E-40, Dr. Cornel West, Michael Marshall - Born in the Struggle lyrics
[E-40, Dr. Cornel West, Michael Marshall - Born in the Struggle lyrics]
And so then the question becomes:
How do we try
To educate and teach and exemplify in our
Own lives as older folk to young folk there
Are other ways of dealing with this?
Then there's a large issue of crime how do
We go about fighting crime? And it's towards
This preferential treatment between the
Poor and the rich, end up with prison
Disproportionate black, brown
Working class poor brothers
I had to hand-wash my clothes, didn't have
A washing machine or a dryer, uH
Mama used to have to hang her period
Panties out on a clothesline wire, uH
The vacuum broke, used the broom
We got company coming over this afternoon
You know our family like to gossip
Clean up your room
Throw everything in the closet
I like to talk to the old schoolers
OG playas 'Cause they was my age -
I ain't never been theirs
I count on em for guidance
Leadership and advice
'Cause everything I'm goin' through they
Done been through twice
Or three or four times, five, six, seven
Eight we can learn from they mistakes
Before it's too late
Communication is everything
Conversation's abandoned
People die every day
Because of misunderstandings
The highs and lows, the ups and downs
Pissy sidewalks, human shit on the ground
The ins and outs, whys and won'ts
History repeats it'self, opportunities don't
Sad true story, unintentionally
Not on purpose only time I see my family's
At a funeral service
Her stomach keep hurting
But she didn't bother
'Cause you and I both know that black folk
Don't like to go to the doctor
One thing about us, mayne, we creative
And at the end of the day we all related
Through the slaves and the
Indians and natives
They brought us here on a boat
Whipped us and raped us
Scraps from a pig they gave us
So we cook pork chops, chitlins
Ribs and bacon
Fucked around and got addicted swine
Which wasn't supposed to be
I was born in the struggle
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
I was born in the struggle
Yeah, our life it gets harder, the youth
They die younger the time we get's harder
It's just what we're used to
OOOUH!
You got a ride to school, I had to walk
We had Rent-a-Center furniture
Yours was bought
Paid for, your parents had more
You had a bed to yourself
I had to share mine with four
Sometimes I slept on the floor
That's probably why to this day
Sometime my back be sore, UGH, hard times
We was borderline poor
Far from being the richest
If we didn't do our chores
We would get beat with switches
Born in the struggle where
We all wanna bubble
Where it's hard to do good but
Easy to get in trouble
Can't be soft as table butter
Can't be no punk
And every neighborhood be havin'
Their own internal funk
Boarded up houses, unsafe sex
Teenager at the bus stop smoking meth
Good girl gone bad
Weak-minded without a doubt
Her parents didn't find out until
Her teeth fell out
Oil stains in the driveway, church on Sunday
Every time I go
Seem like the preacher preaching to me
Pointing at me, looking at me
Heaven or hell, mayne
Which one it's gon' be?
I was born in the struggle
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(I was born in the struggle
Yet I was born a Black man)
I was born in the struggle
Yeah, our life it gets harder, the youth
They die younger the time we get's harder
It's just what we're used to
Ooh, sometimes we sit back and
Watch things go by
Like that's the way they're supposed to be
No no this ain't how it was meant to be
(This ain't how it was meant to be, mayne)
Turn around, look at your neighbor
Ask somebody (How cold is it?)
It's cold, cold, cold out here
(And what you talkin' 'bout?)
And I'm talkin' 'bout the weather
(Say it one more time, bruh)
I said it's cold, cold, cold, cold out here
(It's cold out here)
And I'm talkin' 'bout the weather
(What was you born in?)
I was born in the struggle
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(Ooh, I was born, I was born
I was born, I was born, in the struggle)
I was born in the struggle
Yeah, our life it gets harder, the youth
They die younger the time we get's harder
It's just what we're used to
Dr cornel West, talk to 'em
Young folk don't come out of the sky
They come out of families, they come
Out of neighborhoods, they come
Out of mass media influence and so forth
You see? So by the time a
Young person's six-years-old
How many commercials have they seen?
