Midnight
Tribe Called Quest Lyrics

The night is on my mind
The singer is focused on the nighttime and all that it entails

The sun'll still shine
Despite the focus on the night, the day will still come and go as usual

But the night is on my mind
Reinforcing the idea that the singer is preoccupied with the night

So parlay while I drop this rhyme
Let's relax while I continue to rap

See, Jake be gettin illy when the sun get dark
When night falls, troublemakers like 'Jake' come out to cause problems

He be coming out for heads but shit don't let me start
Jake is looking for trouble, but the singer doesn't want to go into details

There's activities a-plenty in the nighttime
The night is full of things to do and things that happen

For the ghetto child it seem to be the right time
The night is often when kids from disadvantaged areas feel like they can thrive and participate in certain activities

See, kids be getting stuck with jewels and fly gimmicks
In some cases, kids are getting robbed for their jewelry and flashy items

Shorty see the action and then start to mimic
Younger people see what others are doing and try to copy them

Running to the corner, the dice game is blazing
People are gathered on the street corner, playing a game of chance with dice

Looking at the loot, it seems so amazing
The rewards seem significant and worthy of the risk

Puts the short down, to be exact one pound
The singer bets one pound (money) on the outcome of the dice game

He shakes the stones in his hand, then he lets it down
The singer rolls the dice and waits for the outcome

Scared money don't make none
If you're afraid to risk money, you won't win anything

He threw a trick on the ace now he's out son
The outcome wasn't in his favor and he lost his bet

Hits the local bodega to wolf down a gyro
The artist goes to a nearby store to quickly eat a gyro sandwich

Son is on a midnight run like De Niro
The singer is moving around at night quickly and incognito like the character Robert De Niro plays in the movie 'Midnight Run'

Spots a shorty rock standing on his block
The singer sees a girl standing on his block/street

The fiends be hounding him to pump so he asked it it's not
Drug users are bothering him to make a sale, but he declines

Conversation that he kicked to the shorty was a sly one
The artist's conversation with the girl was cleverly crafted

Increased intensity, cause damn she was a fly one
The artist became more focused and energized because the girl was attractive

Took her to the crib there she ran her jibs
The singer took the girl back to his place where she talked a lot

About mind upliftment and being positive
The girl talked about positive self-improvement and mental well-being

He yawned and he sighed til 1:05
The singer became tired and bored until around 1:05 AM

Then he finally realized that honey wasn't live
The singer finally realized that the girl he had been talking to wasn't really that interesting

At least he didn't plan on building for the evening
The singer didn't plan on anything romantic or long-term with the girl

Threw the Fila on the dome and said 'Come on yo, we leaving'
The artist put on his hat (a brand called Fila) and told the girl they were leaving

Came out on the scene as he told her to beep him
The artist got back out into the city and told the girl to call him later (with a beeper or pager)

Saw his man Stan with the blunt in his hand
The singer saw his friend Stan smoking marijuana

(Ah sh) You know the transaction
The singer doesn't describe what happened next but suggests that there was a drug deal taking place

Brothers gettin lost in the weed satisfaction
People are enjoying the effects of marijuana and forgetting their problems

Coming down the block man loud as
Loud music is playing as people walk down the block

You would swear Redman was inside the truck
The music is so loud and driving that it seems like rapper Redman is playing from a nearby truck

As the night seemed darker, cops is on a hunt
As the night gets later, police become more active and start looking for troublemakers

They interrupt your cipher, and crush your blunt
Police break up a group of people hanging out, smoking marijuana, and talking

See you left your work at home so they pat you down for nothing
The police search someone without any justification because they assume he's up to something suspicious

Why in the hell does 10-4 keep fronting
The singer questions why police officers always act suspicious and aggressive, even when they have no reason to do so

You push to the park even though it's still dark
The singer goes to a park despite it still being nighttime

The kid is nice on the hoop, he said 'I'll spot you troop'
The artist sees a skilled basketball player and offers to play him a game with a handicap (the artist will 'spot' him some points)

As for me I'm a nocturnal animal, God concentrates
The artist feels like he's most active and creative during the night

On a young black man who makes the niggas speakers shake
God pays attention to the singer, who creates music that resonates with people

The nighttime is busy, it's word to Aunt Kizzy
The nighttime is full of activity and excitement, as confirmed by the singer's Aunt Kizzy (a fictional character)

It's the time we get down, yo son, you know the sound
The night is when people let loose and party, with a particular type of music and style

The flavas on the top with the rugged beat to back it
The music of the night has a distinct sound, with strong rhythms and distinctive flavors

The night makes the aura and the Jake can't hack it
The nighttime creates an atmosphere that some people (like Jake) can't handle or thrive in

The way the moon dangles in the midnight sky
The singer takes time to appreciate the beauty of the moon in the nighttime sky

And the stars dance around, a-yo I think it's fly
The artist admires the movements of the stars and finds it cool

Intensity, most rappers don't see it
The singer feels like he has a level of intensity and focus that other rappers lack

Spirit wise, musically, you gotta be it
In order to succeed in music, you need to have a strong and focused spirit

Serenity and silence of the sounds and emotions
The night can be peaceful and quiet, allowing one to fully experience their feelings and surroundings

In the concrete jungle and the sun don't bungle
Even in a city (the 'concrete jungle'), the night can still be peaceful and serene

I think it's hard to find the words on how I feel
The artist struggles to express just how much he enjoys the nighttime

I paid about a deuce twenty for the Ampex steel
The singer bought a high-quality tape recorder for $220

But let me slow down, I think I ran my jibs enough
The singer realizes he's been talking for too long and should stop rambling

Peace out to the Nation, stay rugged and rough
The artist offers peace and well-wishes to his audience and encourages them to stay tough in tough circumstances