Take a Minute
K´naan Lyrics

And any man who knows a thing knows, he knows not a damn, damn thing at all
No matter how much you know, you still know very little.

And every time I felt the hurt and I felt the givin' gettin' me up off the wall
Every time I faced hardship and overcame it by giving, it made me stronger.

I'm just gonna take a minute and let it ride
I'm going to take a moment to let things be and not stress about them.

I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breeze
I'm going to take a moment to relax and let the wind blow away my worries.

How did Mandela get the will to surpass the everyday
How did Mandela find the strength to endure his struggles every day?

When injustice had him caged and trapped in every way
He was imprisoned and oppressed by the cruel and unjust system.

How did Gandhi ever withstand the hunger strikes and all
How did Gandhi endure his hunger strikes and other hardships?

Didn't do it to gain power or money if I recall
He did not do it for personal gain, but rather to make a difference.

It's to give; I guess I'll pass it on
It's all about giving, so I will pass on this idea to others.

Mother thinks it'll lift the stress of Babylon
My mother believes that giving will alleviate the stresses of our challenging environment.

Mother knows, my mother she suffered blows
My mother knows what it's like to face hardships and adversity.

I don't know how we survived such violent episodes
I am not sure how we managed to come out of the violent situations we faced.

I was so worried, and hurt to see you bleed
I was deeply concerned and pained to see you suffer.

But as soon as you came out the hospital you gave me sweets
But as soon as you were out of the hospital, you gave me a small joyous gift.

Yeah, they try to take you from me
Yes, they tried to take you away from me.

But you still only gave 'em some prayers and sympathy
But you responded with kindness, offering them your prayers and sympathy.

Dear mama, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless
Dear mama, you inspired me to write this song and taught me that giving is invaluable.

All I can say is the worst is over now
All I can say is that the worst is behind us now.

We can serve the hard times, divorce is over now
We can get through the difficult times and the divorce is now in the past.

They try to keep us out, but they doors is open now
They tried to keep us out, but now the doors are open and we can succeed.

My nigga Akon is getting awards for covers now
My friend Akon is now receiving awards for his music covers.

This is K'naan, and still reppin' the S
This is K'naan, still representing Somalia.

Comin' out of Mogadishu and still draped in the mess
I came out of Mogadishu, still carrying the weight of my past and my struggles.

And no matter how we strong, homie
No matter how strong we are, my friend.

It ain't easy coming out of where we from, homie
It's not easy coming from where we come from, my friend.

And that's the reason why, I could never play for me
That's why I could never do this just for myself.

Tell 'em the truth, is what my dead homies told me
My deceased friends taught me to always tell the truth.

Oh yeah, I take inspiration from the most heinous of situations
Yes, I draw inspiration from the most horrible of situations.

Creating medication out my own tribulations
I use my own hardships to make something positive for others.

Dear Africa, you helped me write this, by showing me to give is priceless
Dear Africa, you inspired me to write this song and showed me that giving is invaluable.

Nothing is perfect man, that's what the world is
The world is flawed, that's just the way it is.

All I know is
All I can say is.

I'm enjoying today
I'm taking pleasure in today.

You know, 'cause it isn't everybody that you get to give
You never know when you'll have the chance to give, so enjoy it when you can.