Talib Kweli - Hope lyrics

[Verse 1: Pete] Sometimes my hope slips away, I go through the day Without a way to surpa** the decay To say a better day is coming got me running my mind Wondering if i'm cunning enough to find A new pattern of thought, design So I can deal with this land of concrete Cause them, facts is ill yo, we facing defeat From the trees to the seas, to the seeds of the ghetto The fleas on the dog's back have already settled, in On a lot I don't meddle in cause they shoot (shoot, shoot) Do anything for the loot (loot, loot) We got politicians making wicked decisions Straight lying to the public so They can make begin another mission of war And my eyes are sore, sh**s hardcore We can all make a change, what we waiting for There's a million other people who feel like I feel Too many cats is ending up with a raw deal, for real But, I read a book, take a look Put it all in perspective, ignore the crooks We be rocking they party tricks, while running for president If we want their a**es kicked, then let's set a precedent Cause it's not you versus me But it's you and me versus the war industry If you asking of me What it is we can do against idiots like G.W It's follow through [Chorus] It's what makes you cope It's what makes you grow It's what makes you go Against the grain When they tell you no, but you got to show Your friends and foes it's time for change It's what makes you cope It's what makes you grow It's what makes you go Against the grain But they can't tell you no, because now you know The healing when you get hope [Verse 2: Talib] Yeah, I'm holding on like someone pushed me over the edge So sometimes when I rhyme, it just go over ya head I try to bring it down to earth without sounding berserk It's for the people high and mighty and them down in the dirt Put in work like a nickle or diamond Standing on the corner religious like a shaman I ain't fickle with rhymin' The punchlines why they tickle your spine and picking the line And I'm never f** with you You can't get a consignment People hope to get signed, but today's a surprise The industry falling down right in front of their eye On my block brothers don't live, brother survive Mothers pray through the night and hope they son is alive Check the stoop then the corner then the hospital Our city mourn, matter a fact sh** I got to go To my son's school, where they call me brother Kweli No time for crime, waiting and hoping like Buddy Holly [Chorus] It's what makes you cope It's what makes you grow It's what makes you go Against the grain When they tell you no, but you got to show Your friends and foes it's time for change It's what makes you cope It's what makes you grow It's what makes you go Against the grain But they can't tell you no, because now you know The healing when you get hope [Verse 3:Pete] I'm hoping for better days and better ways to express I'm hoping for spiritual growth as a mental progress Hoping I won't be choking, when it's time to take the test Tough time as i'm standing in the limelight and rhyme Will I shine will I be remembered as a person who took the time And opportunity to find the goodness of his own kind The kindness of the mankind The kind that mixes in the images, relax and rewind Yo it's a state of mind you can find me in When i'm kicking back and i'm chilling Looking now playing children impressive buildings And i'm feeling that we more than the money hungry idiots As marketing cats claim we be, man they can't get with us It's the fuss of living Looking for a balance between taking and giving and making a living Without, making a preemptive k**ing, This sh** is got to stop I hope we find a revolution back in Hip Hop (back in Hip Hop) [Chorus](2x) It's what makes you cope It's what makes you grow It's what makes you go Against the grain When they tell you no, but you got to show Your friends and foes it's time for change It's what makes you cope It's what makes you grow It's what makes you go Against the grain But they can't tell you no, because now you know The healing when you get hope