Fort Minor - The Rising Tied (2005) by Fort Minor (보컬) on maniadb.com

You ready
Lets go
Yeah
for those of you that
want to know
what we're all about
It's like this y'all c'mon
This is ten percent luck
twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated
power of will
Five percent pleasure
fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent
reason to remember the name
Mike
He doesn't need his
name up in lights
He just wants to be heard
whether it's the beat or the mic
He feels so unlike
everybody else alone
In spite of the fact that some
people still think that they know
But fuck em he knows the code
It's not about the salary
It's all about reality
and making some noise
Makin story
makin sure his clique stays up
That means
when he puts it down Tak's
pickin it up
Who the hell is he anyway
He never really talks much
Never concerned with status
but still leavin them
star struck
Humbled through opportunities
given him despite the fact
That many misjudge
because he makes a
livin from writin raps
Put it together himself
now the picture connects
Never asking for someone's help
Or to get some respect
He's only
focused on what he wrote
his will is beyond reach
and now it all unfolds the
skill of an artist
This is 20% skill
80% beer
Be a 100% clear 'cuz Ryu is ill
Who would have
thought he'd be the
one That set The West in flames
Then I heard him
wreck it with the
Crystal Method Name Of The Game
Came back dropped Megadef
took em to church
I like bleach man
Ryu had the stupidest verse
This dude is the truth
Now everybody's
givin' him guest spots
His stock's through the roof
heard he's fuckin' with S dot
This is ten percent luck
20% skill
Fifteen percent concentrated
Five percent pleasure
fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent
reason to remember the name
They call him Ryu The Sick
And he's spittin fire with Mike
Got him out the dryer he's hot
Found him in Fort Minor with Tak
Been a fuckin
annihilist porcupine
He's a prick
he's a cock The type
woman want to be with and
rappers hope he get shot Eight
years in the makin patiently
waitin to blow
Now the record with Shinoda's
takin over the globe
He's got a partner in crime
his shit is equally dope
You wont believe the kind of
shit that comes
out of this kid's throat Tak
He's not your everyday
on the block
He knows how to what he's got
Makin his way to the top
He often gets a comment
on his name
People keep askin him was it
given at birth Or does it
stand for an acronym No
he's livin proof
Got him rockin the booth
He'll get you buzzin quicker
than a shot of vodka with juice
Him and his crew are
known around
as one of the best
Dedicated to what they doin
give a hundred percent
Forget Mike
Nobody really knows how or why
he works so hard It
seems like he's
never got time Because he
writes every note
and he writes every line
And I've seen him at work
when that light goes
on in his mind
It's like a design is
written in his head every time
Before he even touches a key
or speaks in a rhyme
And those motherfuckers he
runs with kids that he signed
Ridiculous without even trying
how do they do it This is ten
percent luck
twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated
power of will
Five percent pleasure
fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent
reason to remember the name
This is ten percent luck
twenty percent skill
Fifteen percent concentrated
power of will
Five percent pleasure
fifty percent pain
And a hundred percent
reason to remember the name
Yeah Fort Minor
M Shinoda Styles of Beyond
Ryu Takbir Machine Shop

