Charlemagne - Around My Way lyrics

[Hook x2: John Legend] Around my way... Around my way... All the corners filled with sorrow All the streets are filled with pain Around my way... [Verse 1: Talib Kweli] People let me paint a picture You know I ain't a Christian I ain't a m**m, ain't a Jew I'm losing my religion I speak to god directly I know my god respect me Cause he let me breathe his air and he really blessed me I ain't knocking you, but I don't f** with hospitals Spit the gospel, truly knowing jesus like apostles do Return like the prodigal son to honor Mohammed too Stay away from ham like Abraham, Lord I follow you Even when you took my man Chaka God and what I'm a do You gave the hood a modern day martyr in Brother Amadou I'm on the block, I'm tracing your footsteps, I keep the faith in you Your love, plus hard work and ambition We gonna make it through, my songs is psalms I'm spiritual when I'm lyrical This is for my soldier n***as looking in the mirror who Sitting home scratching off serials eating cereal The way we find a way to survive, sh** is a miracle We got mice in the crib and roaches in the toasters, rice in the fridge Bread in the oven by the roaster We be takin' gypsy cabs and chasin' 50 bags They be laced with sh**ty swag and it really get me mad The way we saluting flags, wrapping them around our heads When n***as ain't become American till 9/11 Feeling like you gotta sneak into heaven When the reverend looking like a pimp and the pimp look like the reverend [Hook: John Legend] [Verse 2: Talib kweli] These conditions make us strong And we create our own businesses so later on Our children have things in their name that they can say they own A mix tape freestyle become your favorite song No place like home when the cops ask you about your neighbors Beat on you, threaten to incarcerate you Till you spill your guts like you a Garcia Vega We roll blunts not the papers Cop the greatest take it coast to coast L.A. to Chicago like Smooth Operators Cop the Dro and cop the blacks Cop the four, co*k it back Drop the flow, rock a hat on top a stocking cap Be a doctor or a lawyer or make your momma a promise that You'll finish school, but when you got a dream you gotta follow that And make sure when you make it out the hood, you always holler back Think about what you got from that And always put your dollars back On top of that, this is a legacy and we a part of that The hood is where my heart is at Catch me around my way [Hook x2: John Legend]