Tobacco Road

2008 Heyena Records

TROUBLE IS

…Service, work it

The vagrant came upon a plot, shop – set it down
Found vacant, he gon’ make it into something better now
Barn hand, conversant in farm land, planted seven rows
Will it ever grow? Heaven only knows, though he’s
Hopeful, never boastful about the ethic
Set it deep into the earth, work and serve, all the rest let it
Come or not, hot summer sun, son – bumper crop
Over night, or so some thought (now they’re talkin’ that)


What you really did to get this windfall, spendin’ all year estranged?
Better not be mystical, typically the criminals here they hang
Aint nobody ever seen you cultivate, rake or till, ya dig?
Take a lot to win a pot, wanna pay the rate? The stakes raised, you bid?
In or out, what the men around here ‘bout, finna count a pound of cheese
Double down, you intend to win the prize, otherwise bounce and leave
We don’t care where you came from, since day one seen the game constructed
We gon’ watch it all fall, frauds claim to save it in the name of love? Nuh uh.


Bubble, fizz – what the trouble is?
This is hustle biz – what the trouble is?
A couple kids – what the trouble is?
Muzzle ripped, tell ‘em what the trouble is, come on now


Trouble is love don’t want you, boy, see the
Trouble is love don’t want you, baby, see the
Trouble is love don’t want you, no, see the
Trouble is love don’t want you here


Not one to gamble, lit the Camel, took a long drag
Sat back and blew, inside he knew these folks had gone mad
Through the smoke proposed a wager: tails, you can take my fields
Heads, you accept my station; they deliberated, deal!
Coin turned for what seemed like eternity, slow breath
Some folks wept and fretted while the peasant never broke a sweat
Confident he had ‘em in the talisman’s descent
By the time they shouted “TAILS,” he done packed his bags and went


Best never try to test the vets, you wanna settle? Better pay your dues
To the boss you done lost your crops, in one toss I’ll take your food
Better be gone, set about and keep on a boulevard towards the boat
Ever come back get about a ton of that d-CON down your throat
In the meantime we find these fine fruits do quench a thirst
And for pay we may persuade and convince some of these men to work
In the end we sup and supplement the income caught in the trap
We must be blessed, best of all – that farmer’s gone, thank God for that


Double-dipped – what the trouble is?
That’s hustle biz – what the trouble is?
A couple kids – what the trouble is?
Knuckle, fist, tell ‘em what the trouble is, come on now


Trouble is love don’t want you, boy, see the
Trouble is love don’t want you, baby, see the
Trouble is love don’t want you, no, see the
Trouble is love don’t want you here

GOL’DUST

Y’all know the prophecy, it’s biblical; “from hill to hill”
In between Beacon and Capitol I travel at will
Atop the mount of Crown, send down the edict for the Sea to achieve peace
The townspeople read it and weep
We meet in the streets, a foray of glory and hype
Recitin’ stories and arias of warrior types
An army of light – recreate the Normandy site
Deploy, you appreciate the enormity, right?
This battle hymn of the republic will knock for all my soldiers
The block, that’s where we focus and plot to overthrow this
Echelon, send a message to stop takin’ our vote
This has got to be a joke, ‘cause it’s not what we were told
Is in the promissory note of the draft the forefathers had crafted
Your fathers aint mine, boy – I’m a bastard
I grasp a four-fifth in my palm, I got the right to bear arms
Y’all keep pushin’ me back, I’m ‘bout to blast it
The creed is captured in the prose, my flow’s ominous
And obviously the reason we rose to prominence
We’re documenting history here, the end’s near
The pen, bomb and grenade; the promenade of sincere
My folks rush to grab it and mash at full thrust
The first to have status and pull and hold a flush
For control they go nuts, yo – we’re rollin’ back to Cali
Revivin’ the rush for the gold dust


CHORUS 1:
Yo we crush the precious metal to dust for distribution
All you gotta do is breathe to receive the restitution
Under pressure we become both gems and grown men
It’s a jungle sometimes – wonder why I was thrown in
When my instincts seem to do more harm than good
It’s difficult to defend against steel armed with wood
Maybe I was never meant to be a champion
I’m standin’ downstream pannin’ for ambition to hand in


Necessity was the mother of the invention of my character
The neighborhood good Samaritan holdin’ a Derringer
And darin’ you to thwart my path or try stoppin’
The establishment of armistice, this is the dichotomy
I gotta see the reconciliation take place
My offering for the intercession is burnt sage and a Smith & Wesson
I’m guessin’ God really needs neither
But I must if I’m entrusted as my brother’s keeper
The challenge is discerning fam from adversaries
They move in similar fashion – a real man carries a
Heavier load; shoulders and back bowed
The observation is in the simple conversation you hold


