Under Lock & Key

Thinking back on all the times we spent
Running here, running there
Never taking the first step.
Conditioned to what's around you
Living in the puppet show of life

Dancing along, singing their song
Slowly stirring from slumber
All the bright colors often dimmed to their liking
Seeing with new eyes all the wonder
Pulling at the chains as they get tighter

The more you see, things ain't what they seem
The more you learn, things ain't what they should be
The more you know, running from their rules
You're living in their fantasy
It's time to wake up and break the chains!

Walking around with your eyes wide shut
Thinking you're in a land of the free
Seeing it's only the land of deceit
Speaking your mind is an act of terrorism
Breaking the chains piece by piece

Get a new state of mind
Relearning what never should have been forgotten
Bracing yourself for what is yet to come
Praying for strength to carry on
Holding true to your beliefs.

What it's like
The reasons why
The things a persyn must do
or die
You'll never understand
The strength it takes
To embrace my fate
Time and time again
Being spit at for what I am
You'll never understand
You curse me to hell subtly
Telling me not to fight this system
Don't file lawsuits against it
Then you say you love me
You'll never understand
Everything about you is a contradiction
Sick consumer puppets of imperialism
Parasitic existences mind washed into believing in
"corrections", "terrorism", white male supremacy
You'll never understand
I'm on my third lawsuit
My fifth year straight solitary
Took me a whole generation to discern the compliment
Each time you spit at me

Throw a fist in the air for Fred, George, and Marx
Oppression we override all it takes is heart
This is for my comrades who recognize the trap
This a unified movement far from a rap
Let's seize the time the government we overthrow
And eliminate spies informing on the low
All nations we together as one
With our lives on the line freedom shall come
Nothing is given, it's taken and demanded
It's a war with the oppressed left standing
Organize your mind focus on the war
Dumping on the pigs, peace to Assata Shakur
The struggle on the rise this I truly see
This is dedicated to the people who standing on their feet
It's a war going on nobody is safe
Birthing solid troops who don't bind, fold or break
The past is present and the present is the past
Oppressed against oppressor forever we clash
21 guns comrades truly honored
Too many sold us out I call 'em transformers
All power to the people who fear nothing on this land
We learn from the past with an organized plan
United Blood Nation riding with the Panthers
I'm standing on mine with revolutionary standards
In this war blood must be shed
Either them or us that's what Denmark said
I pledge allegiance to the struggle my life is dedicated
My words uplift for those who motivated
First and foremost all my true brothers stand up
We will never fall cause we always stand up!

Once there was a time you could tell me any lie;
I was at the bottom of the pyramid believing there was
someone, something, watching and judging from up in the sky.
Now I am the eye above the suspended eye and am no
longer susceptible to their oppressive lies!
Their lies and stories of dread and fear no longer
have their delusional hold on me. Sure death brings a final rest,
but I now also see that life is to be lived completely free.
Stand up, live free, lift your eyes up high!
You no longer have to fear their devious lies!
We get one life to live and you can choose to live it free!
You don't have to be the scared little sheep that they want you to be!

They don't care.
They're not involved or don't want to get involved,
but they are.
Their involvement just masquerades as indifference or inattention.
It is the silent "acquiescence" of the millions that supports the system,
your silence becomes approval,
for it does nothing to interrupt the system.
People use all sorts of excuses for their indifference.
They appeal to god as a shorthand route for supporting the status quo.
They talk about law and order,
but look at the present system,
look at the present social order of society.
Do you see god?
Do you see law and order?
There's nothing but disorder,
and instead of law and order there is only the illusion of security.
It's an illusion because it is built upon a long history of injustices;
racism, criminality and enslavement and genocide of millions.
Many people say it is insane to resist the system,
but actually, it's insane not to.

They say "America is the land of the free"
But what about the millions
of people who are just like me
Locked in a cage for petty crimes
Don't you see in this so called land of the free
a dead president's face on a piece of
paper is worth more than you or me
And they say the U.S.A.
is home of the brave
What's so brave about locking a
man in a cage
with nothing other than time
to bottle up his rage
There is some who are addicts
others who are mentally ill
And the answer to the problem
when society no longer wants us around
send us to a court so a judge can lay us down
But that judge is no better than you or me
He's just as crooked as any other
politician you see
If you have the money he'll let you go free
But if you're indigent the outcome is
the millions of people who are just like me

No. I do not believe in your government
never have never will
No. I do not support your wars
for your greed i will not kill
No. I will not sit back and shut up
nor play deaf, dumb and blind
No. I will not hear what you say
you can't corrupt my mind
No. I will not teach my children your hate
nor will i teach them your lies
I can see your true colors through your
red, white, and blue disguise
No. I will not go to your church
nor will i read your bible
No. I will not worship your god
fake prophets, a book or an idol

At this time; in this place; I genuinely
know why the caged bird sings other than
being falsely imprisoned, he’s being called
N.I.G.G.E.R. of all things... As I
give perfect praise to “the most high,” I can
only wonder how many more bullets have to fly?
How many more of my precious Black and Latino
prisoners must die? Before those of us who
still dare to be free can remove the blood filled
tearz from our eyez. We’ve all been
shackled by the same chainz, victimized by the
same pain, so... in whose name doez death
blossom? I can vividly recall being racially
profiled as a juvenile, because as a child
I refused to pledge my allegiance to a flag
that forced so many of my B.L.A.C.K. Panthers
into exile... This beautiful black revolutionary
love of mine is God’s design, bottom line...
I speak from the perspective of a S.O.U.L.J.A
with an objective. Cause being Black in
this "white man's worls," justice is often
selective. On behalf of the collective, I
stand on the front lines. My message to the b.l.a.c.k. man
is to fight the power, nourish the seeds
and restore our flowers... This form of revolutionary love will
never be televized, nor will it be glamorized,
because the very essence of this love affair
depicts us finally being unified!! Let’z
reflect back to the bird in the cage, back
to the dehumanization that we endured
while naked on the auction blocks and
stage... Or picture the 25-50 million Africans
that died during the passage that never made
it to the grave because it is only through these
degrees of pain, horror and terror, can one
truly understand the life of a slave... On
the strength of those whose lives were gave,
that divine sacrifice in turn allowed countless
other B.L.A.C.K. lives to be saved!!

Death and destruction, killing and anarchy
Your nightmares and fears have become reality
Open your eyes, you're all going to die
Bodies will burn, women will cry
Children will perish, cities will crumble
Striking you down, making you humble
Death everywhere, violence fills the air
The warnings were clear, you just didn't care
Now your lungs turn to black with the smoke they've consumed
Untimely demise, nothing to prove
For your church and your country you fought with great pride
For your god and your government
You fought and you died.

No Place 2 Be!
Across the world abuse unfolds,
millions incarcerated, cruelty untold
3rd world countries amerikaz cold
The United Nations' head turns,
a system exposed.
Broken promises with a lot of corrupt laws,
no reform, a system flawed.
With one punishment comes isolation
with no air or lights, we suffer deprivation.
At the hands of the system, we slowly deteriorate.
Millions hunger strike, souls daily break.
We complain, they block our appeal.
We associate, they stop our will.
As a whole, we all agree-
frustrated, the system failed us all-
failed you and me!
No place 2 be!
Against all walls!!