Now And Then

[Intro] We do it now, oh yeah "Now, now is the time" "Every now and then, I step to the now" We do it now, oh yeah Now, this time, every now and then I step to the now [Verse 1: Common] The holy matrimony of rap music is stony On the mic, I'm nice, niggas think that they know me Meet you where you are, let God speak through these bars Whether Rakim or Rashid, I guess the world is ours Wrote eighteen letters to the rap gods Hopin' I could be better, they said, "Find Forever" I just wanna be, killers wanna swarm The world is kinda jaded, I just keep willin' on Like Packard or Smith, rap is a gift I stay present 'cause I'm rappin' it with truth to power It's like the man who thought it was his time But didn't know the day or the hour Ain't no second guessing, this is the second resurrection I write in that direction, striving towards perfection In a land where the rivers flow, we've been blue indigo If we gon' ball then it gotta be a give and go I live to know the meaning of existence I'm learning like Sha'Carri, so I can go the distance Long nails in our bodies, they try to crucify us Don't know if Lake Michigan can purify us The outliers, southsiders Tryin' to get rich without priors, get rich without dyin' I admire young messiahs from the theories of the low end Enter like the dragon, braggin' when I go in [Chorus] We do it now, oh yeah Now, now, this time, every now and then I step to the now We do it now, oh yeah Now, this time, every now and then I step to the now [Verse 2: Common] The holy of holies, told me to speak soley Truth when it's boldly, goldly for the lowly Extoll thee and let my glow be the glory My name is Common, though I tell a different story I've been on the block with the wizards of the OZ's Ten men tried to scarecrow me But the OGs show me how to throw these We used to watch 'em box in they Dobbs and they Fortis While we was drinkin Old E'ase on down the road Started to see gold like Kobe I left the beef behind me, divinely, remotely Yes men, acting like they no me The road gets rocky, you ain't my Adrian, Brody Piano lessons, they came from key players I was barely rushin' then became Gale Sayers I could see the lies, I could see the layers I emcee with vibes like I'm Roy Ayers On the streets, I cross young boy saviors What destroyed the player—the bullet or the favor? I'm the Spike Lee Majors Got six million ways to get our forty acres As the Lord remake us, the owners The onus is on us To take the four corners of the Earth and harvest its worth I'm from the windy city where we blow trees to get our souls ease Reality falls like gold leaves (Gold leaves, leaves, leaves—) [Chorus] We do it now, oh yeah Now, now, this time, every now and then I step to the now We do it now, oh yeah Now, now, this time, every now and then I step to the now