I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (Part 2)

In jail, without the bail, in jail [Hook over Intro Speaking] You know what I'm saying, you got these wack emcees out here, you Know what I'm saying, they do three days in the county, you know what I'm saying, and come home and write a rhyme about doin' bids, you know What I'm saying, shankin', shankin' people, doin' time, they don't know Nothing 'bout time. Man, I got people locked down, you know what I'm saying [Verse 1: One Man Army] Yo its handcuffed, in the back of the bus, forty of us The road it was rough, plus nobody I could trust (trust) Headed upstate, no chance for escape Barbed wire and guards and the gun tower secured the gate My uncle's fate, was life without parole Thank God I was blessed with an out date I can't wait, but I got to You probably wouldn't have did what I did to catch a bid, but I'm not you I got a crew still on the street, they don't write me letters No time to visit a brotha, or bother to send me cheddar Never did I sweat it, I know they got a life to live My man J, had a wife and kid And these are the consequences, my actions committed Some cats that I used to visit, now I live with Along with swillas, killas, drug dealas, some rich brothas Crackheads, con artists, child molesters, dick suckers All types of individuals Sorta like a melting pot for criminals The system is designed to stock it plentiful This old cat from the hood Told me, "Out of every bad situation comes some good" Its understood Prison ain't good for my health Lookin' in the mirror, introducing me to myself I studied my thoughts, my ways, the routes I took Though I read daily, it ain't all about the books Its all about the lessons you learn, through your experience Applying it in a positive way, period All praise due to Allah, I used to scheme 'Til he showed me the straight way, Sirat al-Mustaqim Now I'm on the V-I, telling Moms about Islam She called me a blasphemous fool, I stayed calm The world wasn't ready for the changes I made They was waitin' for the nigga I was in twelfth grade Everyday, the same old thing, I walked the yard Set up in the chow hall, with Abdul Rahim Cats waitin' in infirmary lines, for they medicines Moorish Americans, walk around, with circle sevens And older heads playin' horseshoes, sometimes chess Trippin' when I first seen a faggot with breasts In the shower with a cat, gettin' hit from the back White dudes, on basketball courts, kickin' hacky-sacks Board games, card games--face it Everybody, time on they hands--most of it wasted Anything to make the time fly, soon as possible Some cats used to sleep all day, that's unacceptable Heads getting cracked over unpaid debts Either a shank or a lock on the side would do the trick Correction officers, devil's advocate And when its time to go home, parole boards wasn't havin' it Life was hell every day, the devil's tryin' me But I paid my debt, to society And after twenty-seven months, of my life, I'll tell you one thing I know why the caged bird sings Yo, yo, yo, yo In jail, without the bail (repeat) [Hook over Outro] You know what I'm sayin', this goes out to all the caged birds Everybody who know why the caged bird sings, you know what I'm sayin' I know why the caged bird sings {*2X*} In jail, in jail, in jail I sang the same song When I was upstate, I couldn't flap wings