Someone right now
is leaving their apartment
Looking down at the street
Wondering where there car went
Someone in the car sitting at a signal
In front of a restaraunt
Staring through the window
at someone Right now
with their finger in their teeth
Who could use a little floss
Right across the street
there's somebody on the curb
Who really needs a jacket
spent half the rent at a bar getting plastered
Now he gotta walk fourteen blocks to
work at a shop Where he's about to get fired
Someone right now is looking pretty tired
Staring at a laptop trying to get inspired
Somebody living right across the street
She wrote the best things
She's written all week but her
best friends coughing up blood in the sink
Can't even think what happened
feeling so confused
And he knows it looks bad
but there's nothing he can do
I wonder what it's like to be right
there in his shoes
But no I'm just taking it in
Out the window of a hotel bedroom again
Tommorrow I'll be gone
I don't know when I'll be back
But in this world everything can
change just like that, Like that
Yo somebody right now
is dropping his vote inside a box
And trying not to get shot in his throat
For the act of freedom right now
somebody is stuck in Iraq
Hoping that he gets shipped back breathing
in a war That he's not really
sure of the reasons
So we show our support
when the press mislead them
Though we more then remain proud
and salute the troops get some
I know you boys got some work to do
Meanwhile right now someones 25 to life
And is stading on the corner
with their thumb up hitchiking
Stratching off a lotto ticket
hoping for a real winner
Sneaking through the border just to
work and to eat a real dinner
Right now someone wishes
they were you were not instead of second
Guessing freedom thoughts of quiet suicide
But right now I'm staring at the window
at a frame with holes
In his arm and holes in his jeans
he pulled out his siger And sparked the light
And walked right around
the corner just outta my sight
But yo I'm just taking it in
From the second story hotel window again
The TV's on, and my bags are packed
But in this world everything
can change just like that, Like that
But yo I'm just taking it in
From the second story hotel window again
The TV's on, and my bags are packed
But in this world everything
can change just like that, Like that
Ya right now
somebody sitting in the darkness
Trying to figure out how to put some heat
in their apartment
But they got a little matress and a little carpet
And they appreciate
it 'cause some people on a park bench
You see them when you rushing to
get to the office wife robbed blind
When she coming from the market
Right now somebody coming
out from the pocket
Trying to dump that rock
They run around the block with at
The same time the cops
is raising the block with aim
To fill your legs and back with some hot shit
Right now
somebody struggling to stop this man
Who's kick and punching
and cussing at the doctors
Down the hall the child taking his first breath
The doctors ain't even passed
him to the nurse yet yo
I wonder if he understands what it's worth yet
Like the time spent while
we here on the earth yet
The answer to the question
that we all seek can be found
Depend on how free y'all think
Right now
it's somebody who ain't eat all week
That would kill for the shit
that you throw away in the street
I guess ones mans trash is
the next mans treaure
One mans pain is the next mans
pleasure one say
Infinity the next say forever
right now everybody
got to get it together man
I'm just taking it in another
strange hotel lobby again
Put my luggage on my back
I don't know where I'm at
I'm in world where we all change just like that
Like that, like that, just like that ...

Y’all are not not r-ready no not r-ready no
We're about to drop it steady so
Do it like that
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
How you doing y’all
My name's Mike
I'm fluent with the new shit
I'm doing it all night
I like what I do
I do what I like
I can quit
and get it back like I'm riding a bike Like stop
bring it back
We got that balance keeping us on track that you
Get when you're moving quick with no slow
You stare like you don't care But you do though
I know You really must be so lonely
Puffed up like you're tough
but So phony
You and your boys you don't know me
You really wanna hold me
Show me [homie]
Let's get it over with for good
I got a Friction addiction I wish you would
Machine Shop rocking when we step inside
And we got everybody so petrified
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
Listen you are not ready
Like children in the building
you can't stand steady
It must be the beat's so heavy
Causing panic attacks like a crack in the levy
Give you that Robert-Plant
Dancing-days-are-back feeling all in the track
And in fact
for those knowing the name I'm back
With some brand new crack
we can do it like that
You really must be so lonely
Puffed up like you're tough but So phony
You and your boys you don't know me
You really wanna hold me
Show me [homie]
Tough talk doesn't mean a thing
Get over yourself
you know when we're up in the scene it's
Machine Shop rocking when we step inside
And we got everybody so petrified
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
Y’all are not not r-ready no not r-ready no
We're about to drop it steady so
Do it like that
Y’all are not not r-ready no not r-ready no
We're about to drop it steady so
Do it like that
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
Why is everybody so petrified [what]
Petrified [what]
Step aside
and just Drop that [c'mon]
Like Stop bring it back
We got that balance
keeping us on track
Like Stop bring it back
We got that balance
keeping us on track
Like Stop bring it back
We got that balance
keeping us on track
Like Stop bring it back
We got that balance
keeping us on track
Like stop [stop]…

