Patience
Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley Lyrics

Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, yonkontê
Be patient, be patient, be patient, my friends

Sabali, Sabali, Sabali, kiye
Be patient, be patient, be patient, please

Ni kêra môgô
These are the things of our ancestors

Some of the smartest dummies
Even intelligent people can't understand ancient languages

Can't read the language of Egyptian mummies
These languages are so complex that people cannot decipher them

An' a fly go a moon
Even insects can go to the moon, but we can't feed starving people

And can't find food for the starving tummies
There are many people in need of food and attention

Pay no mind to the youths
The young are often ignored, but they will become the future

Cause it's not like the future depends on it
People don't realize the impact of teaching the younger generation

But save the animals in the zoo
People focus on animal conservation because there's money in it

Cause the chimpanzee dem a make big money
Chimpanzees in zoos are profitable and earn revenue

This is how the media pillages
The media exploits and steals from people

On the TV the picture is
The TV images are often distorted or exaggerated

Savages in villages
The media often fetishizes African cultures and people

And the scientist still can't explain the pyramids, huh
The pyramids are still a mystery to scientists and scholars

Evangelists making a living on the videos of ribs of the little kids
Some religious leaders exploit children for their own gain

Stereotyping the image of the images
People have the wrong perceptions of certain races or cultures

And this is what the image is
This is what people assume another race or culture is

You buy a khaki pants
People change their clothes to mimic someone else

And all of a sudden you say a Indiana Jones
People try to imitate adventure

An' a thief out gold and thief out the scrolls and even the buried bones
People such as treasure hunters or archaeologists sometimes commit unethical acts

Some of the worst paparazzi's I've ever seen and I ever known
Some paparazzi will resort to any means possible to get photos and stories

Put the worst on display so the world can see
Unfortunately, negative stories get the most attention and go viral quickly

And that's all they will ever show
The media only shows the negative aspects of a story

So the ones in the west
People in the Western world

Will never move east
They will never learn or understand other cultures and people

And feel like they could be at home
People need to understand that not everyone is the same and that's okay

Dem get tricked by the beast
People are tricked by corrupt leaders or influencers

But a where dem ago flee when the monster is fully grown?
People won't know how to handle the problem when it gets worse

Solomonic linage whe dem still can't defeat and them coulda never clone
People of Solomon's bloodline cannot be defeated or replicated

My spiritual DNA that print in my soul and I will forever Own Lord
I inherit my own spiritual beliefs and I will always own them

Huh, we born not knowing, are we born knowing all?
We are born with a blank slate and must learn from our environment

We growing wiser, are we just growing tall?
People aren't necessarily getting smarter all the time, just taller

Can you read thoughts? can you read palms?
Can you really know what others are thinking by just looking or talking to them?

Can you predict the future? can you see storms, coming?
Can you predict what will happen in the future?

The Earth was flat if you went too far you would fall off
People used to believe that the Earth was flat

Now the Earth is round if the shape change again everybody woulda start laugh
People must be open-minded and adjust to new ideas and discoveries

The average man can't prove of most of the things that he chooses to speak of
People often speak without truly confirming their statements with concrete evidence

And still won't research and find out the root of the truth that you seek of
People need to do their own research to truly understand the topic they are speaking of

Scholars teach in Universities and claim that they're smart and cunning
Professors may appear intelligent in the classroom, but they don't know everything

Tell them find a cure when we sneeze and that's when their nose start running
Doctors can't cure everything, and even a simple thing like a sneeze can stump them

And the rich get stitched up, when we get cut
The wealthy get better medical care than everyday people

Man a heal dem broken bones in the bush with the wed mud
There are natural remedies outside of traditional Western medicine

Can you read signs? can you read stars?
Do you think you can predict the future by observing nature or the cosmos?

Can you make peace? can you fight war?
Are you a peacekeeper or a warrior?

Can you milk cows, even though you drive cars? huh
Do you know how to do basic tasks while still enjoying the convenience of technology?

Can you survive, Against All Odds, Now?
Can you make it through tough times?

Who wrote the Bible? Who wrote the Qur'an?
Who wrote religious texts such as the Quran and the Bible?

And was it a lightning storm
What natural force created the Earth and different species?

That gave birth to the earth
How did life start on Earth?

And then dinosaurs were born? damn
Dinosaurs are one of the great mysteries of life on Earth

Who made up words? who made up numbers?
Who created language and math?

And what kind of spell is mankind under?
What defines humanity and drives us forward?

Everything on the planet we preserve and can it
Humanity is excellent at preserving and canning many different things

Microwaved it and try it
We often try new things and experiment with different methods

No matter what we'll survive it
Humanity is resilient and can survive great adversity

What's hu? what's man? what's human?
What truly defines humanity?

Anything along the land we consuming
Humanity uses up natural resources at an alarming rate

Eatin', deletin', ruin
Humanity often destroys what it needs to survive

Trying to get paper
Humanity often exploits others for financial gain

Gotta have land, gotta have acres
Owning land is often equated with wealth and success

So I can sit back like Jack Nicholson
People often use wealth to relax and enjoy life

Watch niggas play the game like the lakers
People watch famous athletes perform on TV for entertainment

In a world full of 52 fakers
Many people pretend to be something they're not

Gypsies, seances, mystical prayers
People believe in different types of spirituality and mysticism

You superstitious? throw salt over your shoulders
People struggle with superstitions, and some use rituals to dispel them

Make a wish for the day cuz
People make wishes or set goals for themselves

Like somebody got a doll of me
Sometimes people feel like they're being used as pawns in someone else's game

Stickin' needles in my arteries
People can feel helpless when tricked or deceived by others

But I can't feel it
Sometimes people are numb to what's going on in their own lives

Sometimes it's like 'pardon me, but I got a real big spirit'
Some people feel like their spirit is much larger than their physical body

I'm fearless, I'm fearless
Some people feel invincible and unafraid

Don't you try and grab hold of my soul
People don't want to be taken advantage of or used for someone else's gain

It's like a military soldier since seven years old
Some people endure hardship and struggle from a young age

I held real dead bodies in my arms
Some people experience trauma or loss from an early age

Felt their body turn cold, oh
Feeling death can be shocking and overwhelming to some people

Why we born in the first place
The purpose of life is an ongoing mystery and question

If this is how we gotta go?
Is this the best that life has to offer?

Damn.
Sometimes life can be overwhelming and difficult to understand.