Hurricane
Mos Def Lyrics

Same story, same target, different time
The cycle of injustice repeats itself over time, with the same groups of people being targeted repeatedly.

Cyclical reaction from the prisoners of the blind
Prisoners are reacting to a system that is unjust and oppressive, but those in power cannot see this cycle of abuse.

Trying to fight time, it's a battle of the mind
It's difficult for prisoners to keep hope alive and maintain their mental health while incarcerated.

Waiting for redemption, surviving in a bind
Prisoners hold onto the hope of eventual freedom, but it's a constant struggle to survive in a confined, oppressive environment.

Yo, talk about paying the ultimate price
Hurricane Carter has paid the ultimate price in being locked up in prison for his entire life.

Hurricane been incarcerated all of his life
Hurricane Carter has spent his entire life in prison.

Started out at like twelve
Hurricane was a teenager when he was first imprisoned.

Trapped in a belly of hell
Prison is a living hell for those trapped inside.

Grew into a man inside of a cell
Hurricane had to grow up and mature while living in prison.

Yo, anger just swell up
Hurricane's anger has grown over time due to the injustice of his sentence.

At a early age that develop
Hurricane's anger started at a young age.

Hot head and now it ain't shit y'all could tell him
Hurricane is set in his ways and stubborn, difficult to reason with.

They said he's on a road to become a felon
Authorities saw Hurricane's behavior as leading him down a criminal path.

But instead he swung blows that'll split your melon
Hurricane became a boxer and was successful in the ring.

He did his thing and was the king of the ring, undisputed
Hurricane was a successful and respected boxer.

Started making noise but they tried to mute it
Hurricane's success was a threat to those in power, who tried to silence him.

They put him through it
Authorities put Hurricane through various trials and tribulations.

For him to make the system look stupid, [yo]
Hurricane aimed to expose the injustice of the legal system.

They rather look you in the face and shoot it
Those in power would rather kill to silence dissent than address the systemic issues at hand.

And leave your spot looted [or what]
After taking down a powerful figure, innocent people are often left to suffer the consequences.

Or leave your whole life blank futured and caught
The legal system ruins the futures of those it imprisons, leaving them with nothing after their sentence is up.

When you scream at it and do it
When people protest and fight back against the system, the system often doubles down on its oppressive behavior.

With sweat leaking from the outline of your solid
It's a difficult and exhausting battle to fight against the system.

Don't understand the point that you at
It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when you're trapped in the system.

Or how the hell you came to it?
It's hard to understand how a person can be imprisoned unjustly.

Flashback to images of that night, out in Patterson
The song describes a flashback to the night Hurricane was accused of murder.

They pulled him over heading home from a gathering
Hurricane was stopped by police on his way home from an event.

And when they told him the charge it kind of baffled him
Hurricane was surprised and confused by the murder charge against him.

Murder in the first for the champ, we on that again?
Just as Hurricane was successful in one aspect of his life (boxing), he is being targeted in another aspect (the legal system).

Hurricane / Accuse a Hurricane / Ain't change a damned shame / It's life for Hurricane, Hurricane
The chorus asserts that Hurricane's life has been unfairly set up against him and there's little hope for change.

Forever, imagine your locked down forever / Could y'all stand the weather? / Could you hold it together?
The song asks the listener to imagine being locked up permanently and what that would do to their mental health.

You tell me that you know the pain / Yo, imagine if your life was like a hurricane, a hurricane
The song challenges listeners to imagine living through the pain and injustice of Hurricane's life.

It's amazing to a man what a book could do / And how certain books seem to look for you
The song celebrates the power of reading (specifically, how Carter's own book led to his eventual release from prison).

This is the story of a champion's fall and rise / The story left me wiping my eyes
Carter's story is one of both injustice and triumph, and it's an emotional experience to hear/read.

Yes, I am the inescapable, the irresistible, / The unnegotiable, the unchallenged [who dat?] / I am time
This part of the song describes time itself and its power over everything.

I scroll in measurements, control the elements, / I hold the evidence, I tell the story [say what?] / I know no prejudice, I bare no sentiments / For wealth or settlement, I move forward [who you?]
Time is impartial and impartially moves forward, leaving a trail of evidence behind it.

You can't recover me, conceal or smuggle me, / Retreat or run from me, crawl up or under me, / You can't do much for me besides serve / Me well and have good dividends returned to you
Even though time is all-powerful and unstoppable, you can still use it to your advantage and have it work in your favor.

Or attempt to kill me off and have me murder you / Many have wasted me but now they are facing me, / Treated me unfaithfully and now endure me painfully
Those who try to waste time or use it poorly will eventually face its consequences.

Plaintively, I wait to see what history will shape to be, / Who's hearts will never die inside the sake of me / Angel's scribe the page for me, / Keep a full account of all the names for me / And make a special mark for Hurricane who (?) patiently
Time is patient and waits to see what will happen, with angels writing down events as they occur. Hurricane is singled out as exceptional, with his story deserving special attention and recognition.

The clouds clashed and the heaven's gave birth to star / God placed it in a man on the day he was born / Convicted minutes after, a true natural disaster / Framed for manslaughter, the Hurricane Carter rising
This part of the song describes the irony of Hurricane's life. He was born with potential and brightness (represented by the star), but was immediately imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit.

From out the south water, like torrential rains / In the ring no opponent escaped unscathed
Hurricane was unstoppable in the boxing ring, a force to be reckoned with.

You can't believe the world we live in's injust / All I see is more proof, there's no place for us
The song argues that the world is unjust and has no place for certain groups of people (such as those imprisoned unfairly).

They had my man Carter locked in a cage, like an animal / Drive him to the point where the mind work mechanical
The legal system treats Hurricane (and others like him) as animals or objects, rather than human beings.

Or works by remote control / It was done to all of us, they tapped directly into our soul
The oppression of the legal system affects us all, on a deep and personal level.

Either it's sing-sing, or it's bars around your mind / There's no where to run, no where to hide
The system traps people, leaving them with no hope or options for escape.

In a six-by-six a guilty man cries / For repentance and lost is what innocence is
Prison leaves even those who are innocent feeling guilty and hopeless. Innocence is easily lost in the face of oppression and abuse.

Your locked down forever / I can't even explain the pain, know'm saying? / Your life was like a hurricane, a hurricane
Once again, the song asserts that the pain of incarceration is impossible to fully explain, and compares it to the tumultuous and destructive force of a hurricane.