Common - Like They Used to Say lyrics

"Like they used to say"
Repeated in background

We dealin wit some very
Critical and crucial times
Some of the most critical and
Crucial times I've ever seen
I was on Stoney Island with my guy
He was tryin to tell me
About the S-IE experience
Tried to tell him about the C-S-E experience
You know?

Yo I'm the rap profession, I go the session
Study MC's like a god do lessons
Mic testin in the rain, I brainstorm
You feelin me out nigga? We got the same form
I drop heavy in spots you
Scared to put your weight
There's only so much ice you can skate on
Shit cats write for you, you say wrong
No time to debate on
Who's your pop and who's not
Or who shot Big and 2Pac
Or who this stud fuckin or
How much this crew got that's ho shit
That ain't me or the type
Of niggas I roll wit
I Cold Get Dumb, like a brother in prison
Who hasn't had a chance to hold his son
Sacrificin like Abe did his oldest son
Tryin to hold my come, I think of raps
Seen the BDP cover and I
Start thinkin back to
"Silly Hoes" sample say what? "Like
They used to say"
"Kool G Rap and Polo, back again"
Yeah "Like they used to say"
"Ain't No Half-Steppin" sample yeah "Like
They used to say"
Biz Markie sample "Like they used to say"

I walk through triple darkness
Wit a childproof lighter
All your homeboys are biters
So what's up wit that?
Your producer pumped the track
Told him, "Naw, I can't fuck wit that"
Nice way of sayin "Big
Bring a rougher track"
My boy in my ear said
"Enough of that humble rap"
Now every single you drop I'mma double that
Jigga-jigga Joe cut the record down to
My sound surround you like racism
You feel it all around you
I go into a soundproof booth and change flows
Track the strange hoes wit
Headwraps and Bangles
Hip-hop is gettin strangled by
This Puff Combs syndrome
Niggas Been Around The World actin
Like they never been home
I ain't hatin cuz I can only love niggas
It's just outta the game, I wanna sub niggas
I be dub figure rusty to adjust the in-dustry
And speak up, like when my homey's musty
Here we go yeah "Roxanne
Roxanne" sample yeah, dig it
"Like they used to say"
"You don't want it" "Like
They used to say"
"F-R-E-S-H" "Like they used to say"
"My Adidas
Walk through concrete doors and broke"
"Like they used to say"

Yo repeating "zen zen zen zen"
For about 20 sec "Like they used to say"

Yo yo check it
Appreciate the art that came through
Puerto Ricans and Blacks speakin the facts
The sound is much deeper than wax
Dug Inf, the Lumberjack I'm keepin the axe
Layin on passed out nights wakin
Up reekin wit raps
Geek like the Fat Boys? produce
The feeb? in fat in shows I get more hoes
Holes than a seam in the matt
Raps develop like film so
Call me Instant Common
This business of pimps and hoes
I stick out like Bishop Juan
Talk to my nigga Ron about openin shops
Holdin up cops, I'm from the 'Go
It don't stop
Contract ain't show enough options
It's time to pop guns
It's gon' be some Shook
Lost and popped Ones
Askin How Come like Wyclef
They'll be Gone before November
Name'll be in sentences wit
The word "remember"
Wrote a letter to '88, let's get back
Love me tender
The letter came back three days later
Return to sender damn!

"Like they used to say"
"Hot damn ho here we go again"
"Like they used to say"
"I want it like that, I got it like that
I have it like that"
"Like they used to say"
"You gots to chill" "Like
They used to say"
"Boyz in the hood are always hard"
"Like they used to say"
"One for all and all" "Like
They used to say"
"Zoom zoom zoom, zoom zoom zoom zoo zoom"
"Like they used to say" "I get money
Money I got""Like they used to say"
"Plug one
Plug two" "Like they used to say"

"I think that's about as far
Back as we can go"
"Like they used to say"
"Yo what happened to peace"
"Like they used to say"
PEACE! "Like they used to say"
"Like they used to say"