Now look me in the eye and tell me I’m not worthy of favor
The crop would never pay you if not for all our labor
We’re the spine, twisted to sign dots along the waiver
It’s hot where you gon’ stay, I pray God will be your savior
When the fires of propitiation reach the plantation
Thirty lashes in the dirty ashes layin’ the abatement
I’m afraid of laughing, ‘cause shortly after I’ll be facin’ the wrath
I ask for mercy though I’m purposely impassioned
And I’m certain the infraction’s a forgivable offense
When the true lord of this land would never quibble over rent
Wealth proffiteth no man in his last days
These flames will show you what you’re made of… dust


CHORUS 2:
Yo the dust I was born from is this type, this insight is
Helping me to get right, and I need assistance at times
Be the admission disguised behind a pseudonym
I hope to find truth in him before these guys do him in
And what’s a legacy worth next to mined metal, yo
Measure me first – depression, it’s better we work
For change, not for pennies, if anything the commodity traded is us
For flakes of gold dust.

SLOW CURE

Salute my company, the sum of these heads suggests
Proof I can’t compete with he who judges me best
Stumble in boots; steep and too many steps – plod and postulate
With wonder – what these people gonna do to me next?
I guess a penchant for the condescension comes from my mother’s kin
Farm folk is different, sun form a tougher skin
Then and now, meld with the elders, help to vent it out
It’s wicked how they never showed emotion ever when in doubt
Send me that, from the spot you’ve been in since Jimmy passed
Empty past, wind blow, you know how McKinney’s act
Probably I should have tried to acknowledge you properly
And called her Roberts, ‘cause yo my daughter got the quality
Of Rosalita, she arose a leader out the fire
Spark of light, type matriarch – prize of the prior
I avow to pass her this I gathered listenin’ to you
Get down and organize and keep it real for your crew


Tribal wisdom held the essence of the bible in him
Tough times pressin’ found him fit to find religion
Easin’ pain through the study of the struggle they done came through
Misery enchained, it’s like he in Canaan the same, too
News ran accounts of who you blamed, too – I felt that
Posed in that position more than once, hell held back
Who’s to say you threw it all away?
They aint never faced the 8-guage prayin’ the maker take you today
Heredity meted the faith and fate both
Afraid to stray or wander, now may the former stay close, ‘sposed to
Obey the code, it’s no simple task, men will ask
Why you assimilate and denigrate, I dwindle fast
Smoke signal kindled, blast back – found middle ground
Balance act, pact challenge me: do my contingent proud
Now and for everything a motto rings true
Get down and organize and keep it real for your crew


CHORUS:


Now this goes out to all area cliques
Centralized to West side of the bridge
Know your loyalty to district, as important as it is
Comes second to the town; how’d this division exist
Now this goes out to all area cliques
Fellas, fam and folk controllin’ dos-o-six
Goin’ for dolo, recall in all the things y’all do
Get down and organize and keep it real for your crew


The town’s idle chatter be a vital matter for discussion
Some are good for nothin’ but disruption of the
Momentum, though minimal it still slows growth
Potentially killin’ the rhythm, softly pillows spoke
Alleged bed fellows we are? Because of y’all’s hang up’s?
Dead the jealousy and step your PR game up
As if I never offered even dialog, called a dozen
Meetings at the Beacon branch – people can’t speak
In retrospect I hold regret over the whole
Separation and representation of sets, bet I’m
Dedicated to my record label, pledge stated ages back
A few viewed the move as exclusive, my dude I hated that
Aint nothin’ changed, got a name plus a sharper aim
Market share, the common denominator remain
To the Line and to the thine own self, try to be true
Get down and organize and keep it real for your crew


CHORUS

BACK HOME (THE RETURN)

I’m hollerin’ at your feminine side, is it or isn’t it genuine?
Let women decide, for men will ever judge from within this
Minute in time, and the standard I’m held to is
From another planet, I landed here when mine fell through
Alienated by no paleontological ties
But never is this kid discredited by the honorable
All rise, son – the sun presides, the abominable
Find it comical I call my shine beyond nominal, uh
My handle fine-tuned to channel 19
Address my living letters, better left unsigned
Though punctual, no wonder you’re some kind of comfortable
Stomach full of lunch-line chuck and junk food
Empty calories will soon catch up, comments are
Covered in condiments, son it must have been my fat gene’s dominant
Common represents the conjugate that heaven sent to compliment
The veteran’s accomplishment, the conscious honor it, but


Whispers of them do us like we’re disingenuous, like
You only rock it for the paper that’s thrown
As if this is an end to my condition of indigence
Nah, we holdin’ stock in something sacred as stone
So when victims of insolence rise above the influence
I open the flock to those who made it alone
It’s the mission of men who just write despite ignorance
Yo, with swollen pockets we gon’ take it back home


SCRATCH HOOK:


This goes out to all my people in the city (repeated)
Where we don’t get caught up in between with the nonsense
This goes out to all my people in the city (repeated)
Never worryin’ about grief


