The Truth
Pharoahe Monch feat. Common & Talib Kweli Lyrics

Truth had me up against the ropes
I was cornered by the truth

And semi-conscious without no boxing skills
And barely able to handle it, like a boxer with no fighting abilities

Fear of it makes hair on my neck grow like minoxodil
The fear of the truth makes the hair on my neck stand up straight, like the effects of a hair growth drug

Watchin' the clock is ill when, faced wit the truth
It's unsettling to watch the clock when faced with the truth

Parallels observing, amateur video tapes of
Watching comparable situations on amateur videos

Twenty-one top notch NYPD cops get ill
Even highly trained police officers can become sickened by the truth

Fill they minds not to kill still son, never revealed
Although they think not to kill, their true feelings are never disclosed

True feelings, we speakin' on the truth right now in itself is a healing
Speaking the truth is a form of healing

See The Creator, created existence and balance
The Creator established existence and balance

At right angles, unless it was conceived and stated
Everything is in balance, unless it was specifically created to be out of balance

So whoever shall stray away from right lives wrong
Those who deviate from the path of righteousness will live in the wrong

The deliverance of the word false opposite of truth off course
The opposite of truth is falsehood, which leads one astray

Sure as my slave name sending Troy Donald Jamerson paves the path, enabling truth
My ancestral name, Troy Donald Jamerson, paved the way for the truth

To stay stable and cling to earth!
To stay grounded and rooted in reality

Sorta similar to the way static electricity sting see
Like the shock of static electricity

Truth brings light, light refracts off the mirror
The truth brings clarity, like light reflecting off a mirror

Visions of yourself and error could never clearer
Your flaws are clearly visible when faced with the truth

The truth is that you ugly, not on the outside
The truth is that you're ugly on the inside, not on the outside

But in the inside on the outside you frontin' you lovely
But you pretend to be beautiful on the outside, when you're really ugly on the inside

The discovery of these things and all are well-hidden
The discovery of these internal flaws is often difficult to uncover

But when you in denial of self it is forbidden, that's the truth
But when you deny these flaws within yourself, you are denying the truth

In due time we will find
Eventually, we will discover the truth

Let the truth be told from young souls that become old
The truth should be shared by people of all ages

From days spent in the jungle, where must one go
Even in primitive times, people searched for the truth

To find it, time is real, we can't rewind it
The truth is elusive, and time is a constant

Out of everybody I met, who told the truth? Time did
Of all the people I've encountered, time is the most truthful

We find kids speakin' 'cause it's naturally in us
Children naturally speak the truth

But the false prophets by tellin' us we born sinners
False prophets throw us off course by saying we're born sinners

Venders of hate, got me battlin' my own mind state
People who spread hate make me question my own thoughts and beliefs

At a divine rate, I ain't in this just to rhyme great
I'm not in this for fame, but to speak the truth at a spiritual level

So constantly I seek it
I am constantly searching for the truth

Wonderin' why I gotta drink a six pack to speak it
I question why I have to consume alcohol to speak the truth

Took a picture of the truth and tried to develop it
I tried to capture the truth and understand it

Had proof, it was only recognized by the intelligent
I had evidence of the truth, but only those who are knowledgeable could recognize it

Took the negative and positive, 'cause niggas got to live
I took both the positives and negatives of life, because we must still go on living

Said I got to get more than I'm given
I need to strive for more than what I'm handed

'Cause truth'll never be heard in religion
Religion often obscures the truth

After searchin' the world, on the inside what was hidden
After searching the world, I realized that the truth was hidden within myself

Check it, on my neck I still got marks from the nooses
I still carry the wounds of oppression on my neck

The truth it produces, fear that got niggas on the run like Carl Lewis
The truth causes fear, making people flee like the famous track and field athlete Carl Lewis

The truth is my crew is the smoothest bits of saliva juices like the roots is
The truth is that my team is the best, like the way saliva drips smoothly like tree roots

More organic than acoustics
More natural and genuine than musical instruments

Heavenly, what will set you free and kill you in the same breath
The truth can both liberate and kill you at the same time

That shit you gotta get off your chest before your death, unless
You need to reveal the truth before you die, unless...

The way you speak is lighter than a pamphlet
If you speak the truth in a weak or timid manner, it won't be taken seriously

'Cause the truth give the words away to the planet goddammit
The truth gives power to words that can affect the entire world

I ran wit what God planted in my heart and I understand it
I followed the path that God laid out for me and now I understand my purpose

To be the bring the light to the dark, breathe some life in this art
My mission is to bring hope and inspiration to this art form

This must be the truth (why?) 'cause we keep marchin' on (True)
We continue to press forward and overcome obstacles, which proves that the truth is guiding us

The truth lay the foundation of what we rockin' on (True)
The truth is the foundation of our music and message

You can't see it if you blind but we will always prevail (True)
Those who are blind to the truth will not see, but we will always succeed because of it

Life is like the open sea, the truth is the wind in our sail
Our journey through life is like sailing on the open sea, and the truth is the wind that propels us forward

And in the end, our names is on the lips of dying men
Ultimately, our legacy and impact will be remembered by those who are passing on

If ever crushed in the earth, we always rise again
Even if we are defeated, we will always rise again

When the words of lying men sound lush like the sound of a violin
The words of deceivers may sound pleasing and beautiful, like the sound of a violin

The truth is there, it's just the heart you gotta find it in
The truth is always present, but it must be found within your own heart

You will find
You will discover the truth