Machine Shop [Shop]

These days are dark and the nights are cold
People actin like they lost their soul
And everywhere I go, I see another person like me
Tryin to make it all feel like home
These days are dark and the nights are cold
People actin like they lost their soul
And everywhere I go, I see another person like me
Tryin to make it all feel like home

Standin on the bridge in the dark
and I'm seein my breath
Tryin to make it home without freezin to death
and my grandfather's face is stuck in my mind
and how seein him tonight's gonna be the last time
I shoulda brought a jacket
blowin in my hands like it's really gonna stop the chill
I buy a cup of coffee with a 5 dollar bill
Thinkin layin in that box people look so still
at times like these you start thinking
your first breath in and the clock starts tickin
I'm not tryin to bum anyone out
Not trying to be dramatic just thinkin out loud
Im just trying to make some sense in my mind
Some defense from the cold that I'm feelin outside
and for a minute escape with some rhythm and rhyme
and get away from the grey just a bit at a time

Kinda funny how this world can treat ya
Like a freak in a sideshow
A carnival creature
Climbin outta cans, Im a diamond in the sand
But you cant tell the difference on a beach full of rhinestones
my life's like tryin to swallow a pinecone
it's tough when you live fast just to die slow
talk to dial tones my dreams are far fetched it seems
so I sleep underneath this park bench
I know it dont make sense and I dont expect for you to know what it's like
Smoke, drink, piss, sniffin everything off in my sight
push rocks in a pipe
lift-off I keep puffin til my lips turn white
and my chest gets tight
But who the fuck really cares when you're so far left that even death looks right
All I can do is hope for the best and pray that it gets a little better than yesterday

These days are dark and the nights are cold
People actin like they lost their soul
And everywhere I go, I see another person like me
Tryin to make it all feel like home
These days are dark and the nights are cold
People actin like they lost their soul
And everywhere I go, I see another person like me
Tryin to make it all feel like home

Yo
Pardon me I think I'm next to url
Too many problems goin on thats why I left my girl
Packed my bags and I traveled with a pen and my notepad
Pissed that i was broke and all the things that I dont have
But still I try to find a way to escape from all the hate
Planted in my head that led to mistakes
But now im breakin the mold see I was patient and calm
Many sleep in the rain but I'm awake in the storm
Writin my life in a short film
The rise and fall
How i managed to scorch hills and climb the walls
pound pavement, aimless in this cold existence
even though things are changin i'm going the distance
overcoming the doubt that had controlled for so long
and put it all behind me cos life still goes on
now i'm much stronger, I know where I stand
while lost souls search over and over again


These days are dark and the nights are cold
people actin like they lost their soul
and everybody's tryin not to cry
tryina get by and tryin not to feel outta control
and if you look hard enough, sometimes you'll find
a place that might just remind you of home
but if it doesn't feel like home,
you can do what i do
just pretend you don't feel so alone (so alone, so alone...)

Feel like home
Feel like home
Feel like home
Feel like home
Feel like home
Feel like home
Feel like home
Feel like home

Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone

She said 'Some days
I feel like shit,
Some days I wanna quit,
and just be normal for a bit,'
I don't understand
why you have to always be gone,
I get along but the trips
always feel so long,
And, I find myself tryna
stay by the phone,
'Cause your voice always helps me
when I feel so alone,
But I feel like an idiot,
workin' my day around the call,
But when I pick up
I don't have much to say,
So, I want you to know
it's a little fucked up,
That I'm stuck here waitin',
at times debatin',
Tellin' you that I've had it
with you and your career,
Me and the rest of the family
here singing
'Where'd you go?'
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home
You know the place
where you used to live,
Used to barbeque up burgers
and ribs,
Used to have a little party
every Hallowe'en with candy
by the pile,
But now, you only stop by
every once in a while,
Shit, I find myself just
fillin' my time,
Anything to keep the thought of
you from my mind,
I'm doin' fine,
I plan to keep it that way,
You can call me if you find you
have somethin' to say,
And I'll tell you,
I want you to know
it's a little fucked up,
That I'm stuck here waitin',
at times debatin',
Tellin' you that I've had it
with you and your career,
Me and the rest of the family
here singing
'Where'd you go?'
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home
I want you to know
it's a little fucked up,
That I'm stuck here waitin',
no longer debatin',
Tired of sittin' and hatin'
and makin' these excuses,
For while you're not around,
and feeling so useless,
It seems one thing has been
true all along,
You don't really know
what you got 'til it's gone,
I guess I've had it with you
and your career,
When you come back I won't be
here and you'll can sing it
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home
Please come back home
Please come back home
Please come back home
Please come back home

