Magnolia (feat. CeeLo Green & Raheem DeVaughn)

Yeah, ooh
Mighty, mighty Magnolia (T-H-A)

I was sittin' up under these trees
She was talkin' to me, said
"Son do you know who I am? Who I happen to be?"
And I told her, "The Might Magnolia that stand tall for the shoulders of slaves"
"And soldiers when the days get colder"
I'm so older but I'm young in my spirit
From the blood I'd hear it
From Mr. Malcolm, Garvey and Marley
Then she started to tell me
How she was used in the lynching of blacks
Branch cracked, broke her arms so his neck would snap

And if I wouldn't rap I'd probably meet the same damn fate
From the same damn rope, I'm 'bout the same damn weight
I said, "Wait man, wait"
I still got the nooses just loose and they tighten that bitch up
When I'm speakin' the truth
They need proof that God exist
So I gave The God Box
It ain't shit hard as this, it ain't shit hard as this

Flick a wrist, I flick a brick
An O, I still get this dough
These bitches know
Everywhere we go it's Mississippi ho
Peace the dro

This some old outer space ballin', spacecraft callin'
Black George Jetson Juice City Jack kawin'
Paintin' pictures of scriptures
I know that y'all missed us
Crackers out here stackin' they army
Tryna enlist us

You pissed us off enough to click up on your ass
The last shall be first and the first shall be last
No average, no savage, this King Mula
Billion-dollar freedom fighter
And I take it if I gotta nigga

Cracker

Oh, Mother Magnolia
Your daughters and your sons
May the sky start cryin'
As they hung lifeless from your arms
Please Mother Magnolia
Although the fruit is strange
It's been such a long time comin'
But will the seasons ever change?

Let me try to offer y'all a whole 'nother perspective really quick
Now this African American officer was an undercover
Who lost a little brother because of a gang color
Which eventually accelerated the cancer that killed his mother
And he was married to a white woman that they called a nigga lover
And it became a full time job not to kill a nigga
I wonder does he still consider that he's still a nigga
We all got choices, and the real recognize what's real and chose

But he's basically still undercover in his civilian clothes
All the right reasons
But he may not even get that love again
'Cause salary's still not enough to be a Republican
Issues of growin' up without a dad
Had one too many, one night and forgot his badge
A brawl ensued with a racist cop
Didn't stop and ask
He was sure that he was a nigga when he shot his ass

Oh, Mother Magnolia
Your daughters and your sons
May the sky start cryin'
As they hung lifeless from your arms
Please Mother Magnolia
Although the fruit is strange
It's been such a long time comin'
But will the seasons ever change?

If a tree could speak
It's probably shed a tear and weep
For the skin like mine
For being there behind Confederate lines
Mighty Magnolia
Mighty Magnolia