Fugees - The Mask lyrics

Have you ever worn the mask? yeah
One-two, one-two

M to the A to the S to the K
Put the mask 'pon me face just
To make the next day
Feds be hawking me, jokers be stalking me
I walk the streets and camouflage my identity
My posse in the Brooklyn wear the mask
My crew in the Jersey wear the mask
Stick up kids doing boogie
Woogie wear the mask
Yeah, everybody wear the mask
But how long will it last? (Yo, yo)

I used to work at Burger King
A king taking orders punching my clock
Now I'm wanted by the manager
Souping me up, saying, "You're a good worker
How would you like a quarter raise
Move up to the register?
Large in charge, but ya gotta be a spy
Come back and tell me who's bagging my fries
Gettin' high on company time"
Hell no, siree, wrong MC (Wrong MC)
Why should I be a spy when you're spying me?
And you see what ya thought
Ya saw but never seen (Bing)
Ya missed ya last move, checkmate
Crown me king
Pulled my 22, pistol-whipped him in his face
Hired, now I'm fired, sober, now I'm wired
Eyes pitch red but the beat bop my head
Hit the streets for relief
I bumped into feds (Oh my God)
I got kidnapped, they took me to DC
Had me workin' underground
Building missiles for World War I I I

M to the A to the S to the K
Put the mask 'pon me face just
To make the next day
Brothers be gaming, ladies be claiming
I walk the streets and camouflage my identity
My posse Uptown wear the mask
My crew in the Queens wear the mask
Stick up kids with the Tommy
Hil' wear the mask
Yeah, everybody wear the mask
But how long will it last?

I thought he was the wonder and
I was stun-gunned by his lips
Taking sips of an Amaretto Sour with a twist
Shook my hips to the bassline
This joker grabbed my waistline
Puttin' pressure on my spine tryna
Get L-Boog to wind (Bing)
I backed up off him
Then I caught him with five
Fingers to his face
I had to put him in his place
This kid's invadin' my space
But then I recognized the smile
But I couldn't place the style
So many fronts in his mouth
I thought he was the Golden Child
Then it hit me, that's Tariq from off the
Street around my grams
I haven't seen him since fifteen when
He got booked for doing scams
I tried to walk away
But he wouldn't let me leave
He ran up quick behind me asking, "Yo
What happened to my nigga Steve?"
Steve was like this kid I went
With back in grammar school
I chuckled, knucklehead, I
Seen him yesterday, he's cool
Busted, "So who you checking for
Now? Probably some intellectual"
I kept the conversation straight
But he kept tryna make it sexual
Then his old lady tried to play me
Waved her hands up in my face
Yo, I told her, "Check
Your man, 'cause bitch
You acting out of place" (Come on)

M to the A to the S to the K
Put the mask 'pon me face just
To make the next day
Brothers be frontin', then they be runnin'
I walk the streets and camouflage my identity
My posse in the Bronx wear the mask
My crew on the Isle wear the mask
Stick up kids rolling in the
Omni wear the mask
Yeah, everybody wear the mask
But how long will it last?

Three am in the morning on the boulevard
I'm still at large, engaged with my entourage
Me and Godfather and a '67 Dodge
I stepped out then looked
Then post up my guard
Searching for my car that was
Stolen from Scotland Yard
(Puerto Ricans got the car)
My first instinct was to check
The chop shop garage as I rung the bell
Someone tapped me on my back
I turned around to look
It was a rookie in a mask (What?)
He said, "I got a itchin' on my trigger
Don't move, nigga, I'm taking you for murder"
See cops
Got two faces like two laces on my Reeboks
My knees knock as I step
Back for a clear shot
(Well, did you shoot him?)
Nah, kid, I didn't have the balls
That's when I realized I'm bumpin'
Too much Biggie Smalls

M to the A to the S to the K
Put the mask 'pon me face just
To make the next day
Runners be beefin', cops be thiefin'
Brothers be scheming, they should be teaming
Jokers be smoking and staying broken
Bitches be teasing, their money skeezin'
Niggas be creeping, baby mothers be weeping
I walk the street and camouflage my identity
My posse in the Haiti wear the mask
My crew in Jamaica wear the mask
Stick up kids bumping "Fu-Gee-La"
Wear the mask yeah, everybody wear the mask
But how long will it last? Said
(M to the A to the S to the K)

Yo, man, we just rolled up
There, shit was ill, man, it was ill
Yo, bullets everywhere, guns, smoke
Jokers fallin' off they porches
Just shootin', straight cowboys, man
Straight motherfuckin' cowboys