[Verse 1]
Before all I saw was gangsters, coming up as a youngster
Pussy and money the only language I clung to
Clang to, unrolled myself up to become one
Ain't you happy I chose rap? I'm a munster
Streets deceiving, can't believe my achievements
Cultural strata, persona is that of a non-needer
'Cause I don't need nada cept for Prada beaver
For cold winters, tattoos got my summer sleeveless
To my G's on the flee from the coppers
Stiff bodies on freeze in funeral parlors
From the slums I come up a phoenix
Caked up, tryin' to take what I'm eating
Came up a dismissive kid
You lucky if you allowed to witness this
Saavy, mild, wild hardly
A man's man, who would've knew the beach houses and wild parties
Jezebels and Stella McCartneys
For years, all that, how can I not be dead
This old German said I was a thug with a notty head
Looked at my Benz and called that a Nazi sled
With a face like he wondered where I got my bread
Probably all these stones he see
From my shows overseas
From crime to rhyme, my story is I'm from the home of the thieves
[Chorus]
America, pay attention
Wake up, this is not what you think it is
America, pay attention
This is not what you think it is
[Verse 2]
Blessed, the Lord is a G, he gotta be
Who's the god of suckers and snitches? The economy
Lipstick from Marilyn Monroe, blew a death kiss
To Fidel Castro, he want me to spit this
Only the strong survive, Nas bear witness
The hypocrisy is all I can see
White cop acquitted for murder, black cop cop a plea
That type of shit make me stop and think
We in chronic need of a second look of the law books
And the whole race dichotomy
Too many rappers, athletes and actors
But not enough niggas in NASA
Who gives you the latest dances, trends and fashion?
But when it comes to residuals they look past us
Woven into the fabric, they can't stand us
Even the white tees, blue jeans and red bandanas
(Chorus)
[Verse 3]
Assassinations, diplomatic relations
Killed indigenous peoples, built a new nation
Involuntary labor, took a knife, split a woman's navel
Took her premature baby, let her man see you rape her
If I could travel to the 1700's
I'd push a wheelbarrow full of dynamite through your covenant
Love to sit on the Senate and tell the whole government
Y'all don't treat women fair, she read about herself in the bible
Believing she the reason sinners here
You played her, with an apron, like, "bring me my dinner dear"
She the nigger here, ain't we in the free world?
Death penalty in Texas, kill young boys and girls
Barbarity, I'm in the double-R casually
Buggin', how I made it out the hood dazzles me
How far are we really from third world savagery?
When the empire fall imagine how crazy that'll be
[Outro]
America (4x)
