Ode to Baldwin
Now when you were starting out as a writer
You were black, impoverished, homosexual
You must of said to yourself
Gee, how disadvantaged can I get?
No, I thought I hit the jackpot
It's so outrageous you could not go any further
You know
So you had to find a way to use it
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
Hand me the phone long distance I'm calling
MLK, Bayard Rustin, and James Baldwin
As I accept the baton I'd like to salute the fallen
All my DL Dudes and Closet Queens your welcome dahlings
But the revolution still won't be televised
Instead it's going to be shared, commented, and liked
It's sure to be a hell of a night
Cause to know how to live means you must be ready to die
I know i know I'm wired differently
When I explain you be like Anye you too arrogant
Like this shit ain't fuckin evident
You think I'm out here rapping for the hell of it
Could've quit when it was clear ya'll wasn't ready yet
I could of got a 9-5 and settle there
But I'm not just a rapper and this ain't just rhyming
I'm a jihadist and this is freedom fighting
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
Would you rather be a menace or fetish?
Seems to be the only choice people like us is givin'
America? who do you think kidding?
It's an oddity to see myself as a commodity
When you did that first!
Before you write me off as one more angry black man
I like dude don't you feel less threatened
What's that? Now you wanna be my best friend
You wanna get high on the west end
You girl asking me how fix your sew in
All them stereotypes gonna lead you to a dead end
Hot Dogs don't know nothin bout Nathan
If you looking for truth you won't find that in labels
If you looking for love then don't be a hater
No faux homie that means no fakers
Here's the Simple summation
Real is the only road to greatness
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
Most American heroes have never been in my hall of fame
I don't see any reason for me at this late date
To begin modeling myself on an image
Which I've always found frankly to be mediocre
And not a standard to which I myself could repair
The only thing that really arms anybody when the chips are down
Is how closely, how thoroughly he can relate to himself
And deal with the world yet as a man, you know
But I don't think, I think when I talk about standards
And say they all gotta be revised
This is one of the standard that has to be revised
I don't think that a warrior is necessarily a man
In fact it has been proven that football players
And all these people in teams and in armies
Are not men
It is very difficult to be a man
And what it involves for me anyway
Is an ability to look at the world
To look at whatever it is
And just say what it is
And deal with it
To face it even if does mean laying down your life
In fact it alway does me that
You were black, impoverished, homosexual
You must of said to yourself
Gee, how disadvantaged can I get?
No, I thought I hit the jackpot
It's so outrageous you could not go any further
You know
So you had to find a way to use it
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
Hand me the phone long distance I'm calling
MLK, Bayard Rustin, and James Baldwin
As I accept the baton I'd like to salute the fallen
All my DL Dudes and Closet Queens your welcome dahlings
But the revolution still won't be televised
Instead it's going to be shared, commented, and liked
It's sure to be a hell of a night
Cause to know how to live means you must be ready to die
I know i know I'm wired differently
When I explain you be like Anye you too arrogant
Like this shit ain't fuckin evident
You think I'm out here rapping for the hell of it
Could've quit when it was clear ya'll wasn't ready yet
I could of got a 9-5 and settle there
But I'm not just a rapper and this ain't just rhyming
I'm a jihadist and this is freedom fighting
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
Would you rather be a menace or fetish?
Seems to be the only choice people like us is givin'
America? who do you think kidding?
It's an oddity to see myself as a commodity
When you did that first!
Before you write me off as one more angry black man
I like dude don't you feel less threatened
What's that? Now you wanna be my best friend
You wanna get high on the west end
You girl asking me how fix your sew in
All them stereotypes gonna lead you to a dead end
Hot Dogs don't know nothin bout Nathan
If you looking for truth you won't find that in labels
If you looking for love then don't be a hater
No faux homie that means no fakers
Here's the Simple summation
Real is the only road to greatness
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
It took a little while to get here
It took a whole lot to find me
I ain't letting this go, no
I ain't letting this go for nothing
Most American heroes have never been in my hall of fame
I don't see any reason for me at this late date
To begin modeling myself on an image
Which I've always found frankly to be mediocre
And not a standard to which I myself could repair
The only thing that really arms anybody when the chips are down
Is how closely, how thoroughly he can relate to himself
And deal with the world yet as a man, you know
But I don't think, I think when I talk about standards
And say they all gotta be revised
This is one of the standard that has to be revised
I don't think that a warrior is necessarily a man
In fact it has been proven that football players
And all these people in teams and in armies
Are not men
It is very difficult to be a man
And what it involves for me anyway
Is an ability to look at the world
To look at whatever it is
And just say what it is
And deal with it
To face it even if does mean laying down your life
In fact it alway does me that
Credits
Writer(s): Anye Elite
Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
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