Define your residence, if these 4 walls simply shelter you from elements
I recommend you get out more
Off base you face a down pour, catch a taste of what the
Town’s renowned for, these spates will drown y’all
Slick and precipitous, I’m bloodied up, to the
City of Brotherly Love, 206 is the antithesis
My tolerance is type ridiculous, though I
Continuously seek forgiveness for the shit I wished upon you
A disservice to mom dukes – she raised me better
For her baby, set a greater precedent to gage and measure success
And I know she will never love me no less
But you sycophants are sick, ugly and grotesque
I’m amongst the monstrous who breathe fire out the nostrils
Akin to conquerors you read about in the gospels
Inhospitable are the Pontius, Pilate the prefect
These Sea-dwellin’ fellas aint accepted me yet


So I stay on my biz and if he play the periphery he
Control the block around the space them cats own
I see this state of misery as the greatest gift to me, yo
My golden op will be escapin’ that drone
See I’m a late epiphany, uh, away from mendicancy
I told ‘em stop it, son – don’t wait for that loan
I heard they say it’s trickery, but we’re makin’ history
Yo, with swollen pockets we gon’ take it back home


SCRATCH HOOK

40 FURROWS

Hopped up, beast in the veins, and when it courses through
He’s liable to get at you something awful
Push up on a posse like “you prolly a product of something, too”
But of course, obstacle the whole line could run through
Fire breather like he’s swallowing bottles of paraffin
Peregrine clutch on the cup, shootin’ a pair of them
Love hustler, pash pusher – penny-a-peck
The effect blocked and set the scene at Virginia Tech
Ripple rocked water craft – helluva wake
Now it’s either orders or oars taken from the head of state
Stay deliberating probable cause for allegation
We’re rowing, they’re steady posturing to keep their backs straightened
No doubt, baby – varsity crew
Steer the vessel over top of the swell and dock boon
Proper swoon unit, group and do work; usurp swagger lords
Lip servicing, you’re sayin’ shit with the jabber jaws
Love how you’re suckin’ down the back catalog
Yeah, the money moves slow, but it’s plenty room to grow
Notice the glow – they’re rollin’ in with Tennyson brigades
To collect tithe – slide your ten percent in the plate
Gotta spend to save, double-up – stackin’ the odds
Apply your cosmetics, baby – get attractive for God
And if the rapture don’t come, cousin, then pass the guns
I burn ‘em for the return of my investment funds
Trouble jumpin’ on – I saw when the chariot swung low
And I blinked but, I think I caught a glimpse of Seung Cho
Unsho’ if even one’ll go or if I wanna know
Hail a yellow cab to carry me back home – the bungalow
Shanty complex and the resolution is simple
Turn the temple into condos and sell bottled water
I aint bothered over nothin’, the covenant’s up in Gotham
With a wonderful underabundance of love, it’s a problem
For city staff, take it to the magistrate
From an early age, I played with matches, mate
Charred world of waste, pray I make it to the holy gates
Spent my last days askin’ for lights, cravin’ the burley taste
Kentuck’ your jewelry, your crucifix is proven to be fool’s gold
Now I’mma show you how to use it to plow rows
Synonymous are worship and work
Prostrate and put your face in the dirt (like this)….

HOUSE

To every being ever called up to spend
Just a blink ‘fore it ends – we gon’ bring y’all in
A couple cling to the wall they defend
Either sink or swim – we gon’ bring y’all in
Baby string can’t haul them gems
You trynna ring all ten? Time to bring y’all in
I turn a king to a thrall of the pen
And what the team scrawl then is about to bring y’all in


Scent of my magnetism is animalistic
Luck of the nothin’ – tug of the draw’s pan-pacific, kid
Knuckle and brawl and handle your business
Sparring with a phantom is tantamount to dancin’ – rhythm deficient
Officially minted, leave a critic to speculate
If you’re the next great, where’s the hint of pimp in your gait
Strode steady for years, still standin’ after my appearance here
Stabilize my saber, the spearmint spear
Full flavor to spare, sip it with a modicum of self-restraint
Self-proclaimed prophets have felt faint
Shell of a saint yellin’ devilish thangs in their harangue
This fella claims the spirit is spent? Tell him it aint
From ashes arise a Lazarus to gather them back
Babbling pragmatists and satirists are lathered in flack
Tapping the pattern out: dit-dot-dash in mathematics
The path of a maverick and through rap, you track the half of it
Designated with asterisks, the last hall of famer
Inducted before the regulations changed in your favor
I aint mad atcha – a waste of anger to hate ya
Save my words to determine the fate of the nomenclature
Who’s sayin’ preservation’s makin’ it stagnate advancement?
State your place and I’mma wait for your answer
They prolly just hope to aggravate the populous
I tabulate the coiffeurs when the pull make ‘em gravitate


