(lyrics are written by Lupe Fiasco)

When Your Spirit Is Strained, And U Limited to Change
The Lyrics In Your Limericks will Change
A Different Hook The Way Your Sentences Arranged
More Demented In Your Deliverance
More Sinister In Your Slang
Sounds More Belligerent When Its Sang
The Truth, Is Limitless In Its Range
If You Drop A 't' And Look At It In Reverse It Could Hurt
Look At The Grimaces Of The Pain
And Its Worse When It Works
And Your Membership Is Gained
But Your Forgetting The Proof Diminishes In the Flames Like Poof
The Media Pours Images In Your Brain Of The Score Of The War
Where Militants Are Slain
The Faces Of The Guilty Where Innocence Is Proclaimed
And They Filthy,
The Deaf Ears Are The Winners
The Listeners Are The Lames
Of The Ballad Of The Man That The Son Of A Minister Has Became So...

[Chorus]

But You Gotta Understand Our Differences Is The Same
What Starts In Clouded Minds Finishes In The Rain Of The Fools That are Used as Instruments In The Game
Where Oppression Is The Queen And Ignorance Is The King
Where Revolution Is Dead
No Candles In Its Memory, No Remembrance Of Its Fame-Just A Mystery-
No Mentioning The History Of The Chained-The Enemy-No Hennessy Sentiments In Its Name
Just The Unmarked Reign That Menaces Have Defamed
With The Propaganda, And Images Of The Gangs
A Lost Art, No Apprentices In The Trained And They Brainwashed
No Interest And Its Stained
And The Minds Weary All The Adrenaline and The Drain
While The Wreckin' Balls Is Disassembling Things
Her Highness Is the Cause
His Imminence Is The Blame
The Pride Is Still Here, The Privileges Still Remain But..

[Chorus]

And You Gotta Respect the Position In Which Your Playing
Never Let Your Heart Reflect The Conditions In Which You're Staying
Even If Its Dark, And The Temperature Is The Same As Winters In The Ukraine
The Appendages Is In Chains
Have Forgiveness From The Start
Keep Maliciousness Restrained
Be Smart
Never indiscriminate In Your Aim
Cause Its Innocent Witnesses Oblivious To The Things To Come
The Ones The Hypnotists Keep Entertained
And You Cant Arc
Have Some Resilience In Your Frames
Stay Resistant And Committed To What Your Saying Cause'
They Could Flip It The Minute That You Refrain
Read The Book And The Lines And Literature In Between
You Gotta Be Educated When Going Against The Grain
Pay Attention, They Illegitimate In They Claims
They Assisted In The Killings And Pillaging In Addition To The Addiction
Shit Is Much Bigger Than Just Complains But...


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Thanks to (Jerms) for correcting these lyrics. Dec 21, 2008
Thanks to (anonymous) for correcting these lyrics. Jan 13, 2009
Thanks to (anonymous) for correcting these lyrics. Apr 13, 2009
Thanks to (D.crowley) for correcting these lyrics. Oct 24, 2009