Sirens

Living in downtown Los Angeles Surrounded by some blacks and hispanics While I'm walking through a campus full of white folk DPS texting us with descriptions of the enemy And if you don't know They all look like me Entire community being gentrified I had to train myself not to run and hide or I'll look suspicious And so I'll act like the whites as a disguise Cuz if I act how I want in public I might be subject to questions I've been taught to code switch for protection Cause people freak out if you're acting too ethnic Never respected, just tolerated for art and our culture And nothing more so I'm walking lightly Always be too polite and speak kindly I feel like a sell out, but that's how I've survived My colored people targeted every day and every night for being authentic I go home and I hold my head and I cry For the families in South Central that's tired Of all the sirens playing I hear sirens out the window Hope the people okay System always been against us For no reason, I pray For our safety and I'm hoping Maybe one of these days That things will be much better I hear sirens out the window Hope the people okay System always been against us For no reason, I pray For our safety and I'm hoping Maybe one of these days That things will be much better It's 2am and I'm whipping it through the westside Quarantine been having me itching to see the outside Scooped up my homegirl, we driving, blasting the music When some lights and sirens pop up behind me, so I pull over And pull the keys out ignition, put em on the roof Get my license out and place my hands at 10 and 2 Had registration ready so they wouldn't have to shoot Because I'm reaching for the glove box and might pull out the tool Cop gets on the megaphone, says roll your windows down I comply and see two officers hop out as they start walking to me I see them take their flashlights off of their belts and Look all up inside my car before they even started talking to me Fuck standard procedure, this ain't no traffic stop The only thing that's running through my head is don't get shot Cuz I've seen the stories, and I know what can happen It's safer to let 'em have it, that's what it's like being black in This country I see sirens out my window Hope that I'll be okay System always been against me For no reason, I pray For my safety and I'm hoping Maybe one of these days That things will be much better, please I see sirens out my window Hope that I'll be okay System always been against me For no reason, I pray For my safety and I'm hoping Maybe one of these days That things will be much better Scrolling through Twitter, I see the protesters' signs People fighting for justice, fed up with the pain inside And it's beautiful seeing faces of all kinds Men, women, and children, colored people and allies But then I see bullets flying, tear gas, citizens choking Crowds getting run over, people seizing, I've seen explosions Buildings on fire, helicopter blades chopping the air All to silence something peaceful, why this world so unfair? Ridiculous I hear sirens out my window Please keep my people safe System always been against us For no reason, I pray For our safety and I'm hoping Maybe one of these days That things will be much better It's gotta get better I hear sirens out the window Please keep my people safe System always been against us For no reason, I pray For our safety and I'm hoping Maybe one of these days That things will be much better Please Shoot those motherfuckers! Don't put that over the air Can we just start locking people up already No, it doesn't work like that At least I won't take a knee