Everything gets resolved I attend [to]
Either fiend or friend – we gon’ bring y’all in
The kid dream in the drawl of his kin
What I seen appall men – time to bring y’all in
Intervene, my involvement depends
On the steam awe lends – enough to bring y’all in
I felt the sting when swallowin’ the gin
Holla “clean I been” after we bring y’all in


Assault the sire, y’all admire my moxie
Some aligned with the code of the streets by proxy
Knockin’ me for constancy I be within my element
Though all you ever held and dealt was leant from a twelve-inch
The blend’s off – pitch it right, livin’ like a bitch of my mentors?
When vinyl’s all you’re spinnin’ on Crenshaw
Sense flawed and faulty, your censure tawdry
I alike derived my philosophy from who taught me, let ‘em talk now
Impossible shot from a broken arrow
Sun lay over death, you left prints on the tarot
I’ll show you how to tow the harrow over the tract
It’s slow-going with all the work my barrow packs
Skirt past, cursin’ at us claiming the lanes are for these
I pay no mind to idle talk, y’all a mockery of speed
I pace the beat patiently, as long as it takes
Acquiesce to the greatest escape (here we go)


To every being ever called up to spend
Just a blink ‘fore it ends – we gon’ bring y’all in
A couple cling to the wall they defend
Either sink or swim – we gon’ bring y’all in
Baby string can’t haul them gems
You trynna ring all ten? Time to bring y’all in
I turn a king to a thrall of the pen
And what the team scrawl then is about to bring y’all in


Everything gets resolved I attend [to]
Either fiend or friend – we gon’ bring y’all in
The kid dream in the drawl of his kin
What I seen appall men – time to bring y’all in
Intervene, my involvement depends
On the steam awe lends – enough to bring y’all in
I felt the sting when swallowin’ the gin
Holla “clean I been” after we bring y’all in

WINTER TAKES ALL

This aint no place for a man of faith
I gamble it all away, tumble into fall abased and ablaze
Can’t fault or blame fam, they parade arrays of aid and praise
Saints patronized by the razor blade
Dismayed and fazed and maybe I assay the prize
Stay alive or prepared – scared aint no way to die
Though if my ache could be assuaged by sin
I’ll make it bleed fate, racing to the gate pleading “take me in,” I’m


Down, unable to prevail unassisted
Will the tempest hail another victim in cyclical rhythm? Please
Break it, ‘cause honestly the lie “I try tirelessly” is cowardice
Powerless am I to fight this avarice, I’m
Down, to give over control, the soul’s solely yours
Deal and dispose, but keep it real close and don’t
Break it, ‘cause they gon’ take it hard if I don’t make it through
And some are reaching for reason to hate you.


Time and time again I’ve been told
That a focus on the flaws of man’s off-center ten-fold
Stricken with the winter cold, sippin’ the burnin’ hot
A spill will blister, learn not to leave skin exposed
Stitch it up and pray the kid recover nicely
And I might have if not for daddy’s bad advice
He’s the type to fight God but not a vice
Grip the heater twice as hard – it’s this reality I battle nightly
Even in sleep it seems flight’s unattainable
Upon waking the facial expression deigns a satiable exchange
Weather shades drawn, either side a storm rages on
Patiently the fawn awaits the day the rain’s gone
In my defense I claim it’s obvious I’m not him
Probably it’s the toxin – sorry it’s a lot been unresolved
Sick since six, seen ‘em revolve around a small town
‘Click,’ call it quits – bring all them walls


Down, finally I’mma defeat the rival
With a rifle, writing my epistle titled “try cycle,” I
Break it, so never they perpetuate the malady
Abashedly accommodate mortality, undoubtedly I’m
Down, to reconsider, I’ll stay if you can make a promise though
Please keep it real close and don’t
Break it,
And I’m investigating other ways out


Will rebuilds what the bottle destroyed
I’m downhill standing still at the bottom of Roy
Where the pass over I-5 looks alive much as anything
Cling to the side and any sign of your memory
My creative liberty is tempting me to hasten to the point of penance
We could be rejoined if you employ forgiveness
Sell it all, tell ‘em hell is nothing but a cell wall
I’mma soar even as the shell… fall…
Down, shed not a tear for my exodus
I’m here in the protectorate, the fear I held was delicate, to
Break it, simply took a leap of faith and virtue
Serve through, I never meant to hurt you, for certain I’ll be
Down, to revisit the dearest of my kinfolk
Hold the spirit near, keep it real close and don’t
Break it, the creed is all we got until we meet again
I’m prayin’ you’re gon’ make it through the season.

