To Young Leaders

[Verse 1] So here’s what you can expect: A burlap sack with a dollar sign on it or a check They’ll throw it at your feet and ask you to dance They’ll point rocket launchers at your feet and ask you to dance I never danced, proud to play the wall and leave early Ridin’ shotgun with Circe; watch for the pigs Watch for the cigarette vendors Watch for the bread and circuses and remember: Everything’s for sale and everything will kill you …so don’t buy it, remember who supplies it: Their teeth are syringes, eyes are blood diamonds Shinin’, the patron saints of gun violence Remember: a poem is worth more than a prayer A prayer is a quiet conversation A poem is an incantation, a fireball from your fingertips It’s something out of nothing and we’re listenin’ So spit it, every mic is a magic wand And all the stage is a world So when they ask you to dance, kick ‘em in the teeth Listen to the beat, listen to the beat [Bridge 1] In less than 100 years, every sinlgle one of your Facebook friends will be dead. Your life, your impact upon this planet, Upon your community cannot be measured in like, in plays, in plays, in CD's sold. You better recognize, You better weaponize [Verse 2] So here’s what you can expect: Style over substance, lust and fear over respect I used to rap really fast And the kids at the shows would say “damn” but they wouldn’t understand What you say is more important than how you say it What you do is more important than what you say And what you build is more important than what you do So what you gonna build today? Young leader, young metahuman Young spellcaster stay fashionin’ the blueprints Humility is beautiful, but when worse comes to worse Remember what you’re worth... Remember: people who have not accomplished half of what you have Are gonna tell you that you work too hard And they’ll support ya yappin’ but when you propose action They’ll tell you that it goes too far But if you really want change, be prepared to make war Whether physical spiritual cultural or something more ‘cause if we are the ones we’ve been waiting for What the hell are we waiting for? [Bridge 2] The soundtrack to your life should not be background music. Wrap your poetry around a warclub. Take your most potent, battle-tested folk songs, turn the bass up and add some drums that bang. You better recognize, You better weaponize [Outro] We are more than the sum of our parts They are less than the sum of our fears I think the guards are asleep at the gate And we got all the weapons we need right here We are more than the sum of our parts They are less than the sum of our fears I see the guards are asleep at the gate And we got all the weapons we need right here