Day by Day

[Talib Kweli] Yo you think that, it's crazy man? This brother from South Africa told me that there's like A 2Pac tribe, and a Biggie tribe right? And heads got like AK-47's and machine guns and And and and Africans killin each other Over some East coast/West coast, knahmsayin? I mean that we deaded it a long time ago man But lives is bein lost, yaknahmsayin? Over some bullshit, yaknamsayin? I don't really understand it yo [Wordsworth] Yo, reality is life and death, full of fights and threats Murders, burglars, prostitutes search the night for sex Rollin dice on steps, take advice from vets, brains are bright in death And you can have accounts that never bounce from writin checks Life and tecs, there ain't really much here Either sports video games you deal or cut here Jeeps or Porches, a portion of dreams in fortune Intercourse that I'm stressed to keep it or abortion My topics full of plans, on profit from this land A pocket full of grands to have your optics full of fans I'm tired of dollar bands, shoppin carts pushin cans And jobs ain't callin back, you better off pullin scams To rack props, cops harass black blocks Parents addicted, kids on they colors from crack tops For jacktops, pistols instead of tissue muscle to bust you You got a choice, either b-boy or drugs can rush you [A.L.] Life is too short, that's why I strive to live it to the fullest Half my brothers are locked up, the other half a caught a bullet To pull it, it's kinda strange like every night I got a full moon I used to pull boom, hopin one day I'd drop a jewel soon But hard to see that, with so many problems in my picture My car ? that, I try to soft it with the liquor We're dissolvin quicker, my streets are hotter than Cancun Backstabbers'll shank you, say more than thank you and prank you They're brainwashin us, that's why I never use the shampoo The game knockin us, that's why I'm clever when the cam zooms So what's the reason for the treason who you pleasin when you skeezin Bullets breezin every season leavin bodies freezin Forget excuses, puttin the blame up on the flamer Hip-Hop is useless, when entertainers hit containers Simple and plainer but crime is gettin stranger Wrinkles my gainer, but in time we'll live in danger No remainders in my chamber my eras are filled with toxicant Lyrics my oxygen I get the spirits from my moccassins My mouth is where I dropped my gem, I made the Glock my friend No peace in the East, little kids is throwin rocks again Chorus: Talib Kweli It's only one life to live so I sacrifice But nobody came back from the afterlife Life and death is the fate of the streets Take it day by day, pray before I eat, pray before I sleep One life to live so I sacrifice When nobody came back from the afterlife Life and death is the fate of the streets Take it day by day, pray before I eat, pray before I sleep [Talib Kweli] The survivor of slavery, definition of bravery Flowin like Brooks bust Nines in Deep Space like Avery With rhymes made to be complete like A to Z Or the number nine the months of pregnancy, what can you say to me? Call up the travel agency, book a flight to the end of time When the wicked get refined, the righteous kick a rhyme livin divine Rewind, to the present state of mind right now Where beef will have you dead like the first man to catch Mad Cow Life is full of too much trifeness to chill and be enjoyin I be in the inner city like asbestos and lead poison My memories within the cannon of history Ready aim spit-fire my artillery, in the faces of cats who grillin me (Yo what you lookin at?) Quick to touch up cats who ain't feelin me With the ability, to plug you in, like auxillary Livin digitally, the only condition is critically You still the man physically but I'm sunnin you spiritually Consider me far from average, lyrical rites of passage Rhymes comin out my cabbage, cold light up a savage Take you back to baby carriage, yo, for what it's worth Drop a master verse before they cleaned up the afterbirth [Punchline] Aiyyo since I was teethin, I was labelled a heathen A demon, my pops must have had bad semen Now all eyes peepin, the man with the raps Been kickin since the womb and my moms felt that Train of thought off track, cause I couldn't F widdit I taught myself to hold ground on one pivot And never be timid, call me the rap God A slave to the game just like Amistad I rap eager, a daydreamer I seen cats dance for crack, like Gator in Jungle Fever While the thugs bust shots til it just don't stop I'll have a fat knot, controllin finances through the laptop Enhancin your mind, at night when I rhyme I spit gems that shine havin you thinkin it's daytime I be the final sign, at any rate, opposin debate For all rappers with militant mindstates Chorus