This is how it goes
Welcome one and all to the show
We're wired up fired up
fucking ready to go
In the back of the parking lot outside of the bar
Twenty deep twenty feet from the boulevard
Black hoodies
Black caps
Black label in glasses
Previewing the new shit before all the masses
’Cause the first thing I need
when I've got a new beat
Is to see how it sounds
echoing off the street
I just take it for a spin
Pop the CD in
Slide it up to ten and get that rearview shaking
Then play it again so there's no mistaking
San Andreas the block
Get this bitch earthquaking like
Oh ready for it here we go
We got the whole block rocking in stereo
We're taking control
letting everybody know
And if you feel it
let me hear everybody go
You're not ready
I got plenty cuts for twenty months dropped steadily
Plenty tracks to empty on your wack pedigree
I'm backed heavily while you're back peddling
Forget the chitchat on me homie kick back
I'm on that shit that can get your homie bitch-slapped
So zip your lip back
listen and watch
We got the whole block rockin' off the way the beat knocks
You don't have to warn the people on the corner they know
That if you're standing on
that corner then you're getting that show
World premiering you're hearing that Machine Shop flow
San Andreas the block
Get this bitch earthquaking like
Oh ready for it here we go
We got the whole block rocking in stereo
We're taking control
letting everybody know
And if you feel it
let me hear everybody go
Oh ready for it here we go
We got the whole block rocking in stereo
We're taking control
letting everybody know
And if you feel it
let me hear everybody go
Turn the key
turn the volume up to loud Roll right
roll every window down
Let the whole block know what this is about
Turn it up y’all
burn that system out
Turn the key
turn the volume up to loud
Roll right
roll every window down
Let the whole block know what this is about
Turn it up y’all
burn that system out
Oh ready for it here we go
We got the whole block rocking in stereo
We're taking control
letting everybody know
And if you feel it
let me hear everybody go
Oh ready for it here we go
We got the whole block rocking in stereo
We're taking control
letting everybody know
And if you feel it
let me hear everybody go

