Held Down (feat. Cee-Lo) - De La Soul: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts

Held Down (feat. Cee-Lo)

14,898

Hip-Hop/Rap

Held Down (feat. Cee-Lo) was released on December 4, 2001 by AOI Records as a part of the album AOI: Bionix

Song Details

AlbumAOI: Bionix

Release DateDecember 4, 2001

LabelAOI Records

Melodicness

Acousticness

Valence

Danceability

Energy

BPM88

OVERVIEW

LYRICS

Music Video

Music Video

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS

De La Soul

Performer

Cee-Lo

Vocals

Leroy Hodges

Performer

Thomas Bigham

Performer

Darius Booker

Choir

Larry Goldings

Organ

Melanie Davies

Choir

Taketha Johnson

Taketha Johnson

Choir

COMPOSITION & LYRICS

Kelvin Mercer

Songwriter

David Jude Jolicoeur

David Jude Jolicoeur

Songwriter

Vincent Mason

Songwriter

Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg

Composer

Jean-Claude Vannier

Jean-Claude Vannier

Composer

PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING

De La Soul

Producer

Posdnuos

Producer

Lyrics

[Intro]

Allow me to break it down

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Life

[Verse 1]

This is dedicated to all my folks

Diagnosed with a bad case of that proper upbringin'

And never took the time to fall in line or follow

Or swallow the thoughts

Of the recognized committees who lurk throughout ya cities

Ya hood, ya town, no matter which type

You from the same type of people, try to hold you down

Just because you tailor made for bigger and better things

Never missed a chance to move ahead of things

And what does it bring? I tell you, for me

It brought jealousy in back wounds from all the stabbin'

Cats posin' as my fan just to get grabbin' what's mine

I'm livin' in times where my daughters are found around

Kids who can't afford thinkin' caps

But always found drinkin' raps and eatin' off beats

Claimin' laws of the streets, but who made the laws?

Everybody playin' rebel with no sign of a cause

[Chorus]

Well, I feel the world around me

I've found that others will bring you down, just to be down

You've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be

Where you wanna go with your life

Yo

With your life

[Verse 2]

I'm never singin' the blues, but findin' the clues to maintain

And I been blessed to reign supreme over nearly every dream I had

And I made it come true

I'm an imperfect man and I'm holdin' the clue

To perfection, it doesn't seem to matter what direction I look

I find people settin' traps

Tryin' to find the goal

Without havin' any maps

Even friends of mine jumped online, just to become my adversary

They felt they were entitled to the dairy I made

They don't come to chill or behave

And they got toast, ready to burn

Not learnin' to live, but they yearnin' to take what you earn

[Chorus]

Well, I feel the world around me

I've found that others will bring you down, just to be down

You see, you've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be

And where you wanna go with your life

With your life, yeah, yeah

[Verse 3]

So quick to place blame, and deny the shame we bring upon ourselves

So many names held accountable for my own account

When a large amount was weight that I made and shaped

When I climbed, I found

It was hard to find others around to point my fingers at

Which made me realize the truth

The biggest suppressor could be your own ego lookin' for an excuse

To plant roots, in a field of self-sorrow

To sprout and follow the first thing you feel

Nourishes your hunger to be respected, it gets hectic

And when I'm watchin' the news, and my daughter walks in

And choose to ask, "Why were all those people on the floor

Sleepin, covered in red?" I told her

That they were lookin for God, but found religion instead

[Chorus]

Well, I feel the world around me

I've found that others will bring you down, just to be down, you see

I've found, others will bring you down to be down

You've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be

And where you wanna go with your life, with your life

Where you wanna be with your life, with your life

[Bridge]

Sometimes

You gotta walk alone

Alone, alone, yeah

Alone, yeah, I need

Ooh, I need

I, I need my space to, to live, yeah

Yeah, I wanna live, yeah, I wanna live

Oh, oh

[Chorus]

Well, I feel the world around me

I've found that others will bring you down, just to be down, you see

I've found, others will bring you down to be down

Got to make up your mind, where you wanna be

And where you wanna go with your life, with your life

And where you wanna be with your life, with your life

Written by: David Jude Jolicoeur, Jean-Claude Vannier, Kelvin Mercer, Serge Gainsbourg, Vincent Mason

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