Same
Love
Macklamore
2012
When I was in the third grade I
thought that I was gay,
'Cause I could draw, my uncle was,
and I kept my room straight.
I told my mom, tears rushing down my
face
She's like "Ben you've loved
girls since before pre-k, trippin'."
Yeah, I guess she had a point,
didn't she?
Bunch of stereotypes all in my head.
I remember doing the math like,
"Yeah, I'm good at little league."
A preconceived idea of what it all
meant
For those that liked the same sex
Had the characteristics
The right wing conservatives think
it's a decision
And you can be cured with some
treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a
predisposition
Playing God, aw nah here we go
America the brave still fears what
we don't know
And "God loves all his
children" is somehow forgotten
But we paraphrase a book written
thirty-five-hundred years ago
I don't know
And I can't change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to
And I can't change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to
My love My love
My love
She keeps me warm She keeps me warm She keeps me warm She keeps me warm
If I was gay, I would think hip-hop
hates me
Have you read the YouTube comments
lately?
"Man, that's gay" gets
dropped on the daily
We become so numb to what we're
saying
A culture founded from oppression
Yet we don't have acceptance for 'em
Call each other f__ behind the keys of a message board
A word rooted in hate, yet our genre
still ignores it
Gay is synonymous with the lesser
It's the same hate that's caused
wars from religion
Gender to skin color, the complexion
of your pigment
The same fight that led people to
walk outs and sit ins
It's human rights for everybody,
there is no difference!
Live on and be yourself
When I was at church they taught me
something else
If you preach hate at the service
those words aren't anointed
That holy water that you soak in has
been poisoned
When everyone else is more
comfortable remaining voiceless
Rather than fighting for humans that
have had their rights stolen
I might not be the same, but that's
not important
No freedom 'til we're equal, damn
right I support it
(I don't know)
And I can't change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to
My love My love
My love
She keeps me warm She keeps me warm She keeps me warm She keeps me warm
We press play, don't press pause
Progress, march on
With the veil over our eyes
We turn our back on the cause
'Til the day that my uncles can be
united by law
When kids are walking 'round the
hallway plagued by pain in their heart
A world so hateful some would rather
die than be who they are
And a certificate on paper isn't
gonna solve it all
But it's a damn good place to start
No law is gonna change us
We have to change us
Whatever God you believe in
We come from the same one
Strip away the fear
Underneath it's all the same love
About time that we raised up... sex
And I can't change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to
And I can't change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to
My love My love
My love
She keeps me warm She keeps me warm She keeps me warm She keeps me warm
Love is patient Love is kind
Love is patient Love is kind
(not crying on) Love is patient
(not crying on) Love is kind
(I'm not crying on) Love is patient
(not crying on) Love is kind
(I'm not crying on) Love is patient
(not crying on) Love is kind
(I'm not crying on) Love is patient
Love is kind
Take A Minute
K'Naan
2009
How did Mandela get the will to surpass the everyday
when injustice had him caged and trapped in every way?
How did Gandhi ever withstand the hunger-strikes at all?
Didn't do it to gain power or money if I recall. It's the gift,
I guess I'll pass it on, mother thinks it'll lift the stress of Babylon
my mother knows, my mother she suffered blows
I don't know how we survived such violent episodes
I was so worried, it hurt to see you bleed,
but as soons as you came out the hospital you gave me sweets yea,
they tried to take you from me, but you still only gave 'em some prayers and sympathy
Dear Mama, you helped me write this
by showing me to give is priceless
[chorus:]
And any man who knows a thing
knows he knows not a darn, darn thing at all
And every time I felt the hurtin'
I felt the givin' gettin' me up off the wall
I'm just gonna take a minute to let it ride
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breathe
I'm just gonna take a minute to let it ride
I'm just gonna take a minute and let it breathe
All I can say is, the worst is over now
we can serve the hard times, divorce is over now
They try to keep us out, but they doors is open now
Now now Akon is gettin' awards and covers now
This K'naan, and still reppin' the S
Comin' out of Muqdisho and still draped in the mess
And no matter how we strong homie
It ain't easy comin' out of where we from homie
and it's the reason why I can never play phony
Tell 'em the truth is what my dead homies told me, ooh yeah
I take inspiration from the most heinous of situations
Creatin' medication out my own tribulations
Dear Africa, you helped me write this
by showin' me to give is pricless
[chorus]
Nothin' is perfect man, that's what the world is
all I know is
I'm enjoyin' today, you know
'cause it ain't every day that you get to give
[chorus]
Katy Perry
Firework
2010
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep six feet under?
Screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe
You don't have to feel like a wasted space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe a reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow
And when it's time you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough
'Cause, baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colours burst
Make 'em go, "Aah, aah, aah"
You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Three Little Birds
Bob Marley
1977
Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!
Rise up this mornin',
Smile with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Each by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', (This is my message to you-ou-ou: )
Singin': Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!
Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Each by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', This is my message to you-ou-ou:
Singin': Don't worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh!
Every little thing gonna be all right. Don't worry!
Singin': Don't worry about a thing - I won't worry!
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right - I won't worry!
Singin': Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': Don't worry about a thing, oh no!
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!
Alphabet Aerobics
Blackalicious
1999
(Now it's time for our wrap up
Let's give it everything we've got
Ready? Begin)
Artificial amateurs, aren't at all amazing
Analytically, I assault, animate things
Broken barriers bounded by the bomb beat
Buildings are broken, basically I'm bombarding
Casually create catastrophes, casualties
Cancelling cats got their canopies collapsing
Detonate a dime of dank daily doing dough
Demonstrations, Don Dada on the down low
Eating other editors with each and every energetic
Epileptic episode, elevated etiquette
Furious fat fabulous fantastic
Flurries of funk felt feeding the fanatics
Gift got great global goods gone glorious
Getting godly in his game with the goriest
Hit em high, hella height, historical
Hey holocaust hints hear 'em holler at your homeboy
Imitators idolize, I intimidate
In a instant, I'll rise in a irate state
Juiced on my jams like joy kids gonna join
Justly, it's just me, writing my journals
Kindly I'm kindling all kinds of ink on
Karate kick type brits in my kingdom
Let me live a long life, lyrically lessons is
Learned lame louses just lose to my livery
My mind makes marvelous moves, masses
Marvel and move, many mock what I've mastered
No we nap knowing I'm nice naturally
Knack, never lack, make noise nationally
Operation, opposition, off, not optional
Out of sight, out of mind, wide beaming opticals
Perfected poem, powerful punchlines
Pummelling petty powder puffs in my prime
Quite quaint quotes keep quiet it's Quantum
Quarrelers ain't got a quarter of what we got uh
Really raw raps, rising up rapidly
Riding the rushing radioactivity
Super scientifical sound search sought
Silencing super fire saps that are soft
Tales ten times talented, too tough
Take that, challengers, get a tune up
Universal, unique untouched
Unadulterated, the raw uncut
Verb vice lord victorious valid
Violate vibes that are vain make em vanished
While I'm all well would a wise wordsmith just
Weaving up words weeded up, I'm a workshift
Xerox, my X-ray-diation holes extra large
X-height letters, and xylophone tones
Yellow back, yak mouth, young ones yaws
Yesterday's lawn yard sale I yawn
Zig zag zombies, zoomin to the zenith
Zero in zen thoughts, overzealous rhyme ZEA-LOTS!....
(good....can you say it faster?)
Apple Jelly
Margaret Atwood
1971
No sense in all this pickling,
peeling & simmering
if sheer food is all
you want, you can buy it cheaper.
Why then do we burn our hours
& muscles on this stove,
cut our thumbs to get these tiny
glass pots of clear jelly?
Hoarded in the winter: the sun
on that noon, your awkward leap
down from the tree,
licked fingers, sweet pink juice,
is what we keep
the taste of the act,
the taste of this day.
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
1938
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
1983
The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.
The Pasture
Robert Frost
1914
I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long.—You come too.
I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha'n't be gone long.—You come too.
Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
1914
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
