[1] I’m still standing where the terror lives

Swear that I don’t wanna sleep but taking sedatives

For the pain.

And they keep blaming me for being hurt, needing work, seeing certain defeat.

In the mirror I see me,

And it’s clear what reap we sowing over and over

Goals of a soldier—just tryna live. Look over our shoulders.

Just hoping that knowing better, expecting fire to come,

And still they ask, “If he wasn’t guilty, why did he run?”

For one, I’m guilty of being black as the night.

And two, I’m too aware of your fear of it. Fight or flight.

The righter right, in the brightest light, ain’t gone try to write my type of sight as the kind of plight that’ll spark the dynamite to make the world see

Me as a human being. Sure as breathing leads to dying,

You and me ain’t seeing I the same. I done claimed victory before.

It’s the history of my fore-

Fathers and you ain’t ‘bout be bothered to try to learn it.

[Hook]

If it’s all about these words I write,

Then I hope that you receive ‘em

And more that you can believe ‘em.

It seems nobody wants that....

They telling me back then it was bad to have black skin.

I’m paying the cost now,

And saying we lost how

We can make what little we have into something better.

I think it’s all in the...

[2] As sure as property costs and I gotta turn what I know into real estate,

When the realest state of reality bites

And the dealer takes from the pot before the card’s even dealt,

There’s other things on my mind that I’m more concerned with.

Not what Momma taught—The Golden Rule—

“Do unto who…what was done to you.” This shit’ll be burning now.

But the schools want me to think that I’m doomed—but I ain’t going.

I’m living and trying to get it. I’m s’posed to be learning how.

And they just teaching me to hate myself,

‘bout chains that I’m s’posed to break myself,

That ‘justice’ means “wait for help”

That ‘good life’ means “take for self.”

I’m busy redefining ‘great’ for self.

So when you hear me say “word to words.” just know the purpose behind it.

You see my work is defining me for myself.

I still stand where the terror lives

And they keep telling me to take but instead I give…my word.

[Hook]

If it’s all about these words I write,

Then I hope that you receive ‘em

And more that you can believe ‘em.

It seems nobody wants that....

They telling me back then it was bad to have black skin.

I’m paying the cost now,

And saying we lost how

We can make what little we have into something better.

I think it’s all in the...