Back home
Everybody's searching for somethin'
But all they can find is a whole lot of nothin'
Back home
Ain't nobody hoping and praying
Cause they feel like nothing can save ’em
And they try to hold out
but they can't fight the fact that
Life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
Cause ain't a damn thing free
Back home
Back home they holler “disciple” and “blackstone”
Same block they freebase yo we trapped on
Where our grandmothers marched The guns clap on
There’s liquor stores, beauty supplies, and rap songs
I travel the world just to come back to it
The crib got a lot of soul like black music
I’m attached to it
In many ways this city raised me and gave me
The drama, honor, and bravery
The streets seem hollow when I go to Chicago
It’s cheap wine and sorrow
Times is hard to swallow
In search of God’s tomorrow I borrow words from the
Bible and use them for survival gangs rival
Signs painted on walls like hieroglyphics
I tell ’em that this is all tribal
Used to do dirt shorty’s goin' through the same cycle
And trials like Michael tryin' not to stay idle
Back home
Everybody's searching for somethin'
But all they can find is a whole lot of nothin'
Back home
Ain't nobody hoping and praying
Cause they feel like nothing can save ’em
And they try to hold out
but they can't fight the fact that
Life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
Cause ain't a damn thing free
Back home
Back home it’s not Compton but close
The same problems exist and the pain throbbin'
And folks are so common
It don’t really bother us much we just swallow it uh
Crack the bottle and smoke hope tomorrow something
Magical happens that’ll put me back in the biz
But the chances of it actually happening’s kinda slim
Back home we get the good life at a glimpse
In the form of a rap star, drug dealers, and pimps
I’m back home
Back home I try my best to keep it together it’s cold
Like the Windy City streets of December
I pace back and forth looking for the courage to shine
But can’t tap the source need something to nourish my mind
I know we all lose quite a bit in life
Only to gain some
Life or the dark winding roads we came from
But I move with the night so I’m used to the shade
And never lose sight bringing truth back to the game
Back home we've got a lot of shit on our minds
We're always behind on something
cause there's not enough time
And we're non-stop bottom line doing what we gotta do
To get some food in the fridge and stay out of the hospital
Back home there's people calling us hopeless
People trying to tell us all we need is some focus
But focus
Focus is overrated
Cause you see every blemish
and mistake and can't change it
Back home is Alvarado K-Town and J-Town
Or Little Tokyo for those that don't know
Where figures shiver living right in the litter
Where kids write bigger right inside the LA river
On the concrete a symbol of our everyday way
Its that color and concentration over heavy and grey
And by the time the ink dries on this page
I’ll be half a day away from the place where I stay
Back home
Everybody's searching for somethin'
But all they can find is a whole lot of nothin'
Back home
Ain't nobody hoping and praying
Cause they feel like nothing can save ’em
And they try to hold out
but they can't fight the fact that
Life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
Cause ain't a damn thing free
Back home

And I love this rap game mainly cause its cool,
To add a little spice to the life you've been through,
Everyone exaggerates a tiny little bit,
Make that shit sound more gangsta then it really is,
You cant appear weak man,
We wanna hear street,
We wanna hear you spit your thug over this here beat,
Don't take it as sarcastic,
I can't get enough I'm tellin you,
You can call my bluff if its not rough then I really don't need it,
I'm not even ashamed,
I've got too much reality and its fillin up my brain,
So sell me on the product,
I'm addicted to the game,
Suck it up like a cigarette,
Light it up.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
No body's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Let me tell you somethin that I realized tonight,
My hip-hop radios like Marlboro light,
They're both selling stories and they sound about the same,
Cigarettes say they're safe,
Rappers say they really bang,
We don't care if its true when we lay the money down,
We don't believe the words,
We just love the way they sound,
They're acting like we're idiots,
They're lying to our face,
Maybe we are idiots,
We buy it anyway.
I'm runnin out to get the next rappers CD,
Just suckin up the guns, drugs n misogyny,
The same way that I suck up all the stories that I breath,
That little bit of death supposedly cancer free,
And everything they say got the truth twisted up,
Its what I want man I can't get enough,
Cause even though we know its all just a big bluff,
We just light another up,
WHAT we don't give a fuck.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Over and over but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Man listen to ma words,
Listen for a while,
Lip service radio,
Don't touch the dial.

If you're in the car,
Turn up the track man,
Give your whole neighborhood some second hand rap,
Hey,
Matter of fact,
Listen for a while,
Lip service radio,
Don't touch the dial.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Over and over but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool

I guess
That this is where we've come to
If you don't want to
Then you don't have to believe me
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me

I don't want to be the one to blame
You like fun and games
Keep playing em
I'm just sayin
Think back then
We was like one and the same
On the right track
But I was on the wrong train
Just like that
Now you've got a face to pain
And the devil's got a fresh new place to play
In your brain like a maze you can never escape the rain
Every damn day is the same shade of grey

Hey
I used have a little bit of a plan
Used to
Have a concept of where I stand
But that concept slipped right out of my hands
Now I don't really even know who I am
Yo, what do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free
What ever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen to me

[chorus]
I guess
That this is where we've come to
If you don't want to
Then you don't have to believe me
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me

Back then, I thought you were just like me
Somebody who could see all the pain I see
But you proved to me unintentionally
That you would self-destruct eventually
Now I'm thinking like the mistake I made doesn't hurt
But it's not gonna work
Cause it's really much worse than I thought
I wished you were something that you were not
And now this guilt is really all that I got

