Poetry Songtext
von Common

I′ve seen the light, yeah
Take it to God by me
Poetry, it can't be defined by me
When I set it in motion, never question the motive
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm


Whether facing the east or facing the beast
I′ma keep fighting 'til the world say peace
Hollywood guilt put a nigga in Greece
I'm godbody, the devil′s in the deets
Still, I listen when Muhammad speaks
And get a good word when PT preach
My mama used to teach, so it′s lessons to learn
Before I step and repeat, I step and I earn
I met a girl's daddy, he was kept in an urn
The world as we knew it, it was destine to burn
My success is a verb, it′s a blessing to serve
My presence is heard, I'm investing in words
Like Nikki Giovanni or Amiri Baraka
Jessica Care Moore, Morgan Parker
Audre Lorde, Toni Morrison
Poetry in motion, we moving forward again

Take it to God by me
Poetry, it can′t be defined by me
When I set it in motion, never question the motive
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm


We walk, walk the line and talk, talk the rhyme
Hits from the sky is often the sign
I stomped in the time not to fall in line
What's bound in heaven on earth I bind
I combine strength, poetic liberation
In a nation that ask me for identification
I′m a Haitian, I'm Jamaican, I'm forsaken, I′m mistaken
Identity, I′m Medgar Evers' memory
I′m my father's good and bad tendencies
I′m a man that love music but don't love the industry
Don′t like when fake folk grin at me, I love Public Enemy
I love the messages my love be sending me
Chicago taste, so I love being finicky
Love calling him cuzzo even if he ain't kin to me
Love drinking wine while my homie drink Hennessy
I love poetry when it becomes infinity

Take it to God by me
Poetry, it can't be defined by me
When I set it in motion, never question the motive
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm