Astronomy (8th Light)

(Against the canvas of the night)
(Appears a curious celestial phenomenon)
Black people - unite, and let's all get down
(Called Black Star) We got to have what? We got to have that love
(But what is it?)

What is the Black Star?
Is it the cat with the black shades, the black car?
Is it shining from very far to where you are?
It is commonplace and different
Intimate and distant, fresher than an infant

Black, my family thick like that-strap molasses
Star on the rise in the eyes of the masses
Black is the color of my true love's hair
Stars are bright, shining, hot balls of air

Black like my baby girl's stare
Black like the veil that the Muslimina wear
Black like the planet that they fear — why they scared?
Black like the slave ship belly that brought us here
Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears (mmm)
That leave black faces well traveled with years
Black like assassin cross-hairs
Blacker than my granddaddy armchair
He never really got no time to chill there
'Cause his life was warfare, warfare

See, on the front lines, the blacks is all there
Black like the perception of who on welfare
Black like faces at the bottom of the well
I've been there before
To bring the light and heat it up like la cocina
Make without imagine happen, but maybe I'm just a dreamer
I love rockin' tracks like John Coltrane love Naima

Like the student love the teacher
Like the prophet love Khadija
Like I love my baby features
LIKE THE CREATOR LOVE ALL CREATURES

Who are knowledge, truth and peace seekers?
We on point like heat-seekers
Targeting the black marketing strategists
Run up on 'em with the heaters
Everybody following with no leaders
Feeling like we killing ourselves because I know they can't defeat us
It don't stop 'til we complete this, keep this fly
There's so much to life when you just stay Black and die

Blacker than the nighttime sky of Bed-Stuy in July
Blacker than the seed in the blackberry pie
Blacker than the middle of my eye
Black like Fela Man Cry
Some man wan ask, "Who am I?"
I simply reply, "The U-N-I, V-E-R-S-A-L MAGNETIC"
Work to respect the angelic
Climb the mountain top and tell it til the valley's enveloped
You're full of big chat but you na know me
I'm dark like the side of the moon you don't see
When the moon shine newly

You know who else is a black star? (Who?) Me
You know who else is a black star? (Who?) Me
You know who else is a black star? Who? WE
And we, be shining and shining, when we rhyming and rhyming
We be shining and shining, when we rhyming and rhyming
Now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the TWO
It's the THIRD eye vision, FIVE-side dimension
The eighth light, is gon' shine bright tonight
It's the THIRD eye vision, FIVE-side dimension

You know the light
Come from the dark
The other way is ass-backwards
It's absurd
Make you wanna crow like a blackbird
That's right
You living from your first day to your last night
Sometimes you show your ass like
Lint on your clothes
When you froze in the black light
Dead that
Before you get your head wrapped
Like Badu
We see through your voodoo
Just like Eve's Bayou, you dealin' with that black magic
Try to civilize you
Not walk on by you
Like Sybil - lies do, get you blacklisted
It'll, be unlucky for you like a black cat (a panther)
Revolution is the answer - that's what we need
Greed plague my people like the cancer — true indeed

Black people, unite
Let's all get down
Now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
It's the third-eye vision, five-side dimension
The 8th light is gon shine bright tonight (uh, uh, uh)
Everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
It's the third-eye vision, five-side dimension
The 8th light is gon' shine bright tonight
It's the third-eye vision, five-side dimension

Equaling up to 8th light, shine bright
This that black 101 right there (hahaha)