash
I know that I'm wrong
And I'm trying to be strong
But my rap sheet is long
So I'm singing this song

Verse 2: I found myself jammed in court
And in short
I was guilty of bein' filthy like men in sports
I was losin'
The prosecution was relentless
He pointed out the flaws in my mouth like a dentist
He exposed my very words
Gave the court a record of every dirty joke and every curse word
More error when he picked my mind like a psychiatrist
The jury's buyin' it
They're gettin' mad like a scientist
(There's a door)
You know I'm eyein' it
Better tryin' split
Cause Mr. Law rules with an iron fist
I'm not a chump but I know I gotta run
But I'm not dumb
I see that guard and he's gotta gun!

No one's laughin'
Not a one
He pulled out x-rays of my heart and I don't know where he got em' from
He labeled me a thug-I screamed, "I WAS NOT!"-Objection overruled-then he pulled out my mug-shot
Showed the jury me and my boys at the drug spot and the bus stop smokin' much pot in a rough spot
He went on, revealed the lust I hold
Plus I'm swoll
'cause He showed all the stuff I stole
(the prosecution won't rest)
He made reference to my sin-nature
Pulled out mad evidence
Statin' ever since I was born I've been fond of sin, on one accord with Satan
Like a Honda
With justice on the trail He proved I was gonna fail
Put my motives on the scale
(that's it, I'm goin' to jail)

Kind of petro,
But yet I'm thinkin', "Let's go.
How bad can jail be?"
But now they're screamin', "DEATH ROW!"

Chorus: This is ill yall
Yo, it's for real yall
Can't you see that I'm doom
And I'm about to be consumed
So young
But sin has got me so strung
I'm about to cry
Because I'm about to die

Verse 3: I'm still in court
And in my mind thoughts of death sink
By now I'm funky
I'm hungry plus my breath stinks
The Judge, jury, even I'm convinced
I'm guilty of law-breakin' and it's all makin' sense
You and I only look good to the human eye
Man bein' basically good is a human lie
I'm thirsty, but not for water, for mercy
I'm unworthy
The whole court room heard me
The Judge stood with the law book
They all looked
And saw what blew their minds as the one who made the law took off His robe, and became the substitution

Off we strolled
To the place of execution
Gave me a pardon
Instead let them bruise Him
Justified me and let the law accuse Him
They gripped Him, stripped Him,
Whipped Him
They saw thorns and picked Him
They sticked Him,
He made Himself the victim
I felt the pain
I walked home in the rain
Changed
Not the same,
Because I knew I should have got the blame
How could I complain?
I wept on my bed, when on my pillow I found a letter and it read,
"I BLED,
ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, MY BLOOD WAS SHED,
ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU,
THEY KILLED ME INSTEAD,
ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU,
I AROSE FROM THE DEAD,
ALL BECAUSE I LOVE YOU."

"He's Alive!" I thought that He'd be back
At the morgue tears poured, then I hear tap
At the door
Unexpected but...Yup,
You guessed it.
He had resurrected!
He came in my heart and blessed it
Love manifested
Though I wear jeans and not the double breasted
I praise God I got arrested,
Cause I had just heard of Him,
Now I'm a son, not a distant relative
Like a third cousin, word brethren.
Get a load of me
I'm free
I'm property of the only God who died for me
I can see a whole society who need to cop a plea
Sin's got the lock
But God's got the key.

Chorus: Look now
No more crook now
Close the book now
My sins are took now
No more death row
No more death yo
Come what ever
In Christ I'll live forever
Forever off the hook.