Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois), better … Read Full Bio ↴Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972 in Chicago, Illinois), better known by his stage name Common (previously Common Sense), is a Grammy award winning rapper, author and actor known for lyrics that focus on love and spirituality. Signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music, many people describe him as being a conscious hip hop artist who makes songs that send a message. He debuted in 1992 with the album Can I Borrow a Dollar? and maintained a significant underground following into the late 90s, after which he gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians.

As well as music, Common has worked as an actor, on films such as 'Smokin' Aces' (as Sir Ivy) 'American Gangster' (as Turner Lucas), 'Wanted', and 'John Wick: Chapter 2'. He may also be seen in cameo roles in films such as 'Brown Sugar'.

His debut was the 1992 album Can I Borrow A Dollar, but he achieved little critical or commercial success until 1994's Resurrection, an instant classic. He produced several more albums, notably Like Water For Chocolate and the highly experimental Electric Circus, before releasing the Kanye West and J Dilla-produced Be in 2005, which was his first album to receive widespread mainstream appeal and radio playtime.

Common is considered a "cred" artist, which has lead him to collaborations with the likes of De La Soul, Jadakiss, T.I, Talib Kweli, The Roots, Kanye West, Lily Allen, Erykah Badu, and Fort Minor.

The 2007 album Finding Forever was produced mainly by long-time collaborator, Kanye West. Common released his eighth album Universal Mind Control in 2008, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album but lost to the Eminem album Relapse. He released his ninth album The Dreamer/The Believer in 2011. Nobody's Smiling, his tenth album, was released in 2014. The concept of the album was inspired by his troubled hometown of Chicago.

Book of Life
Common Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I got so much trouble on my mind
So I take time
Out my day
To pray and I say
Now I lay me down to sleep
Hopin' that I keep
My soul
Peep, I'm gettin' old

And it's a cold cold world
And I ain't even got a bomber
Livin' with my momma
It's the same routine
Keep my room clean
I'm lookin' to do some new things but ain't shit to do
I'm twenty-two, catch
In the prime of my life
I have no time for a wife
I funnel through the tunnel
Disgruntled, tryin' to find me some light
In the rim of darkness
Alright you sing, I may not be the darkest
Brother
But I was always told to act my age and not my color
Knowin' that my color was that of the original
So now I sing the new negro spiritual
It goes get up stand up
Stand up for your rights
Get up stand up
Don't give up the fight

It's like how can you understand the pain
When you never had to stand under the rain
When it rains it pours, and it's about to come down hard
Thank God I found you

As I walk down the road of existence
I get resistance
From all angles
I tangle
For cash
Hopin' it'll last
'Til the end of the week
But all I eat is fast food
And you know how junk food goes right through ya
So I return to the Arab
And on the way back
I stop and the liquor store
Grab me a six pack
Knowin' that once I'm done with that I'll be back
To get some more
Once I get started I don't want to stop
And I can't turn around
Brew, I can't turn it down
Ironically I turn it up
My liver I burn it up
It's my life I live it up
The cup I gotta give it up
One day
I'm cruisin' down a one way street and I done passed fun day
Three blocks ago
It itself life is an obstacle
As I maneuver through the manure I try to be responsible
I want a job but I ain't lookin' how come
I ain't tryin' to degrade myself bein' nobody's Calvin
But I'm a couch bum what makes it bad I had incentive
But that disintegrated
To a state that's stagnated
I procrastinated
I can't recall a day without bein' intoxicated
Or blowed
Ain't dealin' with a full deck and any day I could fold
What makes it bad, I wasn't dealt that bad a hand
And I had a plan
But things didn't go through
The way they were supposed to
Thank God I found you

It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder
How I keep from goin' under, I ponder
And try to keep my concentration
In this idiotic nation
They say become I doctor, but I don't have the patients
Adjacent to that situation
I want an occupation
That I'm into
'Cause yet if I begin to
Live to my potential
I went to
School for fourteen years and my best teacher was experience
I reminisce and wish
I could go back in time to eighty-nine
When there was just sunshine
But now it's like I'm gettin' older to so much strain and stress
I don't think I'll ever be happy until I rest
In peace
Of mind
And find

Who I am
But thank God I found you

Overall Meaning

In the song Book of Life, Common reflects on the struggles he faces in his life while trying to find his place in the world. He talks about feeling lost and overwhelmed as a 22-year-old who is living with his mother and unable to find a meaningful job. He prays for guidance and reflects on his past experiences, concluding that he is grateful for the people in his life who have been supportive and helped him through difficult times.

