B.I.B.L.E
Genius & GZA Lyrics

Basic instructions before leaving earth
The true and fundamental instructions to follow in order to progress in life.

Life is a test, many quest the universe
Life is an examination, and many individuals strive to find their purpose in the vast universe.

An' through my research, I felt the joy an' the hurt
Throughout my studies, I have experienced both happiness and sorrow.

The first shall be last an' the last shall be first
The initial and final positions can be reversed in life.

Knowledge this wisdom, this goes back when I was twelve
I have been seeking knowledge and wisdom since I was twelve years old.

I loved doin' right but I was trapped in Hell
I wanted to do the right thing, but I was in a difficult situation.

Had mad ideas, sad eyes an' tears
I had unusual ideas, and I was sad and tearful.

Years of fears but yo, my foes couldn't bear
I had many years of fears, but my enemies could not handle it.

I searched for the truth since my youth
From early life, I have been pursuing the truth.

An' went to church since birth but it wasn't worth the loot
I attended church since I was born but realized it was not worth the money.

That I was payin', plus the prayin'
I was paying money as well as praying.

I didn't like stayin' 'coz of busy bodies an' dizzy hotties
I did not like staying because of people who were too involved and overly concerned with frivolous things.

That the preacher had souped up with lies
The preacher had embellished with lies.

Had me cooped up lookin' at loot, butt an' thighs
I was confined and was forced to look at money, women's bodies, and other materialistic things.

Durin' the service, he swallowed up the poor
During the service, he took advantage of the poor.

An' after they heard this, they wallowed on the floor
The poor people were so upset that they fell on the floor.

But I ignored an' explored my history that was untold
I ignored the present situation and investigated my own untold history.

An' watched mysteries unfold
And, as a result, revealed unknown mysteries.

An' dropped a jewel like Solomon but never followed men
I shared valuable wisdom but never blindly followed others.

'Coz if you do, your brain is more hollow
Because if you follow others blindly, your mind becomes empty and lacks substance.

Than space oblivia or the abyss
And it becomes emptier than an endless black hole.

With no trace of trivia, left with the hiss
In the end, there is nothing left but meaningless noise.

Does it pay to be deaf, dumb, blind?
Is it worthwhile to ignore reality, remain ignorant or indifferent to it?

From a slave we was kept from the mind
As slaves, we were prevented from using our full minds.

An' from the caves he crept from behind
Coming out of caves, people gradually gained knowledge and understanding.

An' what he gave was the sect of the swine
What he offered was a harmful or low-level group.

When the Bible, it condemned the pig
Even though the Bible condemned pigs, we were encouraged to indulge in it.

I don't mean to pull your hems or flip your wigs
I do not intend to shock or surprise you.

But we used to wear a turban but now we're in the urban
We used to wear turbans, but now we live in urban areas.

No more wearin' beanies an' dress like a genie
We no longer wear beanies or dress up like genies.

No hocus pocus 'coz I focus on the facts
I deal with reality rather than believe in superstitions.

An' put it on the tracks an' brought it through the wax
I shared this knowledge through music recordings.

I speak on Jacob, it might take up some time
I discuss Jacob's story, which could be time-consuming.

An' too much knowledge, it might break up the rhyme
Also, there is the possibility that too much information might disrupt the song's rhythm.

I did it anyway just to wake up the mind
Nevertheless, I did it to alert people to the importance of having an active mind.

Of those who kiss stones or prays on the carpet
Of those who worship rocks or pray on a carpet.

Those who sit home or sell books by the market
Those who remain at home instead of seeking knowledge, or sell books for money.

Need to chill an' get their mind revived
They need to calm down and reinvigorate their minds.

For years religion did nothing but divide
Religion had been responsible for dividing people for many years.

I strolled through the books of Job to unfold
I studied Job's books to reveal their meaning.

An' open Bibles instead of hopin' on revivals
And instead of attending religious revivals, I opened up Bibles.

Calling on His name an' screamin', ?Hallelujah?
Calling out the name of God and shouting 'Hallelujah!'

When He hardly knew ya, that's how the Devil's fooled ya
When you think God knows little about you, the devil has deceived you.

See, look into my eyes, brethren, that's the lies of a Reverend
Look into my eyes, fellow believers, to see the falsehoods of preachers.

Why should you die to go to Heaven?
Why should you have to die to go to heaven?

The Earth is already in space, the Bible, I embrace
The world is in space already, and I take the Bible as a guide.

A difficult task I had to take
I had to undertake a challenging task.

I studied 'til my eyes was swollen an' only arose when
I studied until my eyes became swollen and only got up when

I found out that we were The Chosen
I discovered that we - the Hebrews - were chosen by God.

I deal with the truth an' build with the youth
I address the truth and work on developing the younger generation.

An' teach my son as he kneels on the stoop
I teach my son while we both sit on the stoop.

Son, life is a pool of sin, corrupted with foolish men
My son, life is saturated with sin and filled with foolish people.

An' women with wicked minds, who build picket signs
And women with evil thoughts make picket signs advocating for immoral acts.

To legalize abortion, the evil eye distortion
To make abortions legal is a corrupt and misguided action.

I quiz son with my wisdom
I test my son with my knowledge.

Before I converted, I was perverted an' knowledge was asserted
Before I changed my ways, my knowledge and understanding were corrupted.

The study of wisdom, I preferred it
I chose to study wisdom.

The understanding, it gave me mental freedom
This understanding gave me mental liberation.

I even learnt Caucasians were really the Tribe of Edam
I even discovered that Caucasians belonged to the Tribe of Edam.

The white image of Christ is really Cesare Borgia
The Caucasian portrayal of Jesus is really that of Cesare Borgia.

An' uhh, the second son of Pope Alexander
The second son of Pope Alexander.

The sixth of Rome an' once the picture was shown
He was the sixth ruler of Rome, and it became clear when the image appeared.

That's how the Devil's tricked my dome
That's how the devil fooled me with his lies.

I prophesized to save a man but no one gave a damn
I predicted that someone needed saving, but no one cared.

For my nation, the seed of Abraham
For my people, who are descendants of Abraham.

Blessed with the tongue of Hebrew
Blessed with the knowledge of the Hebrew language.

Now we're strung on needles an' some are plungin' evils
Now we are going through anguish, and some people are committing evil acts.

So study an' be wise in these days of darkness
Therefore, learn and make wise choices in this era of uncertainty.

Peace to my nephew, Marcus
I extend the salutation of peace to my nephew, Marcus.