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 blue inside
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,
we got our lives full of sorrow
And so tomorrow coming
later than usual,
waiting on someone to pity us
Why we find the 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, gems,
cowrie shells, dollar bills
Or is it the mind state that's ill,
creating crime rates
to fill the new prisons they build
Over money and religion,
there's more blood than spills
The wounds of slaves in cotton fields
are never healed
What's the deal?
A lot of cats who buy records
are straight broke
But my language universal,
they be reciting my quotes
While R &B singers hit bad notes
We rocked a boat of thought
that my man Louis statements
just provoke
Caught up in conversations
of our personal worth
Brought up through endangered species,
status on the planet Earth
Survival tactics means bustin'
gaps 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
Not strong, only aggressive, not free
We only licensed,
not compassionate, only polite
Now who denies us, not good
but won't be have
Chasin' after death
so we can call ourselves brave
Still livin' like mental slaves
Hidin' like thieves in
the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin'
you look twice
Hidin' like thieves in the night from life
Illusions of oasis, making you look twice
I'm sure that everybody
out listening agree
That everything you see
ain't really how it be
A lot of jokers out running in place,
chasing the style
Be a lot going on beneath
the empty smile
Most cats in my area
be loving the hysteria
Synthesized surface con
ceals the interior
America, land of opportunity
Mirages and camouflages,
more than usually
Speaking loudly, saying nothing,
you confusing me
You losing me, your game is twisted
Want me enlisted in your usury
Foolishly,
most men join the ranks cluelessly
But foolishly ac cept the deception,
believe the perception
Reflection rarely seen
across the surface of the looking glass
Walking the street,
wondering who they be looking past
Looking gasped with them imported
designer shades on
Stars shine bright,
but the light rarely stays on
Same song, just remix,
different arrangement
Put you on a yacht,
but they won't call it a slave ship
Strangeness,
you don't control this,
you barely hold this
Screaming brand new,
when they just sanitize the ocean
Suppose it's just another clever
Jedi mind trick
That they've been running
across stars
through all the time
But I find it's distressing
there's never no in -between
We either niggas or kings,
we either bitches or queens
The deadly ritual scenes
of Earth and the perverse
Full of short attention spans,
short tempers and short skirts
Long barrel automatics
released in short bursts
Then like the black life
is treated with short worth
Get yours first,
then mother niggas secondary
That type of illin' that be
fillin' up the cemetery
This life is temporary but
the soul is eternal
Separate the real from the lie,
let me learn you're not sure
Only aggressive cause the
power ain't directed,
that's why
We are subjected to the will
of the oppressive, not free
We only licensed, not lied,
we just exciting cause the captains
Own the masters to what we writing,
not compassionate
Only polite, we well trained,
our sincerities for Hurston stage
It's just a game, not good,
but we'll behave
cause the camera surveyed
Most of the things that
we think do are sane
We chasing after death
just to call ourselves brave
But everyday next man meet with the grave
I give a damn if any fan recall my legacy
I'm trying to live life in the sight of
God's memory like that, y 'all
A lot of people don't understand
the true criterion of things
You can't just ac cept appearance
You have to get the true essence
Not strong, only aggressive,
not free, we only li censed
Not compassionate, only polite,
not who the nicest
Not good, but well behaved,
chasing after death
so we can call ourselves brave
Still liv ing like mental slate
Hidin' like thieves in
the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin' you
look twice
Hidin' like thieves in
the night from life
Illusions of oasis makin'
you look trash
Stop hidin', stop hidin',
stop hidin' your face
Stop hidin', stop hidin',
cause ain't no hidin' face
Stop hidin', stop hidin',
stop hidin' your face
Stop hidin', stop hidin',
cause ain't no hidin' face
Not strong, not free,
not casual
We well trained, Blackstar
Black star keep shining,
yeah, yeah, yeah
We take that Blackstar line,
ride on home
We take that Blackstar line,
ride on home
We take that Blackstar line,
ride on home
Let take that black star line
right on home, yo
Be real, be true
I can't shine without you
I can't without you
I can't shine without can't
