Respiration
Black Star feat. Common/Conunon/Mos Def/Talib Kweli Lyrics

Escúchala, la ciudad respirando
Listen, the city is breathing

The new moon rode high in the crown of the metropolis
The moon was shining high above the city

Shining like who on top of this?
Shining brightly as if someone was on top of the city

People was tussling, arguing and bustling
People were fighting, arguing and moving around quickly

Gangstas of Gotham hardcore hustling
Gotham's gangsters are hustling hard

I'm wrestling with words and ideas
I am struggling to express my thoughts and ideas

My ears is pricked, seeking what will transmit
I am listening attentively to hear what needs to be conveyed

The scribes can apply to transcript, yo
The writers can transcribe what is heard

This ain't no time where the usual is suitable
This is not a time where the typical is appropriate

Tonight alive, let's describe the inscrutable
Tonight, let's describe the indescribable

The indisputable, we New York the narcotic
The undeniable fact is that New York is addictive

Draped in metal and fiber optics
Clad in metal and fiber optics

Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips
Where mercenaries are paid to trade high-value stock advice

For profits, thirsty criminals take pockets
For profits, thirsty criminals rob people's pockets

Hard knuckles on the second hands of working class watches
Gritty punches mark the seconds of working-class timepieces

Skyscrapers is colossus, the cost of living is preposterous
The skyscrapers are gigantic, and the cost of living is exorbitant

Stay alive, you play or die, no options, no Batman and Robin
Stay alive, play smart or die, there is no Batman and Robin to save you

Can't tell between the cops and the robbers, they both partners, they all heartless, with no conscience
It's hard to distinguish between the police and robbers, they are both heartless with no conscience

Back streets stay darkened, where unbeliever hearts stay hardened
The backstreets remain dark, where jaded hearts remain closed to belief

My eagle talons stay sharpened, like city lights stay throbbing
My focus remains sharp, like the pulsing city lights

You either make a way or stay sobbin
Either make a path or remain crying

The shiny Apple is bruised but sweet, and if you choose to eat, you could lose your teeth, many crews retreat
New York City is beautiful yet damaged, and indulging in it may have consequences and cause many to back down

Nightly news repeat, who got shot down and locked down, Spotlight to savages, NASDAQ averages
The news repeats stories of violence and incarceration, all while the Nasdaq Stock Market is in the limelight

My narrative rose to explain this existence
My story is used to describe this existence

Amidst the harbor lights which remain in the distance
Surrounded by the harbor lights that remain in the distance

So much on my mind that I can't recline
So much is weighing on my mind that I can't relax

Blastin' holes in the night 'til she bled sunshine
Making loud noises until the night turned into day

Breathe in, inhale vapors from bright stars that shine
Breathe in, inhale vapor from the bright stars

Breathe out, weed smoke retrace the skyline
Exhale and watch the smoke rise above the city skyline

Heard the bass ride out like an ancient mating call
The bass sound is like an old mating call

I can't take it y'all, I can feel the city breathing, chest heaving
I can barely handle it; I feel like the city is alive and breathing hard

Against the flesh of the evening, sigh before we die like the last train leaving
Amidst the evening, feeling a sigh of relief before we pass away like the last train leaving

Breathin' in deep city breaths, sittin' on shitty steps
Taking deep breaths of the city air while sitting on dirty steps

We stoop to new lows, hell froze the night the city slept
We have sunk to new levels of degeneracy, and hell has arrived when the city is quiet

The beast crept through concrete jungles, communicatin' with one another, and ghetto birds where waters fall
The savage creatures lurk in the concrete streets, communicating with each other and the birds around the waterfalls

From the hydrants to the gutters, the beast walks the beats, but the beats we be makin
From the fire hydrants to the gutters, the savage creatures walk the streets, but we create the beats

You on the wrong side of the track, lookin visibly shaken
You are on the wrong side of the tracks, and it's clear you're scared

Taken them plungers, plungin' to death that's painted by the numbers, with Krylon applied pressure
You are taking a chance where death is inevitable, marked by graffiti and Krylon spray paint

Cats are playin God by havin' children by a lesser baby mother, but fuck it
Men act like gods by having children with women they consider to be inferior mothers, but they don't care

