[Verse 1: Timothy Welbeck (formerly known as Red Baron)]
Lord, I never thought it would end this way
Standing in the rain, staring d**h in his face
Him looking enraged, me looking dismayed
And in a flash, I felt my life slipping away
My brother wanted that candy coated glow of the rainbow
I wanted ice tea; didn't want to take too long
The weather's not great, the All-Star Game was on
Didn't change clothes, didn't want to get rained soaked
So I donned my hoodie, then made my way on
With about $25, humming some Trey Songz
Grabbed my snacks, then made my way home
Stumbled along, I got to the neighborhood
Saw I was followed, I tried evading on foot
I would escape if I could, not sure I would
Hunted and confronted, a scuffle ensued
And with a familiar bang, it all was through
[Hook: Tomeka Carroll, Domonique Wilson]
Nobody until
They say you're nobody(nobody)
They say I'm nobody (nobody)
They say we're nobody(nobody)
I guess we're nobody(nobody)
Nobody until (repeat)
[Verse 2: Timothy Welbeck (formerly known as Red Baron)]
A bullet pierced the night sky
Likewise, it rifled through the air, then bored through my spine
Celebrations morphed to wild cries
Around the course of that time I realized I might die
How we got here is truly beyond me
No time to think, my blood is pouring on the concrete
Moments after a new year's dawning
A chaotic end to what began calmly
Officers heard altercations up in our station
And started arresting all of the people of my persuasion
Saying we're misbehaving, and this is of our making
And beat us before taking any of our statements
Cool steel, it gripped my bent wrists
And the officer's knee was above my clenched fist
Treating me like a common misfit
And with a familiar pop, that was how it all ended
[Hook: Tomeka Carroll, Domonique Wilson]
Nobody until
They say you're nobody(nobody)
They say I'm nobody (nobody)
They say we're nobody(nobody)
I guess we're nobody(nobody)
Nobody until (repeat)
[Verse 3: Timothy Welbeck (formerly known as Red Baron)]
The scales of justice are equally weighed
And the law is black and white is the way the picture is framed
But the oil drips on the portrait display/Shades of grey the day boys of color are slain
The struggle remains
And our boys become memories
In candle lit vigils and poured out Hennessy
And Lady Justice, She seldom questions the destruction that often becomes them
It doesn't make much sense, k**ed by those who should protect them
Like they're no good and only wretched/And the songs we let spin feed that perception
It's like in the end, that is what we're expecting
So we live and let live
While more our boys are destroyed at will, like Trayvon, Oscar and Emmett Till
The stories lose their appeal when the k**er looks like the k**ed
It's like saying our boys are nobody until
[Hook: Tomeka Carroll, Domonique Wilson]
Nobody until
They say you're nobody(nobody)
They say I'm nobody (nobody)
They say we're nobody(nobody)
I guess we're nobody(nobody)
Nobody until (repeat)
[Outro: Tomeka Carroll]
That nobody should be somebody to you
That's somebody's son
That's somebody's daughter
Recognize how precious life really is
(c) 2013