The lyrics offer a candid and heartfelt perspective on the challenges of growing up and making a life for oneself, particularly for African Americans who often face systemic oppression and discrimination. Common's portrayal of his inner turmoil and anxieties makes the song relatable and powerful, and the gospel-inspired chorus emphasizes the importance of hope and perseverance in the face of adversity.

The message of the song is ultimately one of resilience and gratitude, as Common acknowledges that while life is hard, there are people and things that give it meaning and make it worth living.

Line by Line Meaning

I got so much trouble on my mind
I am facing a lot of problems in my life

So I take time
I try to find time for myself

Out my day
In my busy schedule

To pray and I say
I pray to God for guidance

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray before going to bed

Hopin' that I keep
I hope that I can hold on to

My soul
My spirit and inner self

Peep, I'm gettin' old
I am becoming old

And it's a cold cold world
The world is harsh and unforgiving

And I ain't even got a bomber
I don't have a jacket to wear

Livin' with my momma
I am currently living with my mother

It's the same routine
Everyday is just like the one before

Keep my room clean
I try to maintain cleanliness in my room

I'm lookin' to do some new things but ain't shit to do
I want to try new things but can't find anything worthwhile

I'm twenty-two, catch
I am currently 22 years old

In the prime of my life
I am at the peak of my youth

I have no time for a wife
I don't have time to get married

I funnel through the tunnel
I try to find my way through life's hardships

Disgruntled, tryin' to find me some light
I am unhappy and trying to find hope

In the rim of darkness
In the midst of all the negativity

Alright you sing, I may not be the darkest
I may not be the darkest person but I still face discrimination

Brother
Addressing a fellow young man

But I was always told to act my age and not my color
I was advised to behave based on my maturity level rather than my race

Knowin' that my color was that of the original
Being aware of my African heritage

So now I sing the new negro spiritual
I create a new song for black people to find spiritual release

It goes get up stand up
Rise up and take a stand

Stand up for your rights
Defend your fundamental rights

Don't give up the fight
Don't abandon the struggle

It's like how can you understand the pain
It's hard for someone to comprehend my struggles

When you never had to stand under the rain
When you haven't experienced the hardships I have

When it rains it pours, and it's about to come down hard
Difficulties are about to worsen

Thank God I found you
I am grateful for someone who understands me

As I walk down the road of existence
As I go through life's journey

I get resistance
I face challenges

From all angles
From different sources

I tangle
I am caught up in difficulties

For cash
For money

Hopin' it'll last
Hoping it will sustain me

'Til the end of the week
Until the end of the week

But all I eat is fast food
All I eat is unhealthy, quick meals

And you know how junk food goes right through ya
Junk food tends to have negative health effects

So I return to the Arab
I go back to the Middle Eastern shop owner to buy food

And on the way back
As I head back home

I stop and the liquor store
I take a detour and buy alcohol

Grab me a six pack
I buy six bottles of beer

Knowin' that once I'm done with that I'll be back
I will return to buy more alcohol once I finish this batch

Once I get started I don't want to stop
I have a tendency to drink excessively

And I can't turn around
I feel powerless to stop myself

Brew, I can't turn it down
I struggle to resist the urge to drink

Ironically I turn it up
I drink even more

My liver I burn it up
My liver suffers as I continue to drink

It's my life I live it up
I live my life carefree and without caution

The cup I gotta give it up
I need to stop drinking

One day
Someday in the future

I'm cruisin' down a one way street and I done passed fun day
I missed out on the fun times in my life

Three blocks ago
Three blocks prior

It itself life is an obstacle
Life is full of barriers

As I maneuver through the manure I try to be responsible
As I deal with the difficulties of life, I try to be responsible

I want a job but I ain't lookin' how come
I am currently unemployed but not actively seeking work

I ain't tryin' to degrade myself bein' nobody's Calvin
I refuse to lower myself by taking any job I can get

But I'm a couch bum what makes it bad I had incentive
I laze around at home and it's unfortunate because I have the motivation to work

But that disintegrated
But my motivation decreased

To a state that's stagnated
To a state of inactivity

I procrastinated
I kept postponing important tasks

I can't recall a day without bein' intoxicated
I can't remember the last day I wasn't drunk

Or blowed
Or high on drugs

Ain't dealin' with a full deck and any day I could fold
I am not mentally stable and could break down at any moment

What makes it bad, I wasn't dealt that bad a hand
Despite my problems, my starting conditions weren't all that terrible