You turned your back
And walked away in shame
All you got is a memory of pain
Nothing makes sense so you stare at the ground
I hear your voice in my head when no one's around
What do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free
What ever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen to me

[chorus]
I guess
That this is where we've come to
If you don't want to
Then you don't have to believe me
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me

[bridge]

[chorus]
I guess
That this is where we've come to
If you don't want to
Then you don't have to believe me
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me

Do what i have to do
You're on your own now believe me

What ever happens to you
You're on your own now believe me

What do I have to say
You're on your own now believe me

It's not gonna happen to me
You're on your own now believe me

The dude, he said that, like, when we were making the first Linkin Park record
He was like,
"Yeah you know, I don't know about the rapping like, I don't know... maybe you should just be a rock band."
You know what I mean, like, trying to change us
like they signed us as an act like what we sound like and then he's like
"Oh I don't know maybe you should just play keyboard"

Before the first song that you heard me on
There were people already tryin' to get me gone
Tellin' me to quit rapping
"Just play the keys"
That my band had a singer
They didn't need me
But my band had my back
So we did the tracks
Put out the album and the talk went flat
It was funny at first but then the humour faded
When some magazines printed that our label made us
We were to be good to be true
Some were saying ghost writers were writin' all that we do
So we had to disprove it
We spelled it out to the detail how we do it when we're making this music
After that I made it a rule
I only do e-mail responses to print interviews
Because these people love to put a twist to your words
To infer that you said something fucking absurd

Oh, did I lose you at infer?
Not used to hearing a verse that uses over first grade vocabulary words?
People used to infer that we were manufactured
Now I've got the interviews on file
Which people said what
Which number to dial
So now every enemy screaming insanity
All they're ever gonna be's another big fan of me
Bitch

"hahaha"
"You beileve that?
Like, thats crazy
Sounds crazy right?
You're like this point -
at this point you figure-
you hear that and your like
"That guy is out of his mind"
But honestly at that point,
besides the fact that he wanted me to just play keyboard, or whatever,
he didn't want me rap,
he was like
maybe joe hahn should, um, wear a lab coat and a cowboy hat on st...like when we play
I swear to God he's crazy!
It was crazy..."

"Whats goin on with the cowboy hat?"

"yea...
And later on he claimed that he wrote our - all our songs so that was...that was real nice"

Lets go ya'll

These people are running
off at the mouth
Tryin to convince me
that I'm running on empty
Tryin to convince themselves
that the record with Jay was a fluke
That the record
that I'm makin is a mistake
and I cant take this

Lemme tell you where I'm at with this
You bastards are gonna have
to take back that shit
I'm not plastic and fake
When I make tracks I take facts
and lay them out for the masses
You assholes are gonna see soon
that I'm not playin
Start askin me the names
that I'm not sayin
But I'm tryin to be
bigger than the bickerin
bigger than the petty name callin
under the breath talkin

rumors and labels and categorization
I'm like a struggling doctor, No patients
But you can say what you want about me
keep talkin while I'm walkin away

You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind's made up anyway
I'm taking the high road going above you
this is the last time
that I'm gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind's made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it's not gonna work today

You people are running off at the mouth
Tryin to make me take myself off safety
Tryin to make my friends turn
their backs on the team we built
buildin up some mistaken information
and I cant take this

lemme spell it out plain for you
angry groups complain
about the things we do
im not changing direction,
I'm stepping my game up
Maintainin my name,
the same way I came up
You're gonna see that I'm not playin
start asking the names that I'm not sayin
but im tryin not to mention the names
of people who wanna sight and attention
You like the hype but pretendin
you're part of the picture wont pass
You're like a high school dropout, no class
You can say what you want about me
keep talkin while i'm walkin away bitch

You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind's made up anyway
I'm taking the high road going above you
this is the last time
that I'm gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind's made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it's not gonna work today

Why does it always have to be
Somebody's always watching me
All I really need is some room to breathe
Is anybody out there listening?

