40oz
Blackalicious Lyrics

A forty ounce for breakfast gets a brother through the day
Starting the day with a 40 oz of alcohol helps me get through the day.

I guess I shoulda had a V8 instead; anyway
Drinking V8 juice instead of alcohol might have been a better choice, but it doesn't matter now.

Let me contemplate my thought something back to a time
Let me think back to a time in the past.

When my fridge was full of booze but in my pocket not one dime
I had a lot of alcohol in my fridge, but no money in my pocket to pay for anything else.

I remember back on Willis Ave, with my ace-boom homey Mark Black
I have a memory of being on Willis Avenue with my good friend Mark Black.

I would start the day off hearin' the sound of the fo'-oh crack
I would start the day off by opening a 40 oz bottle of alcohol.

I went to work blitzed, so eventually I got dissed
I went to work drunk, which led to me eventually getting fired.

And caught a shocker when my supervisor said "You're dismissed"
I was surprised when my supervisor told me that I was fired.

Now as I stare at my last check now my mind is stressed and depressed
As I look at my final paycheck, I feel stressed and depressed.

I spell relief S-T-I-D-E-S yes with a little excess less the worry
I find relief in alcohol, which allows me to forget my worries.

Why go job hunting today?
Why bother looking for a new job today?

When I can sit back and smoke this sack and drink
Instead, I can relax, smoke marijuana, and drink alcohol.

And feel my problems shrink away
I feel like my problems are going away.

And by now, the rent's due in two weeks
I need to pay my rent in two weeks.

But inside my mind that's just another problem brew can delete
But in my mind, that's just another problem that alcohol can make me forget.

I got evicted, to the point where the court martial came to my door
I got evicted, and the authorities came to my door to make me leave.

And said, "Get this kid: get your bags and split you don't live here no more"
They told me to leave and never come back.

And now I'm ass out; I'm so damn hungry I feel like I'm gonna pass out
Now I'm broke and hungry, and feel like I might faint.

I asked my brother for a handout and he hooked me
I asked my brother for money, and he gave me some.

Though I knew he had doubts
Even though I knew he didn't trust me or believe in me.

And rightfully so, cause I had new shit to deal with
And he was right to be skeptical because I had more problems to deal with.

I'm so confused I have no control of my life I think I'll get lit
I feel lost and out of control, so I might as well get drunk.

So as my problems compile, I steady smile, oh yes
As my problems continue to pile up, I try to stay positive and keep a smile on my face.

Sippin' on that forty ounce that's leadin' me to a path of nowhere
Drinking a 40 oz bottle of alcohol is leading me nowhere.

So as I think about tomorrow, I hesitate and say:
As I think about what tomorrow might bring, I'm unsure and hesitant.

A forty ounce for breakfast, will get me through the day..
Another 40 oz bottle of alcohol will help me get through the day.

Seems like every time I start I don't know when it's time to say when
I can never seem to control my drinking and never know when to stop.

Now my mental gets all blurred and inside talk the ill-beavin'
Now my thoughts become confused and I start to act out of character.

Coolin with my boys, no names need to be mentioned
Hanging out with my friends, but I won't say who they are.

At a party with some brothers I don't know I'm chillin' in some E&J
I'm at a party with strangers, drinking E&J brandy.

With a forty O-Z to wash the shit down
Drinking a 40 oz bottle of alcohol to go along with the brandy.

And plus a lot of marijuana now I need to sit down
Also smoking a lot of marijuana, which is making me feel dizzy and need to sit down.

I can't remember the last time I was this blew out of my cranium
I can't remember the last time I was so intoxicated.

My ears and head begin to hum aloud as the room spun; anyway
I feel like my head is spinning and my ears are ringing from being so intoxicated.

Next thing I know I blacked out woke up with vomit all over my coat
I passed out and woke up covered in my own vomit.

Start talkin' out my ass I can't see straight but yet I quote
I start saying things that don't make sense, even though I can't see straight.

And I don't know what came over me, I started dissin' both my homies
I don't know why, but I started insulting and disrespecting my friends.

That I used to freestyle with and now I'm askin' them to show me
These are friends that I used to freestyle and rap with, and now I'm asking them to prove themselves to me.

What they got not thinkin' straight I don't know why I posed the challenge
I challenge them to show me their skills, even though I'm not thinking clearly.

Now my ego is erupting as if I was Mt. Saint Helens
Now my ego is out of control, like an erupting volcano.

Some shit was said I know I can't erase and now shit ain't the same
I said some hurtful things that I can't take back, and now my relationships with my friends are damaged.

I wish I had just one more chance to live that day again
I regret my actions and wish I could go back and redo that day.

I strain; cause this bid was to find a true friend
I'm struggling because I was trying to find a true friend through this experience.

And loose them to booze in my system just ain't how I'm livin'
Losing my friends due to my alcohol use is not how I want to live my life.

Nothin' I could really say to mend up how someone else feels
There's nothing I can say to make my friends feel better about what I said or did.

And so I guess I gotta wait and see if maybe the wounds will heal
I'll have to wait and see if my friends are willing to forgive me and move past what happened.

And I really didn't mean a word I said though I can't prove that
I didn't really mean anything that I said, but I can't prove that to my friends.

Now the only thing that I can really say is I went out
All I can say now is that I went out and got drunk.

And out I went and now and then I get irate and say
And now I'm upset and sometimes I angrily say,

A forty ounce for nah
I don't need another 40 oz bottle of alcohol.

A forty ounce for fuck!!
I don't need another 40 oz bottle of alcohol at all!

Just one more forty just one more I'll make this last day
Even though I know I shouldn't, I want just one more 40 oz bottle of alcohol to make this day last longer.

A forty ounce for breakfast, can get me through the day
Another 40 oz bottle of alcohol can help me get through the day, even though I know it's not the best choice.