Valley of Death
CunninLynguists Lyrics

Now I've seen obscene times before this hip-hop game, came
I have experienced difficult and disturbing times prior to the emergence of the hip-hop industry

Like the cops that checked and left me a mate,
Similar to the police officers who inspected me and disregarded my plight

To a system with gingerbread minutes I overbake,
I was trapped in a system that had me laboring for prolonged amounts of time in unfavorable conditions

Put to work in the dirt for a buck and quarter a day.
I was made to engage in difficult manual labor for a meager amount of pay.

Chopping down trees for the next prison, dismayed
I was made to cut down trees to make way for the building of new prisons, which caused me to feel disillusioned.

And separate us slaves with thirty dollars in pay.
We as slaves were made to work and then paid a meager amount that was only thirty dollars.

The jailer got a tailor and a F-250,
Those in charge of the prison system had fancy clothes and expensive cars such as a F-250.

Standing on them dirty acres, feeling god damn filthy.
I was on the dirty acreage, working to the point of being and feeling filthy.

Minutes stand for years, suckas crawl for others
Working in these conditions made time pass slowly, and those around me were subservient to others.

Understand the biz, I suffocate 'em with covers
I understand how the business operates, and I will stop those who are trying to thwart my progress.

Cause somebody gets paid, our livings are simply beginnings
Someone is making money off of our efforts and we are only making a meager beginning.

Like slipping the sugar in some cracker's lemonade.
We are making progress but it is slow, like adding sugar to lemonade gradually.

Got my brother in Baghdad, hands crunching grenades,
My brother is fighting in Baghdad, putting his life on the line.

While we hustle like house niggas, trying to buy chains.
While we work hard to attain property, we are still in bondage.

Back-asswards, for trying to buy change,
It is difficult to bring about change when one is trying to acquire material possessions.

I'mma walk through the Valley and rally through my pain
I will face my hardships head-on in the Valley and push through the pain.

I'mma wear your confederate flag, and be a rebel,
I will wear your Confederate flag despite it being offensive and be a rebel.

Burn this witch down, Gretel with heavy metal.
I will destroy anything and everything that stands in my way with force.

Cancelled for pissing on the oaks and the stems,
I am being punished for lashing out against the establishment.

The size of youth, see it scenic, like they broke in my dreams,
The youth are being held back from their dreams by the establishment.

Weave it together, hoes need all the yarn you can swing,
We need to band together and use all the resources at our disposal to bring about change.

From filthy farms, we learned about types of alarms we can ring,
Working on dirty farms has taught us the system's weaknesses, and what we can do to make a change.

Are you gon' listen? It seems the only sense you got is vision,
Will you listen to my message? It appears that the only sense you are using is sight.

And since we shared our senses now the cents is steady slipping,
Now that we have spoken out, the situation has become worse.

And since we stopped the youth from praying, sinfulness is livid,
The situation has become more corrupt as we have prevented the youth from practicing their religion.

And the rich don't really give a fuck 'cause they don't gotta live it,
The wealthy class does not care because they do not have to experience the hardships that we do.

I see art living every day and never paid a visit,
Those who are not affected by these hardships can never truly understand them.

To y'all the hoods a museum and we just exhibits
To those who are not from these areas, it is comparable to visiting a museum exhibit.

The truth is just some digits, a means to an end,
The reality of the situation is just a numerical value and a tool for reaching an ultimate goal.

By any means, ????? gon' win.
By any means necessary, we will triumph.

Since y'all won't listen, I'll use fists in place of my pens,
If you will not listen to my message, I will be using fists instead of words.

So then maybe y'all should see the end.
Perhaps this will encourage you to understand the gravity of the situation.

Dwell in the Valley of Death, fell in the pits of coal,
We are living in a place of pain and suffering, trapped in coal mines.

Into the mountaintop, where streets are paved in gold,
There is a fantasy of living on top of mountains, in cities with streets made of gold.

But I know, only God can put out our flame, until then we gon' face our pain.
We can only be extinguished by God, so until then we will continue to persevere.

But I know, only God can put out our flame, until then we gon' stake our claim...
Until we can be put down by a higher power, we will claim the rights to our place in society.

On these Dirty Acres.
On this land that is covered in dirt and grime.