My People
DJ Jazzy Jeff & Raheim Lyrics

I've seen streets we're youth are forced to take the long way home
I have witnessed conditions where young individuals are compelled to take a longer route while a more easy route is available due to safety hazards.

And I've seen mothers mourn the loss of there only born
I have witnessed situations where mothers lament about the death of their sole offspring.

Still I believe we are given nothin more than we can beg
I still uphold my belief that everything we receive in life is what we ask for.

A vision is only blurred when life seems unfair
When life appears to be unjust, even a clear and definite plan can become blurred.

Who am I to judge the man with the needle in his veins
I am not entitled to judge an individual who has an addiction to drugs.

When he's just chasing freedom to escape the pain
Addicts are pursuing drugs to break free from their suffering.

Of the worlds fast paced pipe dreams and shortcomings
People are attempting to fulfill hasty ambitions and address their inadequacies through illicit drugs.

He's just trying to make do and find a way out of nothing
An addict is endeavoring to survive and make a significant transformation despite feeling hopeless.

Its like we damned if we do and damned if we don't
Regardless of whatever action we take, we are trapped in an inevitable pitfall.

And it's a very thin line between respect and being broke
The boundary between having dignity and being impoverished is quite slender.

And being one red button away from world war three
We are perilously close to starting the third world war even with one push of a button.

Always called the minority
Minorities are always labeled as such.

And always always pulled over
Minorities are frequently stopped by the police.

Facing police brutality
Minorities are subjected to acts of violence carried out by police officers.

Why is every street a living hell
Why do we have to live in dire living conditions?

Probably cause they want us to fail
This situation is likely the result of some individuals conspiring deliberately to make us lose hope in ourselves.

Yeah three strikes and surely back to jail
With every third offense, an individual is destined to return to prison.

Like the slave ships when they sail
Living with such continuous discrimination and hostility is almost reminiscent of the conditions that people had to endure during the slave trading era.

Years and years of civil rights chasing to pass that bill
We spent years pursuing our civil rights and making laws to get them approved.

But ask yourself people have we changed or are we standing still
Have we truly transformed, or are we still stuck in the same place?

Down and out struggling
We are desperate and in a state of extreme poverty.

In this concrete jungle
We are oppressed in this place where there is no way to escape.

But they say being free is about speaking your mind
On the contrary, some of us are told that exercising our right to freedom of speech is what will make us free.

Prophesise too much and that's where they draw the line
It's okay to be vocal to some extent, but if we overdo it, we run the risk of hurting ourselves.

A line as thin as the line between war and peace
The distinction between war and peace is very slim and difficult to draw.

A line as thin as the line between west and east
Similarly, there is no clear distinction between the west and the east.

My people whose pains are cornered
My community is facing lots of challenges.

My peoples all shapes and colours
The people in my community are of different races, sizes, and colors.

My peoples got more peoples with ills
In my community, there are many people faced with issues and illnesses.

That's more peoples more sistas and brothas
This is particularly true for women and men in my community.

My people stay strong as an ox
My community remains resilient despite the hardships they face.

My peoples will never fail
People in my community will never give up.

Remain with a story to tell
Yet, in the end, we will have a story to tell about how we triumphed.

My peoples was paints on the door
My people have a rich history and heritage behind them.

My peoples all shapes and colours
The people in my community hail from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.

My peoples got more peoples with ills
My community is home to many individuals with impairments.

More people more sistaz and brothers
Women and men in my community are particularly at risk.

My peoples will never fail
People in my community will not give up.

Remain with a story to tell
Nevertheless, we will have a story to share at the end of it all.