And I had a plan
I had a plan to succeed in life

But things didn't go through
But things didn't work out as planned

The way they were supposed to
The way I thought they would

Thank God I found you
I am grateful to have someone to rely on

It's like a jungle sometimes it makes me wonder
Life can be like a forest with many unknowns

How I keep from goin' under, I ponder
I wonder how I stay afloat through all these challenges

And try to keep my concentration
And make an effort to stay focused

In this idiotic nation
In this country that doesn't seem to make sense

They say become I doctor, but I don't have the patients
They suggest I become a doctor, but I don't have the temperament

Adjacent to that situation
Related to that issue

I want an occupation
I want a job or career

That I'm into
That I am passionate about

'Cause yet if I begin to
Because if I start to

Live to my potential
Achieve my full abilities

I went to
I attended school to

School for fourteen years and my best teacher was experience
I attended school for a long time but learned more from real-life experiences

I reminisce and wish
I remember good times and wish

I could go back in time to eighty-nine
I could return to 1989

When there was just sunshine
When life was good

But now it's like I'm gettin' older to so much strain and stress
But now I am facing increasing amounts of pressure and stress as I age

I don't think I'll ever be happy until I rest
I don't think I'll find true happiness until I die

In peace
Tranquility and serenity

Of mind
Mental stability and contentment

And find
And discover

Who I am
My true identity

But thank God I found you
But I am glad that I have found someone to support me

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ernest Dion Wilson, Lonnie Rashid Lynn

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Comments from YouTube:

Kelvin Lawson

38w↑4

Most underrated rapper all time

usman saeed

38w

Also one of the best actors in the world

Christian Terrill

37w↑1

So underrated, he never ever gets brought up when people tall about the greats but he is up there with Naz, biggie, pac, and alot of the dope underground rappers. He has always been mainstream had hits, but only gets his love from the underground. It's weird his beats are great his lyrics are great he should be in the conversation as one of the goats.

James T

38w↑1

Word, right on time

thenewgoldenera

38w

Classic!!

Samantha Bell

38w

❤

Kyn Karolina

38w

🎼🎼🎼🎼

Teresa A Brown

38w

😊❤🎶 🎶 💃 💃 ✌ ❤ 🙏😊💃

Namenlos مجهول නමක් නැති

38w

🎵

iAM jONATHAN

38w

Mmmm hip-hop

A A

38w

Lordspittah streaming worldwide

KiNG BEY BOii

38w

✌🏾🤴🏾🤚🏾

Shekela Farmer

36w

😘 No disrespect, to Common mimicking the made-up art by ways that some people's sorta talk or can relate to by someway,✌ peace & respect to Common attached entertainments mimicking about ways some females and males talk and or do by made-up words and 📚 books unfairly or abusively; but, to be honest by the use of the beautiful helpful art of the artificial words also used in so called made-up books referred to as form of communication is a taught and or learnt about that isn't a requirement of persons to have to go by, but, really only one most important 📙 book, THE DICTIONARY, people are fair as in legal to do by to learn about how to present their art of form of communication of words of sign languaged by drawing lines and curves into so-called learnt and or taught alphabets also called letters to make-up so-called words to write 📝 on made-up paper, to practice how to write-up so-called 📝 letter and or 📒 notes of writing in books called stories for fun or some stories about persons life or happening or to rapp, talk, say and tell about helpful, beautiful, fun, wants and needs of persons, but, it's not a requirement of persons to have to read other 📚 books nor a requirement of persons to have to do by other persons words of called sayso or tell or told; persons don't have to do by other persons words being that the words and or book/s and or persons sayso or tell about isn't really fair to have to do by, but, only really the DICTIONARY 📙 to learn the rules about how to spell words and or to learn the meaning of how to say and or put in order to draw or write the art in fair order are rules of persons are not supposed to draw the lines and curves into made-up ugly lies to be dishonest or to be mean to wrong cheat or abuse abuse by the made-up art to make or do dirty of called black curse by words and books to wrong cheat or abuse themselves and or other person or other people by using the art of words and unfairly to do by told stories of other persons life in books used unfairly as a curse to unfairly or abusively control is illegal business which reminds me of a rapp song by KRS1 rapping in telling about how illegal business controls America which appears as a sign language of KRS1 saying that a lot of wrong of unfair and abusive illegal business is going on in America a place that millions people do to come to live and while some people do to live in America in peace respectfully; some people do to live in American or do some business in America unfairly or abusively and some of them refer to themselves as America or the world etc. 👉 It's the reasons jails and mental institutions exist in each city state and country because the business that some people's doing and or practicing is much unfair or tooo abusive illegal business.