Lightwork
Lupe Fiasco Lyrics

I had a way then, losing it all on my own
I used to have a path in life, but I lost my way and everything on my own.

I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown
I used to be kindhearted, but my leadership position has been taken away from me.

And I'm not sleeping now
I'm currently having trouble sleeping.

The dark is too hard to beat
The darkness in my life is difficult to overcome.

And I'm not keeping up the strength I need to push me
I'm struggling to maintain the strength I need to continue on.

You sure the lights don't stop me
The lights aren't hindering my progress.

Turn to stone shining when I'm alone
I'm trying to be strong and shine even when I'm by myself.

And so I tell myself that I am strong
I'm trying to convince myself that I have inner strength.

Dreaming when they're gone
I'm dreaming of a better life when the negativities are gone.

Cause they're calling, calling, calling
I'm being called upon by my responsibilities and duties.

Calling, calling, calling
The calls for my attention and action are persistent.

So, what do you bunches stand for?
I'm inquiring about your beliefs and values.

Dreads in the sky, I and I
I'm expressing my Rastafarian faith and beliefs.

2 new vans on a land 4
I acquired two new shoes for my van.

Take that back, make that 2 new shoes on a van floor
Actually, the two new shoes are on the floor of my van.

Me and my band out on that road
I'm on tour with my band.

On a never-back-down-from-a-stance tour
We are touring and not backing down from our beliefs and message.

Yeah, touch more souls than a dancefloor
Our music and message resonates with more people than just a typical nightclub crowd.

While they touch less tours than a hand or
Other musicians have fewer tours and reach fewer people.

Ceiling fan or wait, let me tell ya slower
I'm pausing to explain this analogy more clearly.

Lift my fans up to the to the ceiling
I'm bringing my fans to a higher level of understanding and motivation.

And you'll never touch the floor
I'm encouraging my fans to never give up and always reach for higher aspirations.

Now if noah need a rower, I'll be there with my oar
If someone needs help, I will be there to assist them.

Dad made me a soldier, gi joe to these cobras
My father raised me to be a strong and protective person, like the action figure G.I. Joe.

Tryna fbi my panther, cia my sankofa
People are trying to spy on and undermine my activism and cultural heritage.

Infiltrate my carter, illuminate my culture
Others are attempting to infiltrate and shed false light on my personal beliefs and culture.

While they watching through that bunker
People are spying on my activities from a safe distance.

But I stay up on my hustle
I'm focused and diligent in achieving my goals.

Turn that belt back on theyself
I'm encouraging others to take responsibility for their actions and consequences.

Now I watch them scream for help
I observe others struggling and unable to handle their problems.

Like africa need aid, or black women as maids
I'm pointing out the unequal treatment of certain groups of people.

Uncover undercovers turn those maids to mothers
We need to expose the undercover and unjust treatment of certain groups in order to promote social change.

Take the hero out the nino, keep it real as treble trouble huh?
We need to remove the perceived 'hero' or savior mentality from our society and focus on real, long-term solutions to problems.

Or maybe cartoon martin on the boondocks
We need to look to fictional examples, like the character Martin from The Boondocks, for inspiration on how to make real change.

Flip the script on chicks who think they shit smells like perfume shops
We need to challenge and change the societal norms and expectations placed on women.

Half them girls find beauty without a magazine or movie
Women don't need to conform to unrealistic beauty standards in order to be considered beautiful.

She delila with them 45 or keisha with that uzi
Women are capable of being strong and powerful, like the biblical character Delilah or the gangster Keisha.

Now I know that's contradiction, wants and needs and competition
I understand that my beliefs are sometimes contradictory and that there is competition when it comes to what people want and need.

But it's hard to stay on point with such extremes in opposition
It's difficult to remain consistent in my beliefs when faced with extreme opposition.

While we waiting on that compromise, proceed with that conscious eye
Instead of waiting for a compromise, I will continue to follow my conscience and personal beliefs.

New gang alert: hashtag #occupies
I'm alerting people to the new social movement of Occupy Wall Street.

Repping to the death of me, fnf what's left in me
I will always represent my crew, and I will keep going until I have nothing left.

All my hate is for the fake recipes for?
I reserve all my anger for those who promote false beliefs and try to deceive others.

Only time I wrestle's when I'm wrestling with sex and lean
I only struggle when it comes to dealing with sex and drug addiction.

Only way I settle if we wrestle over everythig
I refuse to settle and am willing to fight for what I believe in.

I know that don't mix like ecstasy and ketamine
I understand that some things, like drugs, should not be mixed and are harmful.

Funny how I'm only sick if you never catch a thing
It's strange how people only consider me 'sick' or unsuccessful if I don't achieve mainstream success or recognition.

Argue with your friends over what really the record means
People frequently debate and analyze my music and its intended meaning.

Back and forth about it's course, with professor's refereeing
Scholars and experts often debate the direction and impact of my music, with academics guiding the discussion.

Why he so rebellious? up-front with his realness?
People wonder why I'm so outspoken and honest in my music.

They wanna be fiasco's, reproduce his failures
Some people try to emulate my persona and style, but fail to understand the struggles and hardship that come with it.

Emperor is his alias, but not marcus aurelius
I refer to myself as an 'emperor', but I'm not like the famous philosopher Marcus Aurelius.

This is more like Sparta: kick you down a well, kid
My approach is more like that of the ancient Spartans, where only the strong survive and are successful.

And on my last check, I copped that NSX just like Pharrell did
Recently, I purchased a luxury car, similarly to how Pharrell Williams did in the past.

Well did, better days to come
Things are going well for me now, and I believe that even better things are to come.

My only promise is I'll never ruin the young
I promise to always be a positive influence on younger generations and never lead them astray.

I'll never human and sung lyrics in a spirit that's
My lyrics will always come from an authentic and passionate place.

Super human to some, keep you pursuin' the sun of
My music may inspire and motivate some people to reach for something greater.

Slums, plus, get up outta them, plus never forget
I encourage people to rise above their difficult circumstances and never forget where they come from.

This is where you from plus
Your background and experiences are an important part of who you are, and you should never forget that.

Make sure that you ballin when you come back up in them, plus
When you return to your old stomping grounds, make sure you've achieved success and are doing well.

We don't die, multiply, every single come-up
We don't give up or fade away, but rather we continue to grow and expand with every success.

A rumpa-pum-pum-yup
This is simply a rhythmic way of ending the song.