(lyrics are written by e.badu, karriem riggins, t. barlage, w. ennes, h. waterman, g. willemse)

see he's organized/and he's on the ball/never miss a day at
school/and he's the underdog/he wanna learn more and more/cause
his mama taught him good/he's bout to change the face/of your ghetto neighborhood

walking to school today/saw a brotha on the street/seem like
everything was cool/cept the brotha was packin heat

...then everything changed/cause he saw his own wings/and his
mother was sad/time will pass/pain will last

STOP
what am I talkin about/everybody know what the songs about/they
trying to hide the history/but the know who we are/do you want to
to see/everybody rise to the next degree/raise your hands high if you
agree/just say YES SIR-REE...

NOW TO THE FOLKS THAT THINK THEY LIVIN' SWEET/THEY (POWERS) GONE FUCK AROUND & PUSH DELETE/ TO MY GIRLS ON PRESCRIPTION PILLS/I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL/TO MY FOLKS IN IRAQI FEILDS/THIS AINT NO TIME TO KILL/TO MY GIRLS IN THERAPY/IM'MA TELL YOU THIS FOR FREE/TO MY BOYS UP ON THE HILL/WITH THE CAKE & THE DOLLA BILLS/YOU NEED TO WATCH THE DIRTY COPS/THEY THE ONES YOU NEED TO WATCH/I'M TALKIN BOUT THE DIRTY COPS/THEY THE ONES YOU NEED TO WATCH

STOP
YOU GOT THE WAKE UP CALL/WHEN YOU SAW THE BUILDINGS FALL/BOW TIES WITH THE FINAL CALLS/GET YO MONEY, DOLLA BILL YALL/BOW TIES WITH THE FINAL CALLS/GET YO MONEY DOLLA BILL YALL/TO MY FOLKS ON THE PICKET LINE/DONT STOP TILL YOU CHANGE THEY MIND/I GOT LOVE FOR MY FOLKS/BAPTIZED WHEN THE LEVY BROKE/WE GONE KEEP MARCHIN ON/TILL WE HEAR THAT FREEDOM SONG/AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT TURNIN BACK/I GOT THE SHOT GUN FOR YOUR BACK/AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT TURNIN BACK/I GOT A SHOT GUN ON YA' BACK/BLAT!

back black!!!
what am I talkin about/everybody know what this songs about/they be trying to hide history/but they know who we are/do you want to see/everybody rise to this degree/raise your hands high if you agree/just say YES SIR-REE