(Chorus)
On and On like the song go
I wonder if we took the wrong road
And it seems like so long ago
But you know where to go if you ever come home
(Verse)
I was born in the morning of America
Torn between mourning the loss
And celebrating the dawn
Majored in Reaganomics, hip hop and comics
Fist locked around dollars
Fuck a stock market
Prince was chart toppin'
Purple Rain fallin'
Writer's gettin' up and down the Berlin Wall
Before the Iron Curtain call and People Power One
Chillin' up in military housing having fun
With the little we got, got Optimus for Christmas
Over time to pay principal and interest
Moms and Pops still ill equipped as new immigrants
And navigate 1986 with three kids
Plus expecting one more, far from the Huxtables
That's why I'm still comfortable while sleeping on the floor
Twenty Three years gone, still 1984
Still fighting more undeclared wars
Caught 'em shipping arms to Iran for Nicaraguan Contras
A cold war getting hotter,
Now what's going on?
It's no more Marvin to sing us the song,
I think something's gone wrong
(Chorus)
(Verse)
Now, nothing beats the sound of a Posmix cassette
Bumpin' in the system of your hooptie stock deck
8-bit systems and kung-fu flicks
I rock like Herbie Hancock with prosthetic limbs
Who killed Vincent Chin?
Was it them? Was it us?
Not giving it enough of a fuck to stand up
Not more than 12 months after Lennon got shot
Bob died same year, Mumia got locked
The school of the Americas put heads to sleep
Like Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Dream
Jesus Freaks all believe to leave
On these streets, will they please just leave us be
Mix tapes of Fat Boys and Run DMC
Too Short, BDP and EPMD
Watch more Nickelodeon than MTV
Eventually every week it was Fab Five Freddy
Now everybody born about '87 up
Got a VH1 version of "The Years We Came Up"
But VH1 never played hip-hop at all
How the fuck they be the ones giving hip hop awards y'all?
(Chorus)
(Verse)
Reflections and questions and not enough answers
The rise of gang banging was the death of the Panthers
Short shorts, tube socks, cities to boondocks
Everywhere somebody trying to moon walk
Rock Steady crew, jams with Steve Pool
Site beyond sight, yo, I pulled roots
Like Super Mario 2, a bowl full of Cheerios
Looking back "Just Say No" was not enough
To sweep dust under the carpet when the visitors came
Cities became, temporary wealth
Manifested and changed, M.J. became chosen
"Free Mandela" was the slogan of the moment
To the mobile DJs with the pompadour fades
Rockin' Debbie Deb Stevie B. all day
When I hear music, I can't wait to rock
New shoes, nothing less than some fresh hightops
And things happen for a reason, they say
But I say there's a reason things happen
And it wasn't all good way back in the day
Struggled then, struggle now, still standing
(Repeat)
(Chorus)