Theives In The Night Lyrics

Theives In The Night lyrics

Kweli:
Yo, D (What?)
Come on (What? Yeah, yeah)
Come on
Kweli:
'Give me the fortune, keep the fame' said my man Louis
I agreed, know what he mean because we live the truest lie
I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest eye
He looked at me, he thought about it, was like, 'I'm clueless, why?'
The question was rhetorical, the answer was horrible, our morals are
out of place and got our lives full of sorrow and so tomorrow comin'
later than usual, waitin' on someone to pity us, while we findin'
beauty in the hideous
They say money's the root of all evil but I can't tell, you know what
I mean,
Pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills
Or is it the mindstate that's ill, creating crime rates to fill the
new prisons they build
Over money and religion there's more blood to spill
The wounds of slaves in cotton fields will never heal, what's the
deal?
A lot of cats who buy records are straight broke
but my language universal they be recitin' my quotes
while R&B singers hit bad notes
We rock the boat of thought that my man Louis' statements just
provoked
Caught up, in conversations of our personal worth
Brought up, through endangered species status on the planet Earth
Survival tactics means, bustin' gats to prove you hard
Your firearms are too short to box with God
Without faith, all of that is illusionary
Raise my son, no vindication of manhood necessary
Bridge:
Not strong, only aggressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite
Not who the nicest
Not good, but well behaved
Chasin' after death so we can call ourselves brave?
Still livin' like mental slaves
Chorus:
Hidin' like thieves in the night from life, illusions of oasis makin'
you look twice (x2)
Mos Def:
I'm sure that everbody out listenin' agree, that everything you see
ain't really how it be
A lot of jokers out runnin' in place, chasin' the style
Be a lot goin' on beneath the empty smile
Most cats in my area be lovin' the hysteria
Synthesized surface conceals the interior
America, land of opportunity, mirages and camoflauges
More than usually
Speakin' loudly, sayin' nothing, you confusing me, you losing me
Your game is twisted, want me enlisted in your usery (?)
 
Foolishly, most men join the ranks cluelessly
but ( ------ ?) accept the deception, believe the perception
Reflection rarely seen across the surface of the looking glass
Walking the street, wonderin' who they be lookin' past
Lookin' gassed with them imported designer shades on
Stars shine bright, but the light rarely stays on
Same song, just remixed, different arrangement
Put you on a yacht but they won't call it a slaveship
Strangeness, you don't control this, you barely hold this
Screamin' brand new, when they just sanitized the old shit
Suppose it's, just another clever Jedi mind trick
That they been runnin' across stars through all the time with
I find it's distressin', there's never no in-between
We either niggas or kings
We either bit*hes or queens
The deadly ritual seems immersed, in the perverse
Full of short attention spans, short tempers, and short skirts
Long barrel automatics released in short bursts
The length of black life is treated with short worth
Get yours first, them other niggas secondary
That type of illin' that be fillin' up the cemetary
This life is temporary but the soul is eternal
Separate the real from the lie, let me learn you
Not strong, only aggressive, 'cuz the power ain't directed
That's why, we are subjected to the will of the oppressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not live (?), we just excitin'
'Cuz the captors own the masters to what we writin'
Not compassionate, only polite, we well trained
A sincerity rehearsed in stage it's just a game
Not good, but well behaved
'Cuz the camera survey, most of the things that we think, do, or say
We chasin' after death just to call ourselves brave
But everyday, next man meet with the grave
I give a damn if any fam recall my legacy
I'm tryin' to live life in the sight of God's memory
Like that ya'll
Mos Def & Kweli in background:
(A lot of people don't understand the true criteria of things, can't
just accept the appearance, have to get the true essence
They ain't lookin' around)
Bridge
Chorus (x4)
Mos Def singing:
Stop hidin', stop hidin', stop hidin' your face
Stop hidin', stop hidin', 'cuz ain't no hiding place (x2)
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