Brother Ali - Chain Link lyrics

I try to always buy Final Call from the FOI
Even though that's not what
Islam always signify
I gotta love the struggle in 'em
They would get on their knees and shine shoes
'fore they'd ever let the drugs afflict 'em
Makin tacos or fuckin' with McDonald's
Nickel and dime broke
But dignified with high hopes
Some people shoulder the weight of the
Needy and make it look easy
Even though they walkin' the tight ropes
Immigrants twelve deep in one bedrooms
I'm too cool, I look at 'em like fools
Those fools combine forces and
Pull they resources
And guess who the new owner
Of the corner store is
Shit, what's stoppin me from doin that?
I probably could
Rich drug smugglers are proof of that
Because if one dime sack in
The time can climax
Into a billion dollar industry
Then look at my abilities
But, I'm a dreamer in a lot of ways
I feel if you believe in God
Then you believe in brighter days
Keep my son's heartbeat in my sleep
I'mma walk the planet Earth with his name
Carved deep in my feet like

Children growin', women producin'
Men go workin', but what's the use
When the real strive hard and
Stress about the rent
And can still die poor and
In debt without a cent

Born again Christian preachers
From the suburbs
Tryin to save souls on Broadway
They got some nerve comin' here
Unaware that the ones with no material gifts
Sometimes the most spiritually rich
Laziness got me scared the stand
Back and notice that
That can't hold me back
My man Vast told me that
"Harlem got all that on a bigger scale"
But when there's bullets in the sandbox
It's every bit as real
I see children growing up
Within a wicked system
Smiling, I wanna kiss 'em
I see prophet Muhammad in 'em
Poverty stricken
People from my generation are
Hands down the world's most creative
I've seen both sides of the fence
Picket a chain link and we ain't
All thinkin' the same thing
But they teens got so impressed by me
They try to walk, talk
Interact and dress like me
We captivated the world's imagination
I used to idolize athletes and entertainers
'Cause they never let the
Situation capture 'em
System gave 'em lemons
Made lemonade and sold it back to 'em

Children growin, women producin
Men go workin, but what's the use
When the real strive hard and
Stress about the rent
And can still die poor and
In debt without a cent

Marvin Gaye said it best "This ain't livin"
No matter your religion the
Earth keep spinnin
And the sun keep shinin, babies keep cryin
Old folks dying
In between you put your time in
And here I am, still lower class America
Same room, same view
Different cast of characters
Regina got arrested as a late prowler
Couldn't trick, got evicted
Lost her section 8 voucher
Onward goes my neighbourhood's revolving door
A gang of rental properties
Nobody owns at all
I guess that's why we call it a hood
Nobody stays as long as it
Takes to become neighbour

Children growin, women producin
Men go workin, but what's the use
When the real strive hard and
Stress about the rent
And can still die poor and
In debt without a cent