The Grind Date
De La Soul Lyrics

If the meek shall inherit the earth
The humble will ultimately prevail

And not the weak
Not those who are helpless and powerless

Let me inherit the street, fuck it
I want to take control of my own destiny

You know what I mean?
Do you understand what I'm saying?

I mean I love life man, you know what I mean
I enjoy existence despite its hardships

Life is beautiful, it's just the shit in it that's fucked up
The world is lovely, but human behavior can be ugly

It's rough but it's fair
The world is challenging but impartial

People gotta go out there and bust they, bust they ass for a job
One must work hard to attain gainful employment

I mean, my dad's got five kids, man and I mean yo
My father has a large family and responsibilities

He hates drivin' a bus but he loves five kids
He dislikes his occupation but does it for his family

You feel me?
Do you understand what I'm saying?

I'm a rhyme artist
I'm a rapper

Out here tryin' to grind my hardest
I'm working my hardest to succeed

Up early so to milk the cow
I wake up early to get to work

Keep my John Deere out here plowin' the fields
I work hard on the farm

To keep my john hancock's worth up in the now
To maintain my signature's value

Went from hangin' on blocks to hangin' on charts
I've gone from street life to music success

Positions is part of my mission to hangin' on top
My goal is to achieve and maintain a dominant status

Gotta get your polly cracker or with them crackers
You need support from powerful and influential people

And them scheisty ass niggas if you like it or not
And shady individuals whether you approve or not

I've been rewired to work more efficiently in the dirt
I've learned to work harder and smarter

I'm hands on with it all up in my cuticles
I'm actively engaged in manual labor

Some try to get off the farm but fell into harm
Some try to leave the farm but encounter trouble

Of getting in the game of those street pharmaceuticals
Of getting involved in the drug trade

But, I was raised in those blue collar themes
I was brought up with a working-class ethos

Havin' white collar dreams cause I see what it means
Aspiring to professional success

And though the meek shall inherit the earth but don't forget
Remember that the humble will ultimately prevail

The poor are the ones who inherit the debt
The financially disadvantaged bear the burden of debt

You can bet I got better things to do than that
I have more important things to focus on

I was a dick who got jerked by Tom and his boys
I was taken advantage of by Tom and his associates

Came on my land, seized my cattle, and catalog
They took my property and documented it

As if it wouldn't leave me less than coy
As if it wouldn't negatively impact me

But I'm far from bitter even farther from quittin'
I'm not resentful and won't give up

Got a grind date to make, no time for sittin'
I have work to do and won't waste time

And playin' Xbox, stand up and exercise my rights
I'll fight for my rights instead of wasting time with games

As of by seen of through master's eye
As if observed and evaluated by an authority

It's the grind date
It's time to work hard

Know what I'm sayin? I'm sick of askin' that
You understand me? I'm tired of asking

I mean, the street philosophy is that
Some believe in a certain way of life

I'm gonna milk the cow and cook the meat
I'm going to work hard to provide for myself

At least I'm gonna have some kind of food and drink
At the very least, I'll have basic sustenance

Because sometimes you can't come back
Sometimes there's no going back

Like momma said that if you need 5 cents don't ask for 3
As my mother said, don't aim too low when asking for help

Ask for 10, that's for sure
Ask for more than you need to be safe

Yo fuck a rhyme artist, I ain't here for that
I'm not just here to make music

I was born with the boom bap, respect the name
I have a natural talent for music, give me credit

My hands on experience was hands on my first contract
I learned from experience when I signed my first deal

Taught me quick how to respect the game
I learned to value the music industry

Introduced to the block, got used to the block
I became familiar with street life

But your neighbors be the ones who throw shit on your lawn
Sometimes those close to you cause problems

It's like every single time we pop, they got annoyed
Every time we succeed, they get upset

But we got ahead, and we got along
But we still succeeded and worked together

And puttin' work on the calendars, worse on them calendars
We work hard to achieve our goals

Worth of hump days that broke the camel's back
Years of hard work paid off

The grind'll make today look gray
Working hard can be tough and draining

And paint a tainted picture of tomorrows in enamel black
It can make the future seem bleak and uninviting

Meet the rhyme, street grind, son whatever the beast
I have the skills and work ethic to succeed

I'm a take it at the horns till the pinky toe torn
I won't give up until the job is done

And show you why we here this long
And prove why we've achieved success for so long

Cause when it comes to puttin' in work
When it comes to working hard

Once again it's on
It's time to get back to work

I'm just like everybody else man
I'm just an ordinary person

An average nigga with above average potential
But I have the ability to achieve great things

You know what I mean?
Do you understand what I'm saying?

I'm not sayin' that I'm a gentleman
I'm not claiming to be a proper gentleman

I'm saying that I know how to act like a gentleman
But I know how to behave politely and professionally

In order to get the things that I need
To achieve my goals and succeed

And if I gotta pull out my nickle bag, I'm gonna do that
And if I have to resort to illegal means, I will

This ain't no accident, we stayin' here
Our success is not a coincidence, we're staying here

You damn right I am proud of myself man
I have every right to be proud of my achievements

And I'm proud of my team man
And proud of my colleagues' achievements

I don't want you to get the wrong, yo baby on the real?
I don't want you to misunderstand, do you understand?

I don't have sex with people I do business with neither
I don't mix business with pleasure

And that's the real
And that's the truth

But I do do business with people that I have sex with
But I will do business with sexual partners

So if there ain't no conflict, let's get this grind on
So if there's no issue, let's get back to work

Cause I'm gonna fuck the shit outta you, that's word
And I'll work hard until the job is done