The Ave
Blue Scholars Lyrics

I be a patient man waiting for the rain to come down
I am a patient person, waiting for something important to happen

My feet touch the ground but my heads in the clouds
I am grounded physically, but my mind wanders

I be Prometheus Brown stealing the fire outta heaven
I am Prometheus Brown, taking inspiration from the heavens

The setting is several city blocks off the 71 stop
The location is several blocks away from the 71 bus stop

I walk around the district, distracted by the decadent madness of all the undergrads and addicts
I walk around the district, distracted by the crazy ways of the college students and drug addicts

club rats, heads, space cadets and pragmatics
People from all walks of life can be found on this avenue

One of the few places that they coexist on the planet
This is one of the rare places where these people coexist peacefully

Whatever happened to the avenue before the summer of 2002
What was this avenue like before 2002?

Lounging with crew on 42nd
Hanging out with friends on 42nd street

My how time flies when we're waiting for the chariot
Time seems to go by quickly when we are waiting for something

Eating vegan sandwiches but cannabis subtracting our sobriety
Eating vegan food, but smoking weed is taking away our clarity

Pondering society and self
Thinking about society and my place within it

He’s eying me like I ain’t gonna bring it to his health
He's looking at me like I won't stand up to him

He don’t want it, 'cause certainly he knows he’s just another Sucker without his fraternity brothers to back him up
He backs down because he knows he is powerless without his fraternity brothers

Campus Parkway up to 41st 42nd 43rd 45th and up to 47th To the edge of the bubble, while delinquents they laugh, saying Fuck class, get your education on The Ave
The area from Campus Parkway to 47th street is known as 'The Ave' and some kids who skip class laugh and say 'get your education on The Ave'

I be a patient man, waiting and checking for the sound Of potential break records up at Second Time Around
I am patient and waiting for the perfect track to sample at Second Time Around

In fact, we made this track from a sample we jacked, From some vinyl we dug up out of the crates on the ave
We made this track by sampling vinyl we found in crates on The Ave

Rats escape the lab infestations in all
Rats are escaping from the lab and causing an infestation

There be cracks on the sidewalk made from the fall A Nazi dreadlock strumming on his broken guitar
There are cracks in the sidewalk from wear and tear while a Neo-Nazi with dreadlocks plays a broken guitar

Singing Babylon fall outside of the bookstore I purchased a journal in which the verses I recite, reside
He is singing about the fall of Babylon outside a bookstore where he just bought a journal to write his own verses in

I write vividly to capture the vibe, I’m like hey kid, walk straight, master your high If you listen you can hear the eye of the city cry
He writes vividly to capture the feeling of the city, and advises someone to stay sober and listen to the city sounds

The sound is often drowned by hollerin' scholars Intoxicated so save it for the coffee shop philosophers The so-called artists, the poets and the prophets
The city sounds are often drowned out by intoxicated college students, so the real artists should save their thoughts for coffee shop discussions

Scenery is changin', and nobody can stop it.
The city is changing and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Walking to the 71, to the 72 to downtown…
Walking from the 71 to the 72 bus, going downtown.