No Capes

[Verse 1] They found Superman’s body behind a Chinese buffet Cape over his head wedged between dumpsters None other and I ain’t dude’s biggest fan But two kryptonite bullets? It’s just messed up that we went out like such a sucker Just got bucked like one of us would But it’s poetic justice he’d die in southside metropolis Just look up in the sky Ain’t no birds no planes and no solutions Just a permanent curtain of smog flickered to life by light pollution Superman was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me Just little more than a prisoner with a life sentence Honoring us roaches with his friendship But look who he defended Policy property and investments Their truth, justice and American way; But that was never our direction We were forced into lookin’ to the sky for protection that never came As he battled robots for the status quo, not for the people And tried to spin it into good vs. evil But this is not a movie for us Tryin’ to one-take life don’t look for the sequel; Look for the steeple, ring every bell as though god had fallen And was fertilizing hell and we are not faithful; We just know flight doesn’t make you an angel [Hook] The day after superman died Everybody stopped lookin’ up in the sky And started lookin’ down at the ground like we have been heroes here this whole time The day after superman died most of us just got back on the grind ‘cause there is work to be done, yo No capes but we stay fly [Verse 2] My hero is the janitor who organizes afterschool programs in his off time My hero is the amateur rapper who only makes twenty dollars but spits all night My hero is the independent journalist working under pressure that I can’t imagine My hero has gotta be the single mother workin’ two jobs yet still findin’ time to splash the canvas My hero is the union organizer who stays disillusioned But he keeps movin’ he says it’s for the movement and even if he doesn’t live to see it He’ll make improvements for his kids believe it My hero, is not a household name she just runs a household day after day, no excuses Her superpower’s dinner made on minimum wage for two teens and a first generation college student My heros, are refugees, illegal immigrants sending money back home Conscious thugs, gay rappers and hip hop feminists Who never had shit but a dream and some backbone And none of us wear capes; None of us will ever be president None of us will ever be superman We can only jump so high But feet to the earth we are so fly [Hook] The day after superman died Everybody stopped lookin’ up in the sky And started lookin’ down at the ground like we have been heroes here this whole time The day after superman died most of us just got back on the grind ‘cause there is work to be done, yo No capes but we stay fly