Take It Slow
Logic Feat. Raheem Devaughn Lyrics

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first black man
Go back to the origin of the black population

Long ago before the white man could paint
Before the white man could negatively portray

The black man with a gun in his hand
The stereotype of the black man as violent and dangerous

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first white man
Go back to the origin of the white population

At the very moment when they looked around
At the exact point in time when they observed their surroundings

And said fuck it I'mma steal this land
And decided to unlawfully take possession of this land

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first black man
Go back to the origin of the black population

Long ago before the white man could paint
Before the white man could negatively portray

The black man with a gun in his hand
The stereotype of the black man as violent and dangerous

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first white man
Go back to the origin of the white population

At the very moment when they looked around
At the exact point in time when they observed their surroundings

And said fuck it I'mma steal this land
And decided to unlawfully take possession of this land

Everybody wanna tell me what I am, what I am not
Everyone tries to define my identity

You ain't black, you a mothafuckin' white boy
You are not black, you are a white person

Shut ya mouth, do it right boy, aight boy?
Be quiet and behave properly, okay?

Man why you such a hype boy?
Why are you always so energetic and excited?

Why you always talk about being black?
Why do you constantly discuss your black identity?

Skin too white, nigga fuck that
Your skin is too light, disregard that

Everything you talk about, cut that
Stop discussing everything you're mentioning

That door you trying to open you could shut that
You can close the door you're attempting to open

Grip the gat yeah that's how I'mma buck back
Hold the gun, that's how I will retaliate

Tell me what I am and what I know now
Inform me of my identity and knowledge

All this prejudice has got to go
We must eliminate all this unfair treatment based on preconceived notions

Life is moving fast it need to slow down
Life is progressing quickly, it should slow down

Come and see me when I am in yo town
Visit me when I am in your area

Practice what we preach before it go down
Follow our own advice before a negative event occurs

Yes I got the gift to gab fo sho
Yes, I have the talent for talking convincingly

Will I have to get the gat? No no
Will I need to use a gun? No, definitely not

Yes I got to get the gat fo sho
Yes, I have to obtain a gun, no doubt

But will have to get the gat, get the gat, get the gat?
But will I really have to acquire a gun?

Masta deep down inside of me
The historical oppression is deeply embedded within me

The plantation deep down inside of me
The remnants of slavery are rooted within me

Everybody fuck like sodomy
Everyone fights and engages in conflict

'Cause one or the other what it gotta be
Because it seems like we always have to choose sides

Tell me why my momma gotta lie to me
Explain why my mother has to deceive me

Unity for everyone that lied to me
I advocate for unity, even those who deceived me

Peace on earth what I try to be
I strive to bring peace to the world

I just wanna spread the message of equality
I simply want to promote the idea of equal treatment

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first black man
Go back to the origin of the black population

Long ago before the white man could paint
Before the white man could negatively portray

The black man with a gun in his hand
The stereotype of the black man as violent and dangerous

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first white man
Go back to the origin of the white population

At the very moment when they looked around
At the exact point in time when they observed their surroundings

And said fuck it I'mma steal this land
And decided to unlawfully take possession of this land

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first black man
Go back to the origin of the black population

Long ago before the white man could paint
Before the white man could negatively portray

The black man with a gun in his hand
The stereotype of the black man as violent and dangerous

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to the first white man
Go back to the origin of the white population

At the very moment when they looked around
At the exact point in time when they observed their surroundings

And said fuck it I'mma steal this land
And decided to unlawfully take possession of this land

Take it back, take it way back
Reflect on the past and go back in time

Take it way way back to about 1990
Go back to approximately the year 1990

Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, Maryland
The specific location where the child was born

7:36 am. Where a biracial baby was born
The precise time when a mixed-race child was delivered

To a black father and a white mother
With an African-American father and a Caucasian mother

Father that wasn't there, addicted to
An absent father, struggling with addiction to

Crack cocaine, alcohol, and various other drugs
Substances such as crack cocaine, alcohol, and different narcotics

Same as his mom
Similar to his mother's situation

So I'm gonna tell you about that, I'm gonna tell you about how
I will explain and narrate that experience

All this young boy ever wanted was happiness
The primary desire of this boy was to be happy

All he ever wanted was positivity
His sole wish was to experience positivity

All he ever wanted to do was entertain
His main aspiration was to entertain others

And this boy went through hell
This child experienced immense hardship

You gotta understand, his mother was racist
It's important to comprehend that his mother held racist views

Which is crazy
This fact is absurd

'Cause how in the fuck is you gonna have
Because how can she have

All these black babies with black men but you racist
Children with black men but still possess racist beliefs

Like bitch, that don't make sense
That doesn't make logical sense

But it is what it is
However, that's the reality of the situation

You know, he grew up, her callin' him a nigger
He was raised with his mother referring to him with a racial slur

The kids at school callin' him a cracker
His peers at school mocking him by using a derogatory term for white people

Identifying as black, looking as white
He identified as black, although he physically appeared white

Being told what you can or can't be
Being restricted and informed about what he is capable of becoming

This kid went through everything
This child endured numerous hardships

He went through
He experienced

He saw narcotics in the household
He witnessed drug use within his home

Violence, murderers, drug dealers
Acts of violence, individuals involved in murder, and drug traffickers

He was kidnapped, there was crazy shit that happened to this kid
He was abducted, and various traumatic incidents occurred in his life

And he persevered while the whole world said
Despite the world doubting and disparaging him

What they said?
What did they say?

