| We will survive, we’ve been through this too many times
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| my people are getting stronger they know that we on the rise
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| we will not live and let die
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| my niggas on the front line and we all here
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| hold your head high
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| so many years, too many tears living this life
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| this a battle we gotta fight so put your war paint on
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| a lot of black men died over slavery, civil rights and apartheid
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| these are the hard times but we will survive
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| It all started 400 years ago, my people in chains
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| 400 years later same bullshit y’all aint changed
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| you got a jump shot or you rap or play ball
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| then you can eat in Beverly hills and shop in they mall
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| who really making calls like my people ain’t determined enough
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| and in the hood they trying to terminate us
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| and turn us against each other
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| got us fighting over colours, brothers
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| I thought the object was to love one another
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| we can’t see past the 20 inch rims, bitches and hoes
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| 40 bottles and frequent trips to the liquor store
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| so how do we raise our children
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| there’s a new born soul every hour in America
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| this is not only there’s but our America
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| the white man made it this way, we never asked for the slavery days
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| but we still paying for cotton t-shirts our ancestors picked that we hurt
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| but this is the rebirth
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| We will survive, we’ve been through this too many times
|
| my people are getting stronger they know that we on the rise
|
| we will not live and let die
|
| my niggas on the front line and we all here
|
| hold your head high
|
| so many years, too many tears living this life
|
| this a battle we gotta fight so put your war paint on
|
| a lot of black men died over slavery, civil rights and apartheid
|
| these are the hard times but we will survive
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| They say the black man will struggle as long as he continues to hustle
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| and pitch crack from a bucket, these muthafuckers have no idea
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| they lock us in prison for years
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| and send us county checks to compensate us for our mothers tears
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| too many taxes, every 12 checks another w2
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| President Bush’s way to say fuck you
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| our day is coming we taking over
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| how you give us guns when 70% of all Kuwaiti soldiers
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| you gotta be stupid
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| don’t ever forget we were African rulers before NBA players and furniture movers
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| you burnt this I prove it
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| we don’t want 40 acres no more, college funds and real estate,
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| keep the Grammy awards, your H2's, new watches we don’t hate you watch us
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| me and Marshall’s like Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth
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| opposite races still chasing the same dream
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| but when it boils down to everyday life who do I trust? |
| ME!
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| We will survive, we’ve been through this too many times
|
| my people are getting stronger they know that we on the rise
|
| we will not live and let die
|
| my niggas on the front line and we all here
|
| hold your head high
|
| so many years, too many tears living this life
|
| this a battle we gotta fight so put your war paint on
|
| a lot of black men died over slavery, civil rights and apartheid
|
| these are the hard times but we will survive
|
| I will not surrender this is not the ending
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| turn my back in the dirt this is uncle Sam’s curse
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| you got a hot verse you on MTV
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| you can dunk in the 8th grade you on NBC
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| kids struggling to make grades in school
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| you run the rock like Barry Sanders in the tenth grade you getting paid at
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| school
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| and all the old heads that paid their dues we don’t respect that
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| too worried about where the next Nike air checks at
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| news rims put on your lexus,
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| he ain’t registered to vote Al Gore loses the next election
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| one strike, two strikes, three strikes your gone
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| 25 to life but still life moves on
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| a wise man told when I was younger Im God’s chosen
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| he don’t understand so the AK soak him
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| Black wall street got them open
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| I try to tell them I’m where hope floats man
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| the ghetto spokesman
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| We will survive, we’ve been through this too many times
|
| my people are getting stronger they know that we on the rise
|
| we will not live and let die
|
| my niggas on the front line and we all here
|
| hold your head high
|
| so many years, too many tears living this life
|
| this a battle we gotta fight so put your war paint on
|
| a lot of black men died over slavery, civil rights and apartheid
|
| these are the hard times but we will survive |