WEATHER VANE

In this current climate of change it seems some things never will
Age of my formation split between the grange and Pleasureville
Skill and dedication, gained appreciation for the work
He’s up early to serve stock feed and tend to burley
Surely this man is a model, though my role is cast in other fields
Typify provisioner, I empathize, a brother feels
Meaning in the motion goin’ out to bring a promise home
Son be there in spirit, father left to do the job alone
Shown the ways of older generations, known little else
Elements affect them all, weather wear the mental health
Down inside the dale driving bales, on his own to think
Arrived with the rye, just shy of mad and prone to drink
In an eye blink, the storm clouds rolled in, tension built
Let em pass, them attempt an intervention – get ‘em killed
Caught up in the tempest, mother suffered nature’s wrath
When the neighbors asked, quick to say she slipped takin’ a bath, but uh…


And when the cops came knockin’, she tell ‘em “I aint talkin’”
The thrashin’ don’t happen often – he’s a hard workin’ man, and the
Baby’s barely walkin’ and the bills aint stoppin’
A day lost will cost him – is it hard to understand
Why the women keep livin’ as the men keep hittin’
Passively passin’ it off as a victim of circumstance
Here’s a whole life given, sacrificed for the children
Let him loose, he’s got no use for a tender hand


CHORUS:


Never break, it’s a test of faith, I bet tomorrow brings a better day
Rest your frame, help is on its way, signs are blowin through the weather vane
Death is grace, like it says in James, which of us will be kept to wait?
No don’t hesitate, no for heaven’s sake, just let us pray
The Good Lord’s gonna set him straight


Last year drought took the crops, now facin’ floods
Staples on the table aint enough, what we scrapin’ up will
Go to pay the bank back, partial payment – take that
Life in dire straights will make a stark-raving maniac
Tapped a fifth of vodka, kicked her hard enough to break a rib
Shhh – keep quiet, too much cryin’ she gon’ wake the kids


And when the cops came knockin’ she tell em “I aint talkin’”
It’s only gon’ be a problem when the farm don’t yield
You know a man’s heart hardens when his fam starts starvin’
The wind did in the garden, now the rains claimed the field
I’ll take the weight of the burden if it means less hurtin’
In crisis the type of person you’re with is fully revealed
Things may be more certain if you take away the bourbon
Tired of fussin’ I’ll discuss it when the bones heal


CHORUS


Baby times are tough, but you know you’re makin’ em harder
Household on the edge when you’re wired on that firewater
Daughter old enough to see the evidence, herself
He told her “mind your business,” nothing else, then headed for the shelf
Once he polished off a bottle, started throttlin’ the youngest son
Nest threatened, mama got the weapon, now what’s done is done


And when the cops came knockin’ she tell ‘em “I aint talkin’”
Drop the body in a coffin, dig a hole and throw it in
When the callous won’t soften, it’s only one way to stop ‘em
He’s gone, but not forgotten are the scars in the skin
A mother’s resolve is steady, with the volatile especially demanding
Stand ready for the man to go again
Spent enough time guessin’ if the curse would turn deadly
I heard every word you read me but I’m innocent


CHORUS

40 ACRES

Heard ‘em singin’ “this is my land” standin’ on Mama Helen’s
With the band off-key; will fill ‘em with jealousy
Well develop a gluttonous thirst for sullen fiends
I pilot the Allis Chalmers over skulls in the ravine
Chokin’ horse power – open her up and holler “fuck class”
Specialized degree in chemistry, huffin’ mustard gas
High hopes, underachiever he tends to overdose
Hella smell of smoke and soda, the mode is so morose
Nam vet, still in camouflage circa ‘85
Way to ride, son – I seen your father on the day he died
Dropped this in the pocket with the gem in the ear
Fuck the watch, old man, it’s the wisdom I wanna hear
Fought with the words, inexperienced in the expression
The voice fades, granted it’s a vague recollection but
“Let it pass,” is what he leant – what it meant? Never asked
Many mysteries will be revealed through the devil’s craft
I’m a fast study, barn burner, the charm turnin’
Ugly under sparks when sharpening up the cutlery
Skill a little rusty but trust me, I’mma resuscitate
This call is hard to kill off once it culminates
Hibernation, my obligation is contractual
Where have all the good men gone? They’re on sabbatical
Baptizing my goddaughter, water wash the hands of blood
But soles soiled with the sand and mud
For the love of them rise above and cleanse the sins
I can part with that much, just don’t touch the timbs
Every scuff I earned, armchair sucker-tough, I yearn
To compare it to the stuff I learned
Colonel status ‘til the graduate passed on, the pursuit of
Passion will stop upon a plot on Vashon
Nice one, boy – the soy that’s on the upper row
Price one; that’s a bison, not a buffalo
Hustle grand, seen a demand for organic
In toxicity limits – infinitely more panic
They’re resorting to importing plants from other planets
It cancels out the importance of the advantage
They’re tantric types – neophytes with dietary afflictions
Imposing proprietary restrictions
Time to go to war, shortly I’ll be back in Drennon
Attending to 40 acres and a dissident…

