Poor Folks

[Verse One: John Smith] Poor folk, we're such a happy tragic He got the Black Lung just like his pappy had it No joke, poor folk practice magic Their own bars, their own mathematics And how to get something from nothing Can never be teached or breached through a simple discussion We just know what it's like To muck through the snow on a one pedal bike Hitting doj' just a roll of the dice Sweating alone just til I get a life I'd bet it all just for the chance at a bigger slice Take the fall, fuck up now and later set it right Poor folk, provoke change, are labelled strange And end up broke in a different way Poor folks That's my people at ease on the streets I ain't afraid of my equal I trust that Kinship exists even when I'm getting cussed at on my walk to the bus shack I just laugh, knowing I'll probably end up sitting right beside his punk ass At two buck flicks, eating popcorn with extra mustard gas Now he know me as a homie from his brother's class And opinions change as they will Like [?] poor folks steal and drug deal So ignorant, thought I'd get rich legit But telling you to keep it clean would make me a hypocrite They'll never catch me cause I'm fucking innocent I slip into the background, my knapsacks a cash cow And snakes and ladders and Jakes the adder With allies like Charles Adler It's us and [?] so heed the ruler [?] and make some cool rich friends I ain't saying seek a wealthier set But at this point we'll take all the help we can get Poor folks Poor folks [Scratch Hook] "How the fuck you think you feel when your pockets singing make it last" - The Coup 'Takin These' [Verse Two: Pip Skid] Poor folks, the superheroes of our time Living on five loonies, two quarters and three dimes Who climbs the ladder of success and who comes up short? After the sperm donor dad opted out on child support We import new tactics in a desperate manner Like loading a second job on your already full platter Pulling [?] in a cardboard box doesn't apply to us So don't listen when Gretchen talks And a boombox with a busted speaker refining beauty Call in sick to see part two of a made for TV movie Light a doobie (Have some beer?) Chill you ain't no loser Getting by is an art, it's how well you can maneuver To all my unskilled labor people I'm down with ch'all It's like an injury to one is an injury to all Fifteen bucks huh, pushing a shopping cart Grab the mail, find a bill in the kitchen torn apart Thinking about Money Mart and their half ass security Dreaming about an inside job it's all absurdity Like getting a ride home, ashamed kept 'em steered clear "Uh, you can just drop me off and I'll walk from here." Cause money-less can leave you shunned to the abyss What's that maid thinking while on her knees cleaning your piss? Word to the moms in Wal-Mart shoving shit in their purse Born poor into a war hung over you like curse (Bad credit rating) (You ain't shit without a man) Children getting jobs is the future financial plan No chance for R-R-R-S-E's And money's needed now I'm charging handlers fees Please, if you weren't needed for mindless tasks, they'd tie your tubes It's be Kill At Will and Dead Homies like Ice Cube ("Hey ya little prick why don't ya get an education?!") At least my neighbors talk to me, no need for explanation Into complication to your insurance so stay on guard Screwed for so long we know how to party and party hard Denied Visa cards, squabbling over the john I got stocks and bonds in my craft at keeping on [Bridge] Take extra precautions (in that neighborhood) Your car will get stolen (in that neighborhood) Never walk alone (in that neighborhood) It's that area, it's dirty, it's no good [Scratching] "How the fuck you think you feel when your pockets singing making it last" [Pip Skid] {x6} When I say "nervous break" you say "down" Nervous break (Down!) Nervous break (Down!)