How many killings have
They seen? Been exposed to
A very violent society
How do we try
To educate and teach and exemplify in our
Own lives as older folk to young folk there
Are other ways of dealing with this?
Then there's a large issue of crime how do
We go about fighting crime? And it's towards
This preferential treatment between the
Poor and the rich, end up with prison
Disproportionate black, brown
Working class poor brothers
I had to hand-wash my clothes, didn't have
A washing machine or a dryer, uH
Mama used to have to hang her period
Panties out on a clothesline wire, uH
The vacuum broke, used the broom
We got company coming over this afternoon
You know our family like to gossip
Clean up your room
Throw everything in the closet
I like to talk to the old schoolers
OG playas 'Cause they was my age -
I ain't never been theirs
I count on em for guidance
Leadership and advice
'Cause everything I'm goin' through they
Done been through twice
Or three or four times, five, six, seven
Eight we can learn from they mistakes
Before it's too late
Communication is everything
Conversation's abandoned
People die every day
Because of misunderstandings
The highs and lows, the ups and downs
Pissy sidewalks, human shit on the ground
The ins and outs, whys and won'ts
History repeats it'self, opportunities don't
Sad true story, unintentionally
Not on purpose only time I see my family's
At a funeral service
Her stomach keep hurting
But she didn't bother
'Cause you and I both know that black folk
Don't like to go to the doctor
One thing about us, mayne, we creative
And at the end of the day we all related
Through the slaves and the
Indians and natives
They brought us here on a boat
Whipped us and raped us
Scraps from a pig they gave us
So we cook pork chops, chitlins
Ribs and bacon
Fucked around and got addicted swine
Which wasn't supposed to be
I was born in the struggle
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
I was born in the struggle
Yeah, our life it gets harder, the youth
They die younger the time we get's harder
It's just what we're used to
OOOUH!
You got a ride to school, I had to walk
We had Rent-a-Center furniture
Yours was bought
Paid for, your parents had more
You had a bed to yourself
I had to share mine with four
Sometimes I slept on the floor
That's probably why to this day
Sometime my back be sore, UGH, hard times
We was borderline poor
Far from being the richest
If we didn't do our chores
We would get beat with switches
Born in the struggle where
We all wanna bubble
Where it's hard to do good but
Easy to get in trouble
Can't be soft as table butter
Can't be no punk
And every neighborhood be havin'
Their own internal funk
Boarded up houses, unsafe sex
Teenager at the bus stop smoking meth
Good girl gone bad
Weak-minded without a doubt
Her parents didn't find out until
Her teeth fell out
Oil stains in the driveway, church on Sunday
Every time I go
Seem like the preacher preaching to me
Pointing at me, looking at me
Heaven or hell, mayne
Which one it's gon' be?
I was born in the struggle
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(I was born in the struggle
Yet I was born a Black man)
I was born in the struggle
Yeah, our life it gets harder, the youth
They die younger the time we get's harder
It's just what we're used to
Ooh, sometimes we sit back and
Watch things go by
Like that's the way they're supposed to be
No no this ain't how it was meant to be
(This ain't how it was meant to be, mayne)
Turn around, look at your neighbor
Ask somebody (How cold is it?)
It's cold, cold, cold out here
(And what you talkin' 'bout?)
And I'm talkin' 'bout the weather
(Say it one more time, bruh)
I said it's cold, cold, cold, cold out here
(It's cold out here)
And I'm talkin' 'bout the weather
(What was you born in?)
I was born in the struggle
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
(Ooh, I was born, I was born
I was born, I was born, in the struggle)
I was born in the struggle
Yeah, our life it gets harder, the youth
They die younger the time we get's harder
It's just what we're used to
Dr cornel West, talk to 'em
Young folk don't come out of the sky
They come out of families, they come
Out of neighborhoods, they come
Out of mass media influence and so forth
You see? So by the time a
Young person's six-years-old
How many commercials have they seen?
How many killings have
They seen? Been exposed to
A very violent society