NINA SING

Air of inequity is thick in my circumference
Untouched are none when they’re summoned up to punishment
Sons sent to war for the grunt work of the government
All debts repaid on the last day of judgement
I’ve heard purported it’s approaching with celerity
Proselytes testify with utmost sincerity
I don’t think he’s comin’ y’all – try me for heresy
But what’s all the stallin’ for, a little more disparity?
Beckon the Armageddon, tell ‘em we exhausted
Every option since the trade winds laid claim to caution
Damned since the Gnostics allied with the sergeants
Yo I’m tired of waitin’ – slide the blade across it now


I can’t take this pain, I can’t stand this rain
All this work in vain, this world is insane
Puppets on a string, pain and suffering
Nothing left to bring – let my Nina sing


Another demonstration staged on the proscenium
Curtain drawn, who’s workin’ behind ‘em with the medium?
Road blocks, keep throwin’ rocks at the imperium
Hell yeah, a long march, staunch grown wearisome
Seein’ fam fallin’ through the cracks in the variance
Famished on a barren land of AIDS and malaria
One percent could fix it with a tenth of their inheritance
Freedom buried in the treasure chest of the nefarious
Terrorists with pipe bombs, who’s sittin’ on the megaton?
FEMA slow to respond, blame it on the weather, wrong
Billion-dollar telethon, tell ‘em where the cheddar gone
And wonder why my people keep their weapons drawn


Emptied of my pride, nothing left inside
Lost the will to fight, Lord knows that I’ve tried
Beaten by this thing, watching my ship sink
Still I’m listening – please my Nina sing


Upon deliverance we meant to keep you pacified
Same with the others, but some brothers fell to fratricide
Even I was doubtful we could counteract the massive tide
Then arrived the wail I hailed to revive the battle cry
Bellow on, set upon the pleas of the fanciful
An anthem for the resurgence of purpose, grant manifold
Damn this road is chancy, makes advancin’ through the sand unmanageable
Lend a hand and chant the canticle


I can’t take this pain, I can’t stand this rain
All this work in vain, this world is insane
Puppets on a string, pain and suffering
Nothing left to bring – let my Nina ---

CERTITUDE

CHEVAS:
Differentiated the many ways to raise it
‘Cause losin’ the way in the makin’ only hurts where you wanna take it
I’ve been given something I should hold sacred
And if I don’t take it then this opportunity goes wasted
It’s so basic, the meaning is made with a gesture
Invaded from the West and demonstrated with aggression
Feel the trace of the weapon, it reiterates a message
A little bit of effort for the outlining session
It’s now time to let it begin, head to the wind
The second I stand, see less of a plan – it don’t matter, though
In that direction lies the answer so you have to go
And for protection’s sake you never take the path and hold
Let the method make your lesson and you’ll be the last to know
Some of us have nothin’ but a word will make us have it all
Pass it off, time to focus now, that’s what we spoke about
Scopin’ out the whole zone now – no doubt


RA:


Dark space I wavered in vacillating, half a day wasted
Askin’ their favor and validation
I play to the base nature, rate the ohms in my low end
Chrome-plated and shown places they’re afraid to go in
The 21st Century fox, rockin’ the lamb’s wool
The psalm chanter with the palm planted on the handle
The panel host, supposedly channeled the holy ghost
I’m down witcha – stand close and get your crown roast
The herd’s served, prefer a touch a swerve in the verve
I learned respect comes first and the check comes third
Now what’s the worth of a bush full of birds to the one I done snatched
When every last one comes when I clap
It aint where you’re from, but son it’s some punished for that
Seen it happen at the pin point pushed in the map
Travelled a global route, wrote it so I know what it’s about
Throw a spark and turn the coldest devout – no doubt


Yeah, I burn a few waitin’ on my turn at certitude
Searchin’ for a heaven ever since interring Gertrude
Went to pen the words to the dirge and dreamt of the image of innocence
Intense, but forgive my indifference
Something ‘bout “I heard it before, you’re all the same” and
I told her we’d never spoken, so you must be mistaken
I thought maybe she turned away for modesty’s sake
Yet as she wept I saw my name along the back of her neck
For pardon I pleaded – evidently she and I were friends
With ten stretched between this apparition and the one then
Would have been little more than a binge had I not
Mentioned I’mma let feeling’s start creepin’ in
The act reciprocated, when the weight stacked, bent like a
Paperback, get away, the kid made tracks
Afraid to speak her name, vaguely I recall it being Faith
Lemme hold out, I’m moving slower now – no doubt


Lost touch but never lost hope
Found direction in respect for the presence of crossroads
Guilt gone, so will be the hill the house is built on
Matter’s not infinite my sin will swim in the Cimarron
Age and they disintegrate – all of we are dust
Appalled to touch, wait until the wind picks up
It’s possibly your progeny in the gust blowin’ about
When he shows, pull them photos out – no doubt.

