Talib Kweli

Around My Way

Talib Kweli


[Chorus] 
Around my way... 
Around my way... 
All the corners filled with sorrow 
All the streets are filled with pain 
Around my way... 

Around my way... 
Around my way... 
All the corners filled with sorrow 
All the streets are filled with pain 
Around my way... 

[1st Verse] 
People let me paint a picture 
You know I ain't a christian 
I ain't a muslim, ain't a jew 
I'm losing my religion 
I speak to god directly 
I know my god respect me 
Cause he let me breathe his air and he really blessed me 
I ain't knocking you, but I don't fuck with hospitals 
Spit the gospel, truly knowing jesus like apostles do 
Return like the prodigal son to honor Mohammed too 
Stay away from ham like Abraham, Lord'll follow you 
Even when you took my man Chaka God and what I'm a do 
You gave the hood a modern day martyr in Brother Amadou 
I'm on the block, I'm tracing your footsteps, I keep the faith
in you 
Your love, plus hard work and ambition 
We gonna make it through, my songs is psalms I'm spiritual when
I'm lyrical 
This is for my soldier niggaz looking in the mirror who 
Sitting home scratching off serials eating cereal 
The way we find a way to survive, shit is a miracle 
We got mice in the crib and roaches in the toasters, rice in the
fridge 
Bread in the oven by the roaster 
We be takin' gypsy cabs and chasin' 50 bags 
They be laced with shitty swag and it really get me mad 
The way we saluting flags, wrapping them around our heads 
when niggaz ain't become American till 9/11 
Feeling like you gotta sneak into heaven 
When the reverend looking like a pimp and the pimp look like the
reverend 

[Chorus] 
Around my way... 
Around my way... 
All the corners filled with sorrow 
All the streets are filled with pain 
Around my way... 

These conditions make us strong 
And we create our own businesses so later on 
Our children have things in their name that they can say they
own 
A mix tape freestyle become your favorite song 
No place like home when the cops ask you about your neighbors 
Beat on you, threaten to incarcerate you 
Till you spill your guys like you a Garcia Vega 
We roll blunts not the papers 
Cop the greatest take it coast to coast 
L.A. to Chicago like Smooth Operators 
Cop the Dro and cop the blacks 
Cop the four, cock it back 
Drop the flow, rock a hat on top a stocking cap 
Be a doctor or a lawyer or make your momma a promise that 
You'll finish school, but when you got a dream you gotta follow
that 
And make sure when you make it out the hood, you always holler
back 
Think about what you got from that 
And always put your dollars back 
On top of that, this is a legacy and we a part of that 
The hood is where my heart is at 
Catch me around my way 

[Chorus] 
Around my way... 
Around my way... 
All the corners filled with sorrow 
All the streets are filled with hate 
Around my way... 

Around my way... 
Around my way... 
All the corners filled with sorrow 
All the streets are filled with pain 
Around my way...