I said I said I said I′m sitting in quarantine

Want a burger with double cheese

I ain't showered no mister cleanAnd the female a mystery

On a month with confusing texts, putting me with the rest

This world is a mess, I got a lot to get off my chest

I knew a girl she took my hand and showed me everything

She woke me up one sunny morning said she had a dream

My first encounter with the presence of the Reverend King

She lift the curtain on the campus, ain′t the way it seem

It hides in cracks in hides in corners, shit it hides in the open

In the bleachers, hides in teachers and the textbooks they holding

In the barrel of a gun and in the arms of a woman

In the rights of every man, and the land that we've stolen

In class she feel like she the only one

She in AP and still they called a Black student dumb, no!

Where'd you learn that from?

Teach me where you learned that from?

I told that professor white Jesus ain′t the only son

The symbiotic morals of hypocrisy and Christians

Your neighbor is your neighbor lest your neighbor any different

A privilege to know your neighbors, you better cherish them

Y′all an embarrassment

I was bout to tell em hallelujah

I just made a cup of ramen noodles

But the news got on another shooter

So here I pray, an every day consumer

And you, in your living room

With your curtains pulled so tight, you behind that Blue

She said don't shoot right as the bullet leaving

She had 2 kids at home and Terry barely started teething

He said I asked you more then once so we′ll just call it even

Why she a nuisance on the news but he's a human being

She brought me round strong folks who carry heavy hearts

Who still continue to shine, like every one is stars

And uh, my part? I learned to listen as they opened up

She let me in on so much

She introduced me to communities of people I knew nothing about

Even though right out my window I could see their house

Oh man, you on the couch and think the NEWS laid it out?

You don′t know

I suggest you get a first hand account

Cause it's a privilege to know, a real privilege to know

A friend in need is a friend, and information is gold

Okay the love of a homie, or the love of a girl

If folks a target to you, well then you′re missing the world

When we connecting our cultures our vantage point starta grow

And I'll be watching your back, I said I'm watching the throne

To know a person of color, to know a love of your own

We didn′t bring them here to leave em alone

I was bout to tell em hallelujah

I just made a cup of ramen noodles

But the news got on another shooter

So here I pray, an every day consumer

And you, in your living room

With your curtains pulled so tight, you behind that Blue

I knew a girl and we

I knew a girl and we

We marched for justice, and for peace

But there′s none of that now

Cause there's a war in the streets, catch my face in the crowd

She made me conscious to police

Wish that I made her proud

I left town

Cause my heart was in doubt

Because

Weeks before I lost a piece of my heart

A girl I thought that I would marry, had me sure from the start

In the midst of mental illness, I was coming apart

And you stopped me, "let′s get some coffee, wanna talk about art?"

Mmm

My heart was bruised and bleeding

In 2017 when

My world stopped, and the spinning was inside of me and

I could stand to put my heart out again

But now this new love was mixing with the rage in my veins

I must admit, V we should have been together in this

Despite our history, I couldn't take a partnership

Just like my heritage, American, the Civil War

Afterwards, we forgot the folks we fought it for

To build up who built this country from the bottom floor

And who built me into the man who still is marching forward

I couldn′t take the pressure, every night was lucky to undress ya

But every morning like I never met ya

I think the pressure was... hmm

I think the pressure was you showed me the truth

You woke me up one sunny morning, sun set on my youth

What is a PWI? Felt like exclusion to you

It hides in classrooms, the walls of bathrooms, it's hides in front of our eyes

I′m walking blind, as they tell us "everything is alright"

All that glitter ain't the only thing your eyes can see

This ain't in history books, why my country lie to me?

What you showed me was a lot to conceive

How it felt to live on campus, in the land of the free

I wasn′t ready to speak up

Not ready to stand out

Among the study body with the voice I had found

After Emancipation, White America denied relation

With Black Americans who built the nation

I was indoctrinated, to deny the love that I was facing

I′m filled with shame, for our love was wasted

It doesn't hide in basements, it′s inside the very food we're eating

It′s behind this Sunday's gospel reading

White America, our cross is bleeding

Our roof is leaking

The foundation is shaking with reparation seeking

Man it′s loud and clear the way The People feeling

We hit a ceiling

Cops are shooting, you concerned with stealing

I'm anthem kneeling

America, the curtain's peeling

Police revealing

That our flag is the fabric that keeps oppression beating

We have a long relationship with Black Americans you can′t stand to hear it

To this day, U.S.A. tries to keep it a secret

We hide in plain sight, I just still can′t believe it

Maybe part of that's in me, maybe that′s why I cheated

Maybe that's the pressure, maybe that explains the way I left ya

I called you homegirl, you wanted better

My role models were a wicked gender

So I failed our Bronx Tale... I won′t forget ya

Cause your love, set me on the path that I march on today

Years later I'm better having been in your space

You always brought me to meetings, I always thought you were brave

You woke me up one sunny morning, I stayed awake

I don′t expect to ever hear from you that it's okay

My only hope is that in justice you find peace one day

I know I loved you, I know I loved you, I know I loved you

I think you loved me too

And still we rise, determined, until we see it through

I advise you go meet your neighbors, turn off the news

I'll never understand, never understand, I′ll never really

But I′ll stand with you