After Hours
A Tribe Called Quest Lyrics

After Hours it was cool
The night was pleasant.

Ten after one I think I'll hop the horse
At around 1:10 AM, the singer decides to leave.

Downtown late of three of course
The singer arrives in downtown at around 3 AM.

Just came from fishing couldn't get a catch
The artist was recently fishing but was unsuccessful.

Downtown they'll probably have a batch
The artist expects to find food in downtown.

A whitened sandwich and again it stopped
The singer has a sandwich, but it doesn't taste great.

But with the bail though I had a bout
The singer had an issue, but it was resolved.

So I exchanged it for some apple juice
The artist switches their food for some apple juice.

I had the blues but I shook them loose
The artist was in a bad mood but feels better now.

A jeep is blasting from the urban streets
A loud car is driving by.

Loots of funk over hardcore beats
Loud music is playing.

The moon dabbles in the morning sky
The artist observes the moon in the sky.

As the minutes just creep on by
The time is passing by slowly.

I get a thought and hear comes my Tribe
The singer has an idea and meets with their friends.

Ritual shakes and in good vibes
The singer greets their friends.

Like always the Quest begins
The group starts their usual activity.

In the mist though but the rhyth's move in
The group is in a foggy area, but music starts playing.

We find a spot and we sit and chat
The group sits down to talk.

Speaking on the status quo of rap
The group discusses the current state of rap music.

A derelick makes a real long speech
A homeless person speaks for a long time.

We pay attention to the words he read
The group listens to the homeless person.

When he was done we rattled on
The group continues talking after the homeless person finishes.

There was no lunch because it wasn't dawn
The group didn't eat because it was too early in the morning.

We pointed things out about this times
The group discusses current events.

The worlds famons and the crazy crimes
The group talks about famous people and crime.

Inflation of the nation, it bothers me
The singer is concerned about inflation.

I better go gold, to pay the taxes
The singer plans to earn more money to pay their taxes.

Gotta be swift society
The artist needs to be successful in society.

The man whose made is the man who maxes
The person who is successful is the one who is wealthy.

The grounds for living are being discussed
The group talks about reasons for living.

As we go it gets close to dusk
The sun is starting to rise.

Gather thoughts and savor breath
The group takes time to relax and reflect.

Cause there's only a few hours left
The group realizes that there is not much time before dawn.

Me oh my, hey-hey, hey-hey
An exclamation of surprise.

The human hours are here to stay
People will continue staying up late.

This is how it seems my witness
The artist is observing this behavior.

Bug out all night, ask Phife, he's with this
To stay up all night, the singer suggests asking Phife.

Girls be screaming on this conversation
Women are getting excited about the conversation.

I have my two cents for a revelation
The singer has an opinion to share.

And my watch continuously tic-tocs
The artist's watch is ticking.

Shaheed will bring up the beats that rocks
Shaheed will play good music.

I hear the frogs and the smashing of bottles
The singer hears nature sounds and sounds of people breaking bottles.

A car revs up and I hear it throttle
A car speeds up and makes a loud noise.

It probably moves with the morning wind
The artist thinks the car is driving fast because of the morning breeze.

Oh my God, here's Phife again
The artist notices Phife is talking again.

Hear him talking about last nights game
Phife is discussing a game from the previous night.

Trying to remember someone's name
Phife is trying to recall a person's name.

So hear the frogs dancing in the streets
The artist hears the sounds of nature.

Once again Ali will bring up the beat
Ali will play music again.

The beat is over and so is the night
The music stops and the sun is up.

The sun is risen and the shine is bright
The sun is up and it is bright.

We all say peace and go our separate ways
The group says goodbye and goes home.

Youth is fading as we gain our days
As the artists get older, they lose their youth.

Expedition for the song is simp'
Finding good music is easy.

The hours creep, excuse me, I mean limp
The time is slowing down.

As we go you hear a gasp of laugh
The group laughs as they leave.

As we start up our rhythmic path
The group continues to make music as they leave.