Said, said, said "you wouldn't be shit!"
Repeatedly claimed that he wouldn't amount to anything

You ain't gon' be nothin', nothin', nothin', nothin'
You will never achieve anything

And I, and he, he said fuck that, I'mma persevere
But he, himself, decided to defy those expectations and persist

And that's why the message is always peace, love and positivity
That's why his message consistently revolves around peace, love, and positivity

See, he always saw things from two sides
He consistently considered different perspectives

He always saw things from two sides
He continuously viewed situations with a dual perspective

He always knew that the message
He constantly understood that the message

Everybody, was born equal
Everyone is inherently equal

Regardless of race, religion
Irrespective of race or religion

Color, creed, and sexual orientation
Including skin color, beliefs, and sexual identity

He knew that because he saw that
He understood this truth from his own observations

Because he was stripped
Due to his experiences that removed

And torn down by his black brothers and sisters
And emotionally destroyed by his fellow black individuals

That were uneducated and that did not know
Who lacked education and awareness

And he was stripped
And he was emotionally stripped

And he was torn down by his white side that did not know
And he was emotionally destroyed by his white side that lacked understanding

These people that are ignorant, they cannot see the bigger picture
These ignorant individuals fail to comprehend the broader context

That must fight, and kill, and murder each other
And engage in conflict, violence, and killing against one another

But once again, all he ever wanted to do
However, his primary goal was always

Was spread a message
To convey a message

Of equality, for every man, woman, and child
Promoting equality for all individuals, regardless of gender or age

Now imagine this child growing up
Now envision this child as they matured

And seeing the craziest shit
And witnessing unimaginable events

Being a part of the craziest shit
And actively participating in those chaotic situations

Running around with the wrong people
Associating with problematic individuals

Running around with guns and knives and fighting and stealing
Engaging in activities involving weapons, violence, and theft

All this, because he didn't know, he didn't know!
All of this, solely because he lacked knowledge and understanding

But he knew deep down in his heart that it wasn't right
However, he always had an inherent feeling that it was wrong

And he knew that he needed to get away from it
And he realized the importance of distancing himself from that environment

Now I want you to also imagine, that at 17 years old
Continuing to imagine, at the age of 17

This child, okay, leaves home and gets two jobs to support himself
This adolescent, okay, departs from home and secures two jobs to sustain himself

Two jobs that he works in the morning and the evenings
Two positions that he fulfills during morning and evening shifts

And then he would then come home to about 8 or 9 hours of sleep
Afterwards, he would return home to sleep for approximately 8 or 9 hours

But spend 4, 5, 6 hours of that working on music, persevering
However, during that sleep, he would dedicate 4, 5, 6 hours to music, displaying determination

Grabbing the remote control and looking in the mirror
Utilizing a remote control and gazing at his reflection in the mirror

And pretending to see thousands and thousands and thousands of people
And envisioning thousands and thousands of people in his presence

Just chanting his name
Uttering his name in unison

Hoping that it would happen
Wishing for that scenario to become reality

But the, but the, but the world said no!
But the world, however, responded with rejection

Mothafucka, little mothafucka no no, no no, no no, no no
Indicating that the world firmly denied his aspirations

Ya nigga, ya cracka, ya white boy, ya black mothafucka
Using racial slurs and derogatory terms to label him

No no!
Absolutely not!

And he said fuck that
He disregarded those negative responses

He said peace, love, and positivity
He embraced the concepts of peace, love, and positivity

He said equality for all man
He advocated for equal treatment for every individual

Regardless of race, religion, color, creed, and sexual orientation
No matter one's race, religion, skin color, beliefs, or sexual identity

Yeah
Yeah

Now I also want you to imagine
Additionally, I want you to envision

People telling him that he did not live this life
People arguing that he did not experience such a life

"You just a white boy." "You ain't never experienced that shit."
"You're simply a white individual." "You have never gone through those experiences."

"You from Gaithersburg, Maryland. Nothing happens there."
"You are from Gaithersburg, Maryland, where nothing significant occurs."

"Oh no, no, we no, we weren't there
"Oh no, no, we were not present

We didn't live with you, in your Section 8 household
We did not reside with you in your government-subsidized residence

We didn't live with the narcotics and violence in your household.
We did not experience the influence of drugs and violence within your home.

We just saw it from the outside, outside, outside, outside."
We only observed it from an external perspective."

"And since you white, you gotta have money, right?"
"And since you are white, you must be wealthy, correct?"

And this young man persevered, in spite of what people told him he was
Nevertheless, this young man persisted despite others' opinions of him

Wasn't, would and would never be
Who he was not, who he would never become

And that man is here today, proud
And that man stands here today, full of pride

A lover of all human beings
A person who embraces and respects all individuals

Regardless of race, religion, color, creed, and sexual orientation
Irrespective of one's race, religion, skin color, beliefs, or sexual identity

Yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah

And he's here to say
And he is present to express

Even though we're all born and created equal
Despite everyone being born with equal worth

We're not treated equally
We do not receive equal treatment

There's extremists on every side
Extremist ideologies exist in all groups

And you should just do your best to live life
And you should strive to live life to the fullest

And let other people believe whatever they wanna believe
And allow others to hold whatever beliefs they desire

As long as they're not hurtin' anybody
As long as their beliefs do not cause harm to others

You can believe they're going to hell
You can hold the belief that they are destined for damnation

You can believe it's not right
You can believe it is morally wrong

You can believe you're superior, fine
You can believe you are superior, that's acceptable

Just stop killing each other
But put an end to the violence against one another