Theives in the night lyrics

Artist  : Black star 
Song : Theives in the night
 
Kweli:
Yo, D (What?)
Come on (What? Yeah, yeah)
Come on
Kweli:
'Give me the fortune, keep the fame' said my man
Louis
I agreed, know what he mean because we live the
truest lie
I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest
eye
He looked at me, he thought about it, was like,
'I'm clueless, why?'
The question was rhetorical, the answer was
horrible, our morals are
out of place and got our lives full of sorrow and
so tomorrow comin'
later than usual, waitin' on someone to pity us,
while we findin'
beauty in the hideous
They say money's the root of all evil but I can't
tell, you know what
I mean,
Pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills
Or is it the mindstate that's ill, creating crime
rates to fill the
new prisons they build
Over money and religion there's more blood to
spill
The wounds of slaves in cotton fields will never
heal, what's the
deal?
A lot of cats who buy records are straight broke
but my language universal they be recitin' my
quotes
while R&B singers hit bad notes
We rock the boat of thought that my man Louis'
statements just
provoked
Caught up, in conversations of our personal worth
Brought up, through endangered species status on
the planet Earth
Survival tactics means, bustin' gats to prove you
hard
Your firearms are too short to box with God
Without faith, all of that is illusionary
Raise my son, no vindication of manhood necessary
Bridge:
Not strong, only aggressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not compassionate, only polite
Not who the nicest
Not good, but well behaved
Chasin' after death so we can call ourselves
brave?
Still livin' like mental slaves
Chorus:
Hidin' like thieves in the night from life,
illusions of oasis makin'
you look twice (x2)
Mos Def:
I'm sure that everbody out listenin' agree, that
everything you see
ain't really how it be
A lot of jokers out runnin' in place, chasin' the
style
Be a lot goin' on beneath the empty smile
Most cats in my area be lovin' the hysteria
Synthesized surface conceals the interior
America, land of opportunity, mirages and
camoflauges
More than usually
Speakin' loudly, sayin' nothing, you confusing
me, you losing me
Your game is twisted, want me enlisted in your
usery (?)
 
Foolishly, most men join the ranks cluelessly
but ( ------ ?) accept the deception, believe the
perception
Reflection rarely seen across the surface of the
looking glass
Walking the street, wonderin' who they be lookin'
past
Lookin' gassed with them imported designer shades
on
Stars shine bright, but the light rarely stays on
Same song, just remixed, different arrangement
Put you on a yacht but they won't call it a
slaveship
Strangeness, you don't control this, you barely
hold this
Screamin' brand new, when they just sanitized the
old shit
Suppose it's, just another clever Jedi mind trick
That they been runnin' across stars through all
the time with
I find it's distressin', there's never no
in-between
We either niggas or kings
We either bitches or queens
The deadly ritual seems immersed, in the perverse
Full of short attention spans, short tempers, and
short skirts
Long barrel automatics released in short bursts
The length of black life is treated with short
worth
Get yours first, them other niggas secondary
That type of illin' that be fillin' up the
cemetary
This life is temporary but the soul is eternal
Separate the real from the lie, let me learn you
Not strong, only aggressive, 'cuz the power ain't
directed
That's why, we are subjected to the will of the
oppressive
Not free, we only licensed
Not live (?), we just excitin'
'Cuz the captors own the masters to what we
writin'
Not compassionate, only polite, we well trained
A sincerity rehearsed in stage it's just a game
Not good, but well behaved
'Cuz the camera survey, most of the things that
we think, do, or say
We chasin' after death just to call ourselves
brave
But everyday, next man meet with the grave
I give a damn if any fam recall my legacy
I'm tryin' to live life in the sight of God's
memory
Like that ya'll
Mos Def & Kweli in background:
(A lot of people don't understand the true
criteria of things, can't
just accept the appearance, have to get the true
essence
They ain't lookin' around)
Bridge
Chorus (x4)
Mos Def singing:
Stop hidin', stop hidin', stop hidin' your face
Stop hidin', stop hidin', 'cuz ain't no hiding
place (x2)
Ad libs