Get Outlined
Black Thought Lyrics

Hey now, uh, LA, yeah, Chi Town, Philadelphia, PA
The artist acknowledges the different locations he's mentioning.

Listen, pick any city, the South side, the outside
The artist urges the audience to pay attention by using a generic example of any area within that city.

It isn't pretty, the tods cryin' and shots fired
The artist describes the real environment, with kids crying and gunfire.

Protection there be the lopside, the cop kind
The artist highlights that the protection given by authority is unjustly distributed.

You see the scene of a crime like every stop sign
The artist explains how crime pervades the area.

My section of twenty-one pound is downtown
The artist mentions his area's code for law enforcement, indicating it regularly deals with crime.

They walkin' 'round wit' the guns out
The artist highlights how the youth in his area carry guns openly.

It's wild how the younging's dumb proud, firin' the crowd now
The artist explains how the youth are proud of their violent behavior and how they indiscriminately fire at people.

Leadin' the blind with they minds up in the Soundcloud
The artist criticizes a culture where young people are mindlessly following Soundcloud rappers who glorify violence.

Ain't a lotta sunshine when you on a frontline
The artist uses a metaphor to describe how dangerous it is to live in his area.

Listenin' to that ghetto drumline, duckin' one-time
The artist describes how people in his area live under constant threat and have to avoid the police.

Thinkin' how the Devil doesn't tire, even sometimes
The artist contemplates how evil never rests.

Wonderin' how the fuck could one's rhyme be this unkind
The artist questions how someone can write lyrics with such disregard for the issues affecting him and his community.

Everybody cold to me, seem to throw this bullshit
The artist feels alone and unsupported, and he dislikes how people often dismiss the problems of his area.

The only thing that sold to me bein' told, we should hold on
The artist associates the only thing motivating him with those who encourage him to persevere despite the hardships.

Gettin' old tell me I'm about to buckle
The artist worries that he is close to giving up under the heavy weight of his problems.

'Cause holdin' tight got my hands fully white-knuckled
The artist is struggling to hold on, and the effort is causing him physical pain and tension.

And to be honest, tomorrow is not promised
The artist acknowledges the uncertainty of life.

Whether you on the streets of Chicago or Botswana, you gotta be rock solid
The artist says that people everywhere face difficulties, and resilience is necessary no matter where you live.

Not to be outsmarted, the rise from rock-bottom to one of the top scholars
The artist encourages people to strive to improve, despite their disadvantages.

I never asked what's the secret of success with a
The artist mentions how he never asked about the formula for success.

Target on your back and a scarlet on your chest
The artist mentions how people with his background are often discriminated against and judged.

Listen, just get it, not a minute to rest
The artist urges people to get what they need quickly and without delay.

This is not a test, settle for the best, nothin' less, dig it
The artist emphasizes the importance of always aiming for the best.

Pick any city, the South side, the drought side
The artist uses his earlier example to reiterate that difficult environments exist everywhere.

Where E-M-S has arrived, well, it's about time
The artist calls attention to the lack of timely and effective medical assistance in his area.

People who just get they tops fried get outlined
The artist describes that people who are typically most vulnerable suffer deadly consequences.

Minutes and seconds go clockwise but not mine
The artist implies that his life is frozen in the moment, and he has no way to progress beyond it.

Where I'm from it's a war scene where more fiends
The artist reflects upon his hometown, describing it as a battlefield where drug addiction is rampant.

Scream for Morphines, Zoloft and Thorazine
The artist further emphasizes the severity of drug addiction and how it leads to screaming for drugs.

We don't subscribe to the grand scheme
The artist states how he and others do not follow a blueprint that isolates and mistreats people in his community.

The plans seems to be keepin' us all sick, sellin' them vaccines
The artist suggests that the government does not prioritize their community's health and may seek to profit from selling medicine.

Ain't a lot of fun time when your only son dyin'
The artist shares the heartbreak of watching your only child slowly pass away.

And the world's comin' untied from the inside
The artist reflects upon the many problems affecting the world, noting that it is unraveling from within.

That's between affection and depression, it's a thin line
The artist speaks about the characters that plague our daily lives, and how the line between affection and depression can be blurry.

Stress and pressure here is multiplied ten times
The artist talks about his environment, how extremely competitive it is based on the high-stress and high-pressure levels.

Everything is blurred to me, lessons deferred for me
The artist mentions how, in his circumstances, self-reflection and learning are much more challenging.

Fans said it's been a long term since they heard from me
The artist notes that fans haven't received new music from him in a while.

My lil' homie never made it out of surgery
The artist relates that his young friend died on the operating table.

Sometimes I feel like South Philly tryna murder me
The artist expresses his fear of an area in his community and how it's like it is trying to take his life.

First, everybody's upset 'cause you died
The artist notes that people are typically sad when someone dies.

They like, 'wait a minute, man
The artist uses sarcasm to note that when someone is killed unjustly, people still will not acknowledge it.

I ain't the ones who's dead, he's the one that's brown bread'
The artist explains how people will continue to make excuses for not owning up to the issues that lead to violent crimes.

In comes the second lie, ya dig?
The artist refers to the subsequent falsehoods people use to avoid admitting the truth.