| Good evening
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| I would like to welcome family, friends and faculty
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| To the 1984 commencement ceremony for Sheepshead Bay High School
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| To the seniors I want to say: «congratulations»
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| I know today feels like the end of of a long journey
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| But it’s actually only the beginning
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| Today is the first day of the rest of your lives
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| My moms said: «you looked great in your cap and gown»
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| Life’s daring me to fight but I ain’t backing down
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| I got travel plans in minivans and caravans and 747's but I’ll still be coming
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| back around
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| And while I’m out there, can’t act a clown
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| I won’t be on the block, so I don’t have to frown
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| Man, the world so beautiful and colorful
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| It a be a shame if I only saw black and brown
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| So I look at my horizons and broaden them
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| It’s so surprising or according to them
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| I should be dead or incarcerated
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| Or strung out, but I’ve come out and of course I made it
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| Yeah, despite all the naysayers
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| I just leave it up to God when i say prayers
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| From this day forward I will vow
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| To always cut through the bullshit like cake layers
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| And rise above it all, way above it all
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| Life can be a mix bad, I gotta love it all
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| That’s what they told me at the podium
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| Don’t let them ever hold you like imodium
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| Stay loose, be ready when your time come
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| Stay alert, be ready when the sign come
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| Cause you don’t wanna miss your calling
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| Stay in tune while the balloons are in the mist of falling
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| Tracy Bird, Jolanda Brisbane, Breigh Brooks
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| Fred Caprista, John Chesney, Duval Clear
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| Norris Coburn, Jolanda Donald, Phil Dresman
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| Yanick Dasier, David Dopkin, Dean Evans
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| Joseph Diembalgo, Starmanye Green, Roger Holly
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| Veranda Jones, Kristina Johnson, Jackie Lee
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| Of course my momma here and my nana here
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| My father not, he’s somewhere in a can of beer
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| My uncle Marvin here, my other family not
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| Please listen to this little caveat
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| «One day you will have to piss and won’t have a pot
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| But there may come a day when you have a lot»
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| Whoever don’t support you when you young, when you grown they may try to check
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| you out like the Marriott
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| It’s up to you if you hold a grudge
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| To me, it’s like water off a duck’s back
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| My mentality is fuck that
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| Without them I was still gone get off like I know the judge
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| And I am not the one that sold the drugs
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| Me and that life is no correlation
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| I got accepted to a university, they probably cursing me
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| But this is my coronation
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| Tony Lewis, Lorraine Ledgeman, Margo DeWitt
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| Corine Mattedean, Michael McColin, Kenneth McFadder
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| Craig McWin, Steward Minklewitz, Patricia Murroh
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| Harold Neil, Arleen Pennington, Karen Price
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| Gwendolyn Roach, Larry Robin, Curtis Scott
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| Michael Stark, Michael Walker, Saul Weisberg
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| Michael Zepparetto
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| Seniors, please move your tassels to the other side of your hat
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| To commemorate these rites of passage
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| «You are now all high school graduates, congratulations» |