We played against each other like puppets, swearin' you got pull, when the only pull you got is the wool over your eyes
We play against each other like puppets, believing we have power, but we are sheep blindfolded by our leaders

Gettin' knowledge in jail like a blessing in disguise
Getting an education in prison becomes a blessing in disguise

Look in the skies for God, what you see besides the smog is broken dreams flying away on the wings of the obscene
When you look for God in the sky, all you see is pollution and lost hopes flying away on vulgar wings

Thoughts that people put in the air, places where you could get murdered over glare, but everything is fair
The thoughts that people put out can lead to violence, and even a bad look could get you killed, but that's life

It's a paradox we call reality, so keepin' it real will make you casualty of abnormal normality
Our reality is a paradox, so being genuine can lead to becoming a casualty of abnormal normality

Killers Born Naturally like Mickey and Mallory, not knowing the ways'll get you capped like an NBA salary
Some killers are born naturally, like Mickey and Mallory, but not knowing the ways could get you killed, just like a high NBA salary can make you a target

Some cats be emceeing to illustrate what we be seeing, hard to be a spiritual being when shit is shakin' what you believe in
Some rappers rap to illustrate what we are experiencing, it is challenging to be spiritual when life challenges your beliefs

For trees to grow in Brooklyn, seeds need to be planted
To make progress in Brooklyn, one must start at the beginning

I'm asking if y'all feel me, and the crowd left me stranded
I am asking if you all understand me, but the crowd has abandoned me

My blood pressure boiled and rose, cause New York niggas actin' spoiled at shows, to the winners the spoils go, I take the L, transfer to the 2, head to the gates
My blood pressure rises when New York rappers act entitled at shows, but the victors reap the benefits, I will take the loss and head to the subway station for my next destination

New York life type trife the Roman Empire state
New York life is devious, like the Roman Empire

Yo, on The Amen Corner, I stood looking at my former hood, felt the spirit in the wind, knew my friend was gone for good
On the street corner, I stood looking at my childhood neighborhood, feeling the spirit in the wind, and knowing that my friend was gone for good

Threw dirt on the casket, the hurt, I couldn't mask it
I threw dirt on the casket, unable to hide my pain

Mixin' down emotions, struggle, I hadn't mastered
Struggling to control my emotions, unable to master the task

I choreograph seven steps to heaven, in hell waiting to exhale and make the bread leaven
I plan seven steps to success while in a difficult situation, waiting for an opportunity to rise

Veteran of a cold war, it's Chica-I-go for what I know or what's known
I am an expert in the quiet battle, representing where I come from and what I know

So some days I take the bus home, just to touch home, from the crib I spend months gone, sat by the window with a clutched dome listening to shorties cuss long
On some days, I take the bus home to feel a connection with my home, as I spend months away from it, and I listen to teenagers argue while staring out the window

Young girls with weak minds, but they bust strong
Young girls with weak minds express themselves strongly

Tried to call, or at least beep the Lord, but didn't have a touch-tone
I tried to contact God but did not have a touch-tone phone

It's a dog-eat-dog world, you gotta mush on
The world is harsh, and you need to be tough

Some of this land I must own
I need to own a piece of this land

Outta the city, they want us gone, tearin' down the 'jects creating' plush homes, my circumstance is between Cabrini and Love Jones
The city wants us gone, taking down the projects to create upscale homes, and I live in a place between Cabrini and Love Jones

Surrounded by hate, yet I love home
Despite the hatred around me, I love my home

Ask my guy how he thought traveling the world sound, found it hard to imagine he hadn't been past downtown
I asked my friend how he thought traveling the world would be, and I realized he has never left downtown

It's deep, I heard the city breathe in its sleep
It's profound; I heard the city breathing in its sleep

A reality I touch, but for me it's hard to keep
It's a reality I experience, but it's hard for me to maintain

Deep, I heard my man breathe in his sleep
I heard my friend breathing in his sleep

How the bass ride out like an ancient mating call
The bass sounds like an ancient mating call

Kiss the eyes goodbye, I'm on the last train leaving
Let's say goodbye as the last train departs