Nah, I wasn't raised at gunpoint, and I've read too many books
To distract me from the mirror, when unhappy with my looks
And I ain't got proper diction for the makings of a thug
Though I grew up in the ghetto, and my niggas all sold drugs
And though that may validate me for a spot on MTV
Or get me all the airplay that my bank account would need
I was hoping to invest in a lesson that I learned
When I thought this fool would jump me, just because it was my turn
I went to an open space, 'cause I knew he wouldn't do it
If somebody there could see him, or somebody else might prove it
And maybe in your eyes, it may seem I got punked out
'Cause I walked a narrow path, and then went and changed my route
But that openness exposed me to a truth I couldn't find
In the clenched fist of my ego, or the confines of my mind
In the hipness of my swagger, or the swagger in my step
Or the scowl of my grimace, or the meanness of my rep
'Cause we represent a truth, son, that changes by the hour
And when you open to it, vulnerability is power
And in that shifting form, you'll find a truth that doesn't change
And that truth's living proof, of the fact that God is strange
Talk to strangers, when family fails and friends lead you astray
When Buddha laughs, and Jesus weeps, and it turns out God is gay
'Cause angels' and messiahs' love can come in many forms
In the hallways of your projects, or the fat girl in your dorm
And when you finally take the time to see what they're about
And perhaps you find them lonely, or their wisdom trips you out
Maybe you'll find the cycle's end, you're back where you began
But come this time around, you'll have someone to hold your hand
Who prays for you, who's there for you, who sends you love and light
Exposes you to parts of you that you once tried to fight
And come this time around, you'll choose to walk a different path
You'll embrace what you turned away, and cry at what you laughed
'Cause that's the only way we're going to make it through this storm
Where ignorance is common sense, and senselessness the norm
And flags wave high above the truth, and the two never touch
And stolen goods are overpriced, and freedom costs too much
And no one seems to recognize the symbols come to life
The bitten apple on the screen, and Jesus had a wife
And she was his messiah, like that stranger may be yours
Who holds a subtle knife, that carves through worlds like magic doors
And that's what I've been looking for, the bridge from then to now
Just watching BET, like, "What the fuck, son? This is foul"
But that square box don't represent the sphere that we live in
The Earth is not a flat screen, I ain't trying to fit in
But this ain't for the underground, this here is for the Sun
A seed a stranger gave to me and planted on my tongue
And when I look at you, I know I'm not the only one
As a great man once said,
"There's nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."
