Pop pop.
Gunned down.
Hands up.
On the ground.

I never seen a prison cell
Accept my own house.
‘cause as soon as I step out side
police come out.

I never seen a prison cell
accept my own mind
As soon as we have some fun
They creep up from behind.

Pop pop.
Gunned down.
Hands up.
On the ground.

I did an extra 7 years
Just to make sure they don’t mess with me.
But the color of my skin
aint a match for my master’s degree.

I make a lot of money
and I’ve never sold D.
But I know they gunna
find a reason eventually.

Pop pop.
Gunned down.
Hands up.
On the ground.

They never have to put the cuffs on me
for me to be in jail.
because i’ve seen it so many times,
the memories are my cell.

Pop pop

Around this time of the year,
when the moon rises with the sun,
when I pretend that my breath is a cloud of smoke,
when fewer and fewer people leave their homes...
Around this time is when violence ends and forgiveness begins,
when people stand up for what they believe in,
when people speak their minds...
Around this time, I surround myself with the kindest people,
to fill the loneliness of my heart,
when I ponder and ponder,
how I became me,
and why I am where I stand,
I am filled with a myriad of emotions.
sadness. joy. regret. love.
I reminisce about these moments,
so that I may never forget,
that no matter where life takes us,
or what fate we await,
whether it be an adventure or a mission,
to fight for life,
to stop the killings...
And as we stand in the eye of the storm,
I remind myself,
that our life is an unbreakable force that pulls us together.
even during these darkest times,
I know that the light is just at the end of this tunnel.

One fine day on a sandy beach
I saw something in the clouds
slightly out of reach
It was my dreams inside my mind
my life in full and intertwined
I've traveled near and far away
from Liverpool to Cayton Bay
I love to see the various sights
and when with friends we put the world to rights
through rain and hail and sun and snow
I can show you where to go
now I'm married and acheiving my dream
Me and hubby are an expert team
He helps me and I Help him
when put together we're proper and prim
our dream keeps going round and round
but at the moment is sound on sound

Clinging to the eternal truth
That manaña never comes
But put all faith in the dawn of tomorrow
All the eggs in the sunlit basket

Because here, now,
In the dust of the crushed buildings
The pettiness, the bite of bullets from rooftops
The megaphones screeching their siren songs across
The dredge of forbidden earth,
Here and now
We embrace,

In the dawn of mañana a mother feeds a son
Toasts are made
The Spanish smile and
Gesture to the sky;
They are undefeatable
In the face of defeat;
In the face of mañana.

Maybe people did not realize what they had done.
The ****** of the people and their hope.
Africans are no different, so why were they treated as such?
It's better now! Tables with no signs that say,
"White Only."
Benches for everyone to use. One drinking fountain instead of two:
One on each side of the building.
One in the same!
And college, striving for a better future
Is an option.
Now, was that so hard?

Aren't they supposed to be people, too?
Pigment is really that important?
They are not *****!
A separate restaurant,
Drinking fountain,
Theater,
Bench,
Everything!
Because you can deal with "different" people.
They had "rights,"
But if they were considered people, the segregation would not have happened. They had no choice.
The conditions were worse.
How is that fair?
Hardly any jobs were open to them.

And I know you know exactly what I am
Talking about, but I never said once
That almost everyone called them that one despicable word:
******.