THE CRUCIBLE

Hush, rustle in the leaves, make believers mouthing off again
I’mma make believers outta all of them
Saw the pen to pieces, it bleeds – it’s of the living kind
Treat it with respect with respect to the civilized
Yesteryear I pressed to hear Mr. X up in your intros
Send those messages via text, lesser info
Beam me up, Bluetooth flashy
Automatic transmission can’t diminish my savvy
These are hundred-dollar jeans, hundred-dollar jeans, man
Stylin’ on the aisle do my part-of-sin charter CSPAN
Anchor dropped, dead center – none of y’all can move me
Your defendant’s plain if aint no pendant on the jewelry
Aint no sinners in the jury box? Toss the flurry of rocks
And watch the couriers scurry to turn a profit off a
Potshot right from the sniper of DCCL (750)
Suffice to say they don’t aim well


CHORUS:


Aiyo the game seen it comin’ so the hunt’s unfair
Tap the power from the one-two and run it through the chair
Tell the cult they are leaderless, only option now
Is to wait for them to bow
Anything you say can and will be used against you
Broke the unspoken, yeah I know you never meant to
Fire in the crucible, crown melted down
Now who’s turn is it to bow?

40 THIEVES

…And the band played on
Score the sequence, a piece for my élan
Spread through the procession with a phaeton hitched up to
Thoroughly bred equine, bet he try and cover the spread
Vignette, butter and bread truck – must’ve been something I said
Cinnamon sugar on my raison d’être
We shake on credit and contract words
Negotiate the merger to further the fake arm gesture
Dribble the ribald off a baseline
Nine up in the seat cogitating; I preach, for God’s sake
Flung a bitter syllable off a sweet tongue, gold dome terrorized
Revoke and nullify, my lodestone pulverized
Sull I rep and don’t apologize to
People for indecency the frequency is equalized
Father missed – got this doctorate in absolution
Caught another body; shot and stabbed, headed back to Houston
Tack escape routes to board bulletins pullin’ the stake out
Flash say it’s four of them slaughtered inside the safe house
Kowtow, power reneged, trigger the Sig Sauer decibel
Let a few settle and fled the vestibule
Inestimable gems swapped for peridot
Pawn it off as hard-rock, shoppers go hysterical
Veritable trade smith, cake sift, coordinate the bracelet with a facelift
Slip away, they spit on your grave


From the makers of placebo, a trio pushed
To ameliorate the feverish, deceivinest looks
For thieves and crooks booked up in the state’s prison system
It’s marketed disregarding the rate of recidivism
I sent a petition: rescind the vendor
Minister free of influence, please – the pen needs instruments
Incriminated, incarcerated, incrementally rehabilitated on frets
Now that’s a bass head
Something I can feel, not nothing I should fear
For the impropriety I bring to bear
Where the numbers at compared to then? Summer breeze, fair wind
Jasmine aint blowin’ their minds, they’re smokin’ heroin
No we don’t select the listenership or bend to it
The insurrection intimate and interests the syndicate
Offense of friends, incidental to my requisition
In the end, I respect your decision.

NOTHIN’ AT ALL

I know you want me to be that type of dude
And I want to be who you’d like me to
But we both know, I can’t do nothin’ at all
You say there’s no use in walkin’ out
And I say there’s just what I’m talkin’ ‘bout
‘Cause we both know I can’t do nothin’ at all


We do our thing, son
Some will spend a lifetime trying to find a reason
We do our thing, son
War takes prisoners and I aint trynna be one
We do our thing
No apologies, no complaints and no refunds
It’s mad work to be done


They may say I’m just a dreamer
Well at least I’m thinkin’ while I’m sleepin’
‘Cause the last thing I can do is nothin’ at all
They may say we’ll never win against ‘em
I say fuck you and your cynicism
As for me, I can’t do nothin’ at all


My past plagued by a plethora of regrets
In my agonist age I’m a questioner of precepts
If we left the staff in place to blaze the path then, uh
The shackles stay and bind the sequitur to each step
The chain, boss, be an irritant to contact
I’m trained not to be a militant of combat
Upon that, frame the shot – pop and aim
Sayin’ the game’s soft be the will of him who want that
“YO” said to be the idiom of paltry
Yeah, the broke fed upon the brilliance of bawdry
Lauded be, see folks spread – ahead go now
The quote read by the billions, so pardon me
The tag “sham” is but a negligent critique
While some had a chance others fester in the disease
The kid needs to pack the jam, man I get at y’all
Goddamn he’s pressin’ it, best believe


You can call me anything you’d like
And I will call you when it’s time to strike
‘Cause we both know I can’t do nothin’ at all
We may not be in agreement now
But we have got to try and work it out
‘Cause we both know we can’t do nothin’ at all


We do our thing, son
Long as you do yours, land here become fecund
We do our thing, son
Through the act we attract two, hope to reach one
We do our thing
Some’ll paint a piece, some’ll spray with a machine gun
It’s mad work to be done

