Story of My City

So when they write the story of my city, what things will they write down
Will they hold up an image that's pretty, or will they look at what we've found
'Cause if the remedies die in committee, the tragedy will just compound
And if this can happen in my city, then stay vigilant
'Cause it can happen in your town

It started with the spark from the deeds of the dark blue
Snuffed out a life? Cool, you still employed
Not a new phenomenon now the camera's on
Feel our pain, say their name [Breonna Taylor, George Floyd]
Ahmaud Arbery and Botham Jean
Every name a hashtag, it goes on and on
And the people had enough, cause knowledge is half the battle man
Defund the police, black lives matter man
Cause that's the bottom line it come down to
Not just in cities but the burbs and some small towns too
Even corporations started following suit
I started tripping, there's an NFL apology too?? Dang
A lot of change but no policies made official
Symbolic transformation, mostly superficial
Which doesn't fix the problem if it's systemic
So we kept the protest going, despite the pandemic
Meanwhile, in the White House, every day another blunder
So 45 tried to resurrect his polling numbers
By criticizing my city, saying we not legit
Always on Twitter spreading ignorance and talking sh
Situations outta hand, he says, and then he sends the goons
Border Patrol tactical units in full platoons
Not keeping peace, but aggravated division instead
Identified a protestor and shot him in the head
Then had the nerve to be like c'mon people
Yeah we shot him in the head but the round was less lethal
And if you like that, you'll love our plans
to roll up on people and snatch 'em up in unmarked vans
So now the nation's eyes are on us, since the
Conscience of the government is unconscious
It makes me wonder 'bout, how we picked this route
And how bad it would be if we had never started speaking out

So when they write the story of my city, what things will they write down
Will they hold up an image that's pretty, or will they look at what we've found?
'Cause if the remedies die in committee, the tragedy will just compound
And if this can happen in my city, then stay vigilant

If you think we'll just get used to this, you're mistaken
if you build a wall to hold us back, we will break it
Every shady deal and crooked scale, we will straighten
With the smell of injustice in the air, we won't take it, we won't take it

So where do we go from here? Do we succumb to fear?
What happens when the protest is over
How do we mobilize while decentralized
Stay informed to vote and get some kind of closure
Who's gonna repair relationships, between cops and
Citizens, so they have heard us, and we've heard them
And when we say to defund police, we still need to
Keep the peace, but programs can help lift their burden
We can't be slippin' backwards, our detractors
Broadcast the axiom that all cops are bastards
When if you look at the facts, it's a faction of
Anti-black un-hold-accountable bad actors
And what we're looking for is more accountability
But inflammatory words erode civility and stability
That's not the way to build a coalition, jack
Property damage will manage to set the mission back
So if you're really in this to stand up for Black lives
Don't brandish Molotov cocktails or jack knives
And if you really think racism is evil
Then take your cues from actual Black people
'Cause we been doin' this for decades, regardless if we get paid
We change the trajectory, collectively
To keep the pace, we must interface with those
Who hold stakes in each sector respectively
Commercial leaders, nonprofits and faith keepers
Amplify the message and to help us all to wake sleepers
Wake up the city, the state, and then the nation
And that's the story we'll tell for generations
Before this here occupation ends, our nation of citizens
Will have to rise up when they're needed
So if you've got a care to give, don't hijack the narrative
Or history will be repeated

If you think we'll just get used to this, you're mistaken
if you build a wall to hold us back, we will break it
Every shady deal and crooked scale, we will straighten
With the smell of injustice in the air, we won't take it, we won't take it

So when they write the story of my city, what things will they write down
Will they hold up an image that's pretty, or will they look at what we've found?
'Cause if the remedies die in committee, the tragedy will just compound
And if this can happen in my city, then stay vigilant
'Cause it can happen in your town