Nah, I wasn't raised at gunpoint
And I've read too many books
To distract me from the mirror
When unhappy with my looks
And I ain't got proper diction
For the makings of a thug
Though I grew up in the ghetto
And my niggas all sold drugs
And though that may validate me
For a spot on MTV
And get me all the airplay
That my bank account would need
I was hoping to invest in
A lesson that I learned
When I thought this fool would jump me
Just because it was my turn
I went to an open space
Cause I knew he wouldn't do it
If somebody there could see him
Or somebody else might prove it
And maybe in your eyes
It may seem I got punked out
Cause I walked a narrow path
And then went and changed my route
But that openness exposed me
To a truth I couldn't find
In the clenched fist of my ego
Or the confines of my mind
Or the hipness of my swagger
Or the swagger of my step
The scowl of my grimace
Or the meanness of my rep
Cause we represent a truth son
That changes by the hour
And when you open to it
Vulnerability is power
And in that shifting form you'll find a truth that doesn't change
And that truth is living proof of the fact that god is strange
Talk to strangers
When the family fails and friends led you astray
And buddah laughs and jesus weeps and turns out god is gay
As angels in disguise love can come in many forms
In the hallways of your projects or the fat girl in your dorm
And when you finally take the time to see what they're about
Perhaps you find they're lonely or their wisdom trips you out
Maybe you'll find the cycle's end
You're back where you began
But come this time around
You'll have someone to hold your hand
Who prays for you, who is there for you
Who sends you love and light
Exposes you to parts of you
That you once tried to fight
And come this time around
You'll choose to walk a different path
You'll embrace what you turned away
And cry at what you laughed
Cause that's the only way
We're going to make it through this storm
Where ignorance is common sense
And senseless is the norm
And flags wave high above the truth
And the two never touch
And stolen goods are overpriced
And freedom costs too much
And no one seems to recognise
The symbols come to life
The bitten apple on the screen
And jesus had a wife
And she was his messiah
Like that stranger may be yours
Who holds a subtle knife
That carves through worlds
Like magic doors
And that's what I've been looking for
The bridge from then to now
Just watching BET like what the fuck son
This is foul
But that square box don't represent
The sphere that we live in
The Earth is not a flat screen
I ain't trying to fit in
But this ain't for the underground
This here is for the sun
A seed a stranger gave to me
And planted on my tongue
And when I look at you
I know I'm not the only one
As a great man once said
There's nothing more powerful
Than an idea
Whose time
Has come