Cuz I cant stand to keep this in
All I really want, I'll say it again

You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind's made up anyway
I'm taking the high road going above you
this is the last time
that I'm gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind's made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it's not gonna work today

My father came from Japan in 1905
He was 15 when he
immigrated from Japan
He, he he worked until he was able
to buy this patch
And build a store

Let me tell you the story
in the form of a dream,
I don't know why I have to tell it
but I know what it means,
Close your eyes, just picture the scene,
As I paint it for you, it was World War II,
When this man named Kenji woke up,
Ken was not a soldier,
He was just a man with a family
who owned a store in LA,
That day, he crawled out of bed
like he always did,
Bacon and eggs with wife and kids,
He lived on the second floor
of a little store he ran,
He moved to LA from Japan,
They called him 'Immigrant,'
In Japanese,
he'd say he was called "Issei,"
That meant 'First Generation
In The United States,'
When everyone was afraid of the Germans,
afraid of the Japs,
But most of all afraid of a homeland attack,
And that morning when Ken went
out on the doormat,
His world went black 'cause,
Right there; front page news,
Three weeks before 1942,
"Pearl Harbour's Been Bombed
And The Japs Are Comin',"
Pictures of soldiers dyin' and runnin',
Ken knew what it would lead to,
Just like he guessed, the President said,
"The evil Japanese in our home
country will be locked away,"
They gave Ken, a couple of days,
To get his whole life packed in two bags,
Just two bags,
couldn't even pack his clothes,
Some folks didn't even have a suitcase,
to pack anything in,
So two trash bags was all they gave them,
When the kids asked mum
"Where are we goin'?"
Nobody even knew what to say to them,
Ken didn't wanna lie,
he said "The US is lookin' for spies,
So we have to live in a place called Mandinar,
Where a lot of Japanese people are,"
Stop it don't look at the gunmen,
You don't wanna get the soldiers wonderin',
If you gonna run or not,
'Cause if you run then you might get shot,
Other than that try not to think about it,
Try not to worry 'bout it; bein' so crowded,
Someday we'll get out, someday, someday.

As soon as war broke out
The G.I came and
they just come to the house and
"You have to come"
"All the Japanese have to go"
They took Mr. Lee
People didn't understand
Why did they have to take him?
Because he's an innocent labourer?

So now they're in a town
with soldiers surroundin' them,
Every day, every night look down at them,
From watch towers up on the wall,
Ken couldn't really hate them at all;
They were just doin' their job and,
He wasn't gonna make any problems,
He had a little garden
with vegetables and fruits that,
He gave to the troops
in a basket his wife made,
But in the back of his mind,
he wanted his families life saved,
Prisoners of war in their own damn country,
What for?
Time passed in the prison town,
He wanted them to live it down
when they were free,
The only way out was joinin' the army,
And supposedly, some men
went out for the army, signed on,
And ended up flyin' to Japan with a bomb,
That 15 kilotonne blast,
put an end to the war pretty fast,
Two cities were blown to bits
the end of the war came quick,
Ken got out, big hopes of a normal life,
with his kids and his wife,
But, when they got back to their home,
What they saw made them feel so alone,
These people had trashed every room,
Smashed in the windows
and bashed in the doors,
Written on the walls and the floor,
"Japs not welcome anymore."
And Kenji dropped both of his bags
at his sides and just stood outside,
He, looked at his wife
without words to say,
She looked back at him
wiped the tears away,
And, said "Someday we'll be okay, someday,"
Now the names have been changed,
but the story's true,
My family was locked up back in '42,
My family was there it was dark and damp,
And they called it an internment camp

When we first got back from camp uhh
It was  pretty pretty bad

I, I remember my husband said
"Are we gonna stay 'til last?"
Then my husband died
before they close the camp.