SWELL

Beat entreat a seeker, teachin’ leadership
Group ‘em through the groove, spike the meter, weaker needles skip
Like defeatist-types, see the sign, retreat, this hype is evil
Might it be what I perceive as aiight’s
In a state of decay, he say it’s but a few days left
Aint let it rest since I was fresh up in OCHS
Never seen my senior year, bet I never shed a tear
Kept my head up, and lead in the weapon to let ‘em hear
How we lick it off for victory, synesthete feel the imagery
Sympathy give ‘em clemency – you’re witnessing the synergy
That’s how they shall remember me upon expiration
A god in training – take ‘em beyond denomination
Stay calm and patient, we gon’ make it to our destination
Condolences to those taken in the conflagration
I suppose they’re awaiting us now, I make ‘em proud
When I’m out, do me that favor and play it loud

Utilize the Line to rebel
Find a Mass of others with like minds in the swell
Reminiscing over this and It Aint Hard To Tell
Now my daughter knows Geo’s bars, my heart swell
I been lost at sea, tossed around in this hell
‘Til some folks up in the Beacon guided me through the swell
Keepin’ company with heads, more at home where I dwell
Scent of spring, well the team’s lookin’ swell


View of the Cascades drew in a fast rate
A flood of brothers to the tune of two of the last greats
Arrogance is so passé, my distinction don’t
Apply to rhyme skill, flow won’t move ‘em like the shine will
Conciliatory I build for my affiliates
A guild of spitters, the core of the city is insidious
A war of attrition waged and sick games played
The script scribbled, written to get ‘em on the same page
If obliterated the kid’ll make something outta nothin’
Divinity in him poured the form to forge function
Natural born hustler, cousin – you can’t touch him
For the moment I’m just showin some love over percussion
Catch a relay, when I facilitate I mic check it for the rebate
A couple cents worth for the beat tape
Double if the seed takes – rapid expansion
The thizz visible all up in the town’s mass transit
Keep in mind ‘fore you slide deep and opine
We’re in the six hovel with picks and shovels told to coal mine
Struck and found a diamond on a practice swing
Now the scouts all tout him as an athlete
Respect for the game, sincerely revere the spectator
The kind I often find training to be the next player
Run the drill out – blood, sweat and adrenaline spill out
But faith you won’t ever be without


Utilize the Line to propel you
Through the parts where the sharks swim around in the swell
What, you thought we haven’t fought ‘em off? Sit for a spell
I’ll spin a yarn about a thousand battles won by the swell
Reinforcing the importance of the bond we weld
When you see it stand the test, son – your chest ‘gon swell
Used to hear it from my Gran’ now I know how she felt
Play the hand dealt, boy, you’re lookin’ swell

TOBACCO ROAD

I guess it has been a minute
And the south paw aint felt right without the pen in it
Sent for incentive and sittin’ submissive
But nothin’ bringin’ Jimmy back, you know that – prayin’ a waste of wishes
I made a decision – carry on, honor lives in the deed
Though the muse moves in decreased speed
Due to the wait, my dude lose patience with me?
Favor the Blue, you knew what I was trainin’ to be
I came for the takin’ of something they aint seen back in Henry
The proximity to Knox’s Fort’s not given any but
Cause to envy – Lord when have we fought the enemy
With more that afforded, we’re stormin’ the port of entry
In memory of the James Clan, my symphony of the
Flames fan to conquer, when the song come on – pay the band
Send a percentage back, Oldham owed, factor in estate tax
Or waive it if it goes to pave Tobacco Road


Some memories I kept
Others left, others I must have let go to protect
Hold a check for the row I set – ready? No, not yet
Well lemme know and I’ll return to collect
They never found me ‘cause Valerie’s boy had a different rhythm to play to
And he gon’ use his tools to break through
Mindful of the nights in that state, who they say life is what you make it
When really life is what makes you


Payin’ homage, with a big nod to Aubrey
The schools failed me, thank God the farm taught me
The value of a calloused hand, how to work and plow this land
How even a modest crop will make your pop the proudest man
Harvest of a thousand fans, sans a gram of seeds broadcast
Through loud speakers, in the weeds I was born last
Profound effect on my volume, plus the readiness to fill it
In the field you should hear what they call ‘em
Regardless I should have spent another year on the bottom tier
Instead of trynna dodge what it was I thought got ‘em here
89 the number, 84 lumber – another summer
Fightin’ for cash to mash on the likening
Of cycles I’ve seen – those not keen on college
Lost direction or went to be correctional officers
No opportunity was offered us, I had my sights on
Being gone ‘fore they cut the lights on, Ryan’s song
Right or wrong, tie it tighter, I’m tired of buying into
Guidance gone awry, my father fought it with firearms and
Died in the trauma the violence spawned a child of drama
No wonder he’s prone to wander, knowin’ his home is haunted
Prayin’ that over yonder they still know
How much I love ‘em I just had to go, had it with the status quo
They’re askin’ me if I’ll be back when I’m old
In fact, no – these are my last tracks along Tobacco Road


But I’ll forever call it home
And I feel it whenever I call home (X4)