Ludacris, Common, Spike Lee - Do the Right Thang lyrics

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hip hop nation, this is Spiz-ike Lee
Been sleepin for too long, wake up
Wake up - WAKE UUUUUUUUUUP!

Wake uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!
I see the sunshine GAZING
Through the window pane
Blazin like indo flame it's to WAKE
UP! Come to yo' sense manye
Snow is all around you
But you don't play in the winter games!
Cartridges surround you
But you ain't playin Nintendo games!
Load 'em up and fill 'em up
To the top before you cock and aim
Tryna get from the bottom to the
Top like the stock exchange
Shower, shit and shave and hit the
Corner for a block exchange
Amazing what my people'll do


For some pocket change
But maybe this ain't the life that you chose
This is the life where you
Stay strapped and pack
A knife or end up with a blooded nose
Street survivor or survivor of the streets!
And only the strong survive
There's no survival for the weak!
Catch a sneak peak of death if you
Ain't on ya Ps and Qs
They carry banana clips and niggas'll
Peel you for ya shoes it's the blues
But not on Hill Street - you could
Call it "kill or be killed" street
"Lost a pint of blood, let it SPILL" street
Stop and wake uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!!
Wake uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!!

They say my folks'll do WHATEVER for
The fortune and the fame
And it'll take a FORTUNE to get
Rid of all the pain, but I'm sayin
Use your brain homie, do the right thang!
Use your brain homie, do the right thang!
You say the only family that you
Got is in a gang and the only way to make
It is by sellin cocaine, but I'm sayin
Use your brain homie, do the right thang!
Use your brain homie, do the right thang!

I've been in his ear since
We were drinkin beers
Years we've spent together
Used to break up get-togethers
With a fight every night gettin' cheddar
Movin white our thang
So we had to "Do it Right" like Spike
Holdin 40s, gettin green on acres
These broads were our mules
That's when we used to serve
In front of Com'wealth School
Fuel for cars and jewels, chains and tools
It was organized crime but
We remained confused
Mom in the pews, singin, "Lord
Protect 'em"
You might not a-gree with our views
But you had to respect 'em
Diamonds in the rough, but were we reflectin
A system that's abrupt
The streets in oppression
One morning in the mirror
I seen my reflection a young man with good
Spirit's but needed direction
I guess my man's death was my resurrection
Cause now I hear him sayin from heaven
"Wake up!
Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!
Wake UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

They say my folks'll do WHATEVER for
The fortune and the fame
And it'll take a FORTUNE to get
Rid of all the pain, but I'm sayin
Lemme talk to 'em lemme talk to 'em
You say the only family that you
Got is in a gang and the only way to make
It is by sellin cocaine, but I'm sayin
Lemme talk to 'em lemme talk to 'em

I woke up this morning and got a call
My partner said he had news about
A girl named Baby Doll
She got four baby daddies four
Kids by four different men
And she just found out she's
Pregnant, I said, "No, not again!"
Man, when she gonna learn she don't
Wanna spend her life in court?
Lookin for back payments and fightin
For that child supports
Chasin checks, chasin her ounce of respect
Chasin paper chasin entertainers or rappers
And ballplayers not carin about a condom, I
Say, "Help her Lord, pLEASE"
'fore she stuck wit mo' babies or
Ends up fightin some di-SEASE
You know that you a momma, and, mommas
We can't lose ya
Treat yourself better you carry
Seeds to the future
And the future looks dim if
We don't get ourselves together
We gotta sacrifice
Some do WHATEVER for the cheddar
So make the right decisions 'til
You ready to give birth
And know that you the most precious
Gift we have on this earth
Babies, stop and WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!
Wake uuuuuuuuuuuuuup!

They say my folks'll do WHATEVER for
The fortune and the fame
And it'll take a FORTUNE to get
Rid of all the pain, but I'm sayin
Use your brain baby, do the right thang!
Use your brain baby, do the right thang!
You say you want a family but
It's hard without a man
And the only way to make it is
To get him fo' his change, but I'm sayin
Use your brain baby, do the right thang!
Use your brain baby, do the right thang!

Wake up, wake up
It's a new day! C'mon brothers, wake up
C'mon sisters, wake up
ATL, wake up, wake up, baby
Chi Town, wake up wake up
Brooklyn's in the house! Wake up, Brooklyn!
Ludacris! Common Sense and ME, SPIKE LEE!

Always do the right thing
I got it, I'm gone