Instrumental
Lupe Fiasco (Feat. Jonah Matranga) Lyrics

Uhh, yeah
The song begins

He just sits, and watches the people in the boxes
The singer is addicted to entertainment from TV and other boxes

Everything he sees he absorbs and adopts it
He imitates everything he sees on screen

He mimics and he mocks it
He copies and ridicules what he sees

Really hates the box but he can't remember how to stop, it
He knows he's addicted but doesn't know how to break free from it

Uhh, so he continues to watch it
He keeps watching TV despite hating it

Hopin that it'll give him somethin' that he can box with
He hopes to find inspiration from TV for his art

Or how the locksmith, see the box as, locked in the box
He sees himself as a prisoner of TV addiction

Ain't got the combination to unlock, it
He doesn't have the key to break free from his addiction

That's why he watch-es, scared to look away
He's afraid to stop watching TV

'Cause at that moment, it might show him
Stopping to watch TV might give him clarity

What to take off the locks with
How to break free from his addiction

So he chained hisself to the box, took a lock and then he locked it
He willingly became a slave to TV and became addicted

Swallowed the combination and then forgot, it
He forgot how he became so addicted to TV

As the doctors jot it all down, with they pens and pencils
Doctors observed his behavior and took notes on his addiction

The same ones that took away his voice
The doctors prescribed medication and treatment that silenced him

And just left this instrumental, like that
All that's left of him is the music he created

And he never lies (he never lies, he never lies, uhh)
He never speaks falsehood, but he also never speaks

And he never lies (uhh, he never lies, he never lies, no)
Repetition to emphasize that he never speaks

And he never lies (he never lies)
Another repetition to emphasize his silence

'Cause he never said anything at all
He never spoke about his struggles or his addiction

He just sits, and listens to the people in the boxes
He also listens to TV and other forms of entertainment

Everything he hears he absorbs and adopts it
He imitates what he hears on TV or in music

Anything not comin out the box he blocks it
He rejects anything that is not part of his addiction

See he loves to box and hope they never stop it
He enjoys being addicted and never wants to stop

Anything the box tell him to do, he does it
He is like a puppet to the TV, doing everything it tells him

Anything it tell him to get, he shops and he cops it
He buys everything that is advertised on TV

He protects the box, locks it in a box
He guards his source of addiction from anyone trying to change him

When he goes to sleep, but he never sleeps
He is always alert to his addiction, even in his sleep

'Cause he stays up to watch it, scared to look away
He watches TV all night, afraid to stop

'Cause at that moment, it might get stolen
He's afraid of losing his source of addiction

And that's the last of the boxes
If he loses his addiction, he'll have nothing

So he chained himself to the box, took a lock and then he locked it
He made himself a slave to his addiction

Swallowed the combination and then forgot, it
He forgot how he became addicted to TV

As the doctors jot it all down, with they pens and pencils
Doctors observed and took notes on his addiction

The same ones that took away his voice
Medical professionals silenced him

And just left this instrumental, like that
All that's left of him is the music he created

And you can't tell me just who you are
Addressing the listener, challenging them to reveal their true identity

You buy new clothes to hide those scars
People hide their emotional wounds with physical objects

You built that roof just to hide those stars
People ignore beauty and wonder because they are afraid of vulnerability

Now you can't take it back to the start
Once you have lost something, you cannot go back in time to change it

You burn them flows just to hide those scars
Artists create to hide their emotional pain

Now you can't take it back to the start
Once you have made your art, you cannot undo it

And you can't tell me just who you are
Repeating the challenge to the listener

You built that roof just to hide those stars
People hide beauty and wonder to avoid being vulnerable

Now you can't take it back to the start
Once you have lost something, you cannot undo it

You burn them flows just to hide those scars
Artists create to hide their emotional pain

Now you can't take it back to the start
Once you have created your art, you cannot undo it