 [Talib Kweli]
The proud
Stand tall or don't stand at all, c'mon
Uhh, yeah
Break it down
What we do?
[Chorus]
We survive, it's more than pride
We stay alive, ready to ride
[Chorus] - repeat through intro
[Intro: Talib Kweli]
One two, one two yo
Aight.. put it down yo
June 21, 2001
Timothy McVeigh is executed
And the country breathe a sigh of
relief
Goodness prevails over evil, it seems
Somehow when he's gone, we feel
safer
Little do we know
[Verse One]
Today the paper say Timothy
McVeigh's in hell
So everything's okay and all must be
well
I remember Oklahoma when they put
out the blaze
And put Islamic terrorist bombing, on
the front page
It's like saying only gays get AIDS,
propaganda
Like saying the problem's over when
they locked that man up
Wrong! It's just the beginning, the first
inning
Battle for America's soul, the devil's
winning
The President is Bush, the Vice
President's a Dick
So a whole lot of fuckin is what we
gon' get
They don't wanna raise the babies so
the election is fixed
That's why we don't be fuckin with
politics
They bet on that, parents fought and
got wet for that
Hosed down, bit by dogs, and got
blacks into house arrest for that
It's all good except for that - we still
poor
Money, power and respect is what
we kill for, for real
[Chorus] - repeat through interlude
[Interlude]
August 4, 2001
A drunken police officer mows down
an entire family in Brooklyn
The judge lets him go with no bail
It reminds us, of just how worthless
our lives are to the justice system
I struggle, to explain the situation to
my son, it's hard
[Verse Two]
Niggaz with knowledge is more
dangerous than than niggaz with
guns
They make the guns easy to get and
try to keep niggaz dumb
Target the gangs and graffiti with the
Prop 21
I already know the deal but what the
fuck do I tell my son?
I want him livin right, livin good,
respect the rules
He's five years old and he still thinkin
cops is cool
How do I break the news that when
he gets some size
He'll be percieved as a threat or see
the fear in they eyes
It's in they job description to terminate
the threat
So 41 shots to the body is what he
can expect
The precedent is set, don't matter if
he follow the law
I know I'll give my son pride and
make him swallow it all (damn!)
Fuck the pigs! I think the pigs killed
Big and 'Pac too
If they didn't they know who did, they
got to!
Who they serve and protect, nigga
not you
Cops shot off of ten G's but they got
glocks too
Let you protect yourself, or better yet
respect yourself
Straight into the hospital is where you
gotta check yourself
They be gettin tips from snitches and
rival crews
Doin them favors so they workin for
the drug dealers too
Just business enforcers with hate in
they holsters
Shoot you in the back, won't face
you like a soldier
Kurt Loder asked me what I say to a
dead cop's wife
Cops kill my people everyday, that's
life
[Chorus] - repeat through final
interlude
[Final Interlude]
September 11, 2001
Terrorists attack the Pentagon and
the World Trade Center
Kills thousand and permanently scars
America's false sense of security
We see the best examples of
humanity in the face of the worst
As fire fighters, police officers, rescue
workers
and volunteers of all sorts, fight to
save lives
The world will never be the same
again
[Verse Three]
My heart go out to everybody at
Ground Zero
Red, black, yellow, white and brown
heroes
It's more complicated than black and
white
To give your own life is the greatest
sacrifice
But it's hard for me to walk down the
block
Seeing rats and roaches, crack viles
and 40 ounce posters
People broken down from years of
oppression
Become patriots when they way of life
is threatened
It's a hard conversation to have
We lost kids, moms and dads, people
ready to fight for the flag
Damn, when did shit get this bad?
America kill the innocent too, the
cycle of violence is sad
Damn! Welcome to the world, we
here
We've been at, war for years but it's
much more clear (yeah)
We got to face what lies ahead
Fight for our truth and freedom and,
ride for the dead
[Chorus] - repeat to end
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