Thieves in the Night

[Intro] Yo D, what? Come on (Yeah) What? What? Come on (Yeah) [Verse 1: Talib 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 is horrible Our morals are out of place and got our lives full of sorrow And so tomorrow coming later than usual Waiting on someone to pity us while we finding 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 that never heal, what's the deal? A lot of cats who buy records are straight broke But my language universal they be reciting 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, busting 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 [Hook] Not strong (Only aggressive) Not free (We only licensed) Not compassionate, only polite (Now who the nicest?) Not good but well behaved (Chasing after death, so we can call ourselves brave?) Still living like mental slaves Hiding like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis making you look twice Hiding like thieves in the night from life Illusions of oasis making you look twice [Verse 2: Mos Def] Yo, I'm sure that everybody out listening agree That everything you see ain't really how it be A lot of jokers out running in place, chasing the style Be a lot going on beneath the empty smile Most cats in my area be loving the hysteria Synthesized surface conceals the interior America, land of opportunity, mirages and camouflages More than usually, speaking loudly Saying nothing, you confusing me, you losing me Your game is twisted, want me enlisted in your usury Foolishly, most men join the ranks cluelessly Buffoonishly accept the deception, believe the perception Reflection rarely seen across the surface of the looking glass Walking the street, wondering who they be looking past Looking 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 slave ship Strangeness, you don't control this, you barely hold this Screaming "brand new", when they just sanitized the old shit Suppose it's, just another clever Jedi mind trick That they been running across stars through all the time with I find it's distressing, 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 illing that be filling up the cemetery This life is temporary but the soul is eternal Separate the real from the lie, let me learn you Not strong, only aggressive cause 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 exciting Cause the captors own the masters to what we writing Not compassionate, only polite, we well trained Our sincerity's rehearsed in stage, it's just a game Not good, but well behaved cause the camera survey Most of the things that we think, do or say We chasing after death just to call ourselves brave But everyday, next man meet with the grave/Great I give a damn if any fan recall my legacy I'm trying to live life in the sight of God's memory like that y'all [Mos Def] 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 looking around) [Hook] [Outro: Mos Def] Stop hiding, stop hiding, stop hiding yo' face Stop hiding, stop hiding, cause ain't no hiding place (Ad libs to fade)