Wooooh Wooooh Woooh Wooooooooh Woooah

I had a friend named Victor
The two of us used to hang every single day
And it seemed like overnight
That his whole life just changed
I know when his mom and dad broke up
It didn't make sense
But i know that his dad was a drunk
And he gambled away the rent

Pretty soon Vic was seeing red
Pissed off and instead
Hed drink every night until he passed out
And then hed do it all again
The whole time smiling on the outside
To cover the pain
But on the inside
All he was trying to do was get away

Dying to get away
Let the pain of yesterday
Go slipping through the cracks

Yo, Funny how things change color
Than fade to another shade
When you had it made it was all good
But now look just another day
It was so fresh
It was so clean
Never saw it gone
One, two, three
Lights out, which way to turn
Can't get a grip
All alone in a big white house
Every day gets worse
And you just curse until your head bursts
And it hurts so bad she left
Now you suffer
Should've thought of that one first
No family, no kids
Cant accept what you did
Now you wanna run away
But you can't
Cause the past comes back again

Slippin through the cracks
Sniff a little jack
Go to bed half dead
What about rent
Why does every cent gotta be a bet
Whens it gonna end
Oh my god we dont got a penny left
My moms gotta find a way
To get a job, out of debt, out of dodge
Out of breath, out of this big problem
My pops wanna get away from the pain
In a better place in his brain
But the medication he takes
Makes him wasted
So sick he was gonna think
The good lord would come take him
I'm shaking him
Wake up you son of a bitch!

He's dying to get away
Let the pain of yesterday
Go slipping through the cracks
Hiding himself away
Watching all the memories fade away
From red to black

He's dying to get away
Let the pain of yesterday
Go slipping through the cracks
Hiding himself away
Watching all the memories fade away
From red to black

Slipping through the cracks
Slipping through the cracks
Slipping through the cracks

These hungry rappers battle for a buck and some change
There really be kids starving
Give a fuck if it change
Shock rap
Not that
You get signed you might blow up
Release Party In Iraq.
You might blow up
I see you trying to think a few lines you might get at me with
Slap happy with babies who’re born with crack in they cribs
Too much to cram under you oversized titled
And the public system failed you
Either you ignore it or...

You know me,
I used to get caught up in everyday life
Tryin' to make it through my day
So I can sleep at night
Tryin' to figure out my way
Through the maze of rights and wrongs
But like you used to say
Nothing feels like it's really worth it
Forget perfect
I'm tryin' not to be worthless
Since I last saw you I've been lookin' for a purpose
Well, I met this kid who thought like I did
He had a weird way of lookin' at it,
This is what he said:

Slip out the back before they know you were there
At the worst you'll see nobody cares
'Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared
Slip out the back before they know you were there
At the worst you'll see nobody cares
'Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared

Now, I don't remember where I met him
Or remember his name
But he walked funny, like he was just to big for his frame
Just over 5 foot, but he weighed a buck fifty
And what he said seemed so right, it stuck with me
Listen,
It's like poker; you can play your best,
But you gotta know when to fold your cards
And take a rest
And know when to hold your cards, hold your breath
And hope that nobody else is stackin' the deck
Because,
I don't need to tell you that life isn't fair,
It doesn't care it arbitrarily cuts off your air,
And like you, I want someone to say it's ok
In the truest part of their harts everybody's afraid
We're just
Under-appreciated and overwhelmed
Fightin' so hard to hide our fear that we're scaring ourselves,
You understand what I'm sayin',
'Cause you always did,
But it's different in the words of a cowardly kid,
Who said:

Slip out the back before they know you were there
At the worst you'll see nobody cares
'Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared
Slip out the back before they know you were there
At the worst you'll see nobody cares
'Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared

And I'm no hero,
You remember how it was, you know,
All I ever did was worry feelin' out of control
To the point where everything is going
End over end
I'm spinnin' around in circles again,
This is where you come in
All of this to explain to you why
I had to separate myself away from yesterday's life
Please remember,
This isn't how I hoped it would be
But I had to protect you from me
That's why I

Slipped out the back before you knew I was there
I know you felt unprepared
But every single time I was around I just bring you down
And I could tell that it was time to be scared
That's why I slipped out the back before you knew I was there
And I know the way I left wasn't fair,
I didn't want to be around just to bring you down
I'm not a hero, but don't think I didn't care