Back Home Songtext
von Fort Minor feat. Common and Styles of Beyond

Uh, yeah, yo
We ′bout to take y'all to the tip, to the crib
Let′s do it, Mike
Yeah, back home (Back home)
Everybody's searchin' for somethin′
But all they can find′s a whole lot of nothin'
Back home (Back home, yeah)
Ain′t nobody hopin' and prayin′
'Cause they feel like nothin′ can save 'em
And they try to hold out, but they can't fight the fact
That life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
′Cause ain′t a damn thing free back home (Back home)
Back home, the collar disciple and black stone
Same block they freebase, yo, we trapped on
Where our grandmothers marched, the guns clap on (Yeah)
There's liquor stores, beauty supplies, and rap songs
I traveled the world just to come back to it
The crib got a lot of soul like black music, I′m attached to it
In many ways, the city raised me


And gave me the drama, honor, and bravery
The streets seem hollow, when I go to Chicago
It's cheap wine and sorrow, times is hard to swallow
In search of God′s tomorrow, I borrow words from the Bible
And use 'em for survival, gangs rival
Signs painted on walls like hieroglyphics
I tell ′em that this is all tribal
Used to do dirt, shorty's goin' through the same cycle
In trials like Michael, tryin′ not to stay idle
Yeah, back home (Back home)
Everybody′s searchin' for somethin′
But all they can find's a whole lot of nothin′
Back home (Back home, yeah)
Ain't nobody hopin′ and prayin'
'Cause they feel like nothin′ can save ′em
And they try to hold out, but they can't fight the fact
That life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
′Cause ain't a damn thing free back home (Back home)
Back home, it′s not Compton, but close
The same problems exist and the pain throbbin'
And folks, it′s so common, it don't really bother us much
We just swallow it, uh, crack the bottle and smoke
Hope tomorrow somethin' magical happens that′ll put me back in the biz
But the chances of it actually happenin′s kinda slim
Back home, we get the good life at a glimpse
In the form of a rap star, drug dealers, and pimps
I'm back home
I try my best to keep it together, it′s cold (Cold)
Like the Windy City streets in December
I pace back and forth, lookin' for the courage to shine
But can′t tap the source, need somethin' to nourish my mind
I know we all lose quite a bit in life only to gain some
Light for the dark windy roads we came from
But I move with the night, so I′m used to the shade
And never lose sight, bringin' truth back to the game
Back home, we got a lot of shit on our minds
We're always behind on somethin′ ′cause there's not enough time
And we′re nonstop, bottom line, doin' what we gotta do
To get some food in the fridge and stay out of the hospital
Back home, there′s people callin' us hopeless
People tryin′ to tell us all we need is some focus
But focus, focus is overrated
'Cause you see every blemish and mistake and can't change it
Back home, it′s Alvarado, K-Town and J-Town
And Little Tokyo for those that don′t know
Where figures shiver, livin' right in the litter
Where kids write bigger, right inside the L.A. River
On the concrete, a symbol of our everyday way
It′s that color and concentration over heavy and gray
And by the time the ink dries on this page
I'll be half a day away from the place where I stay
Yeah, back home (Back home)
Everybody′s searchin' for somethin′
But all they can find's a whole lot of nothin'
Back home (Back home, yeah)
Ain′t nobody hopin′ and prayin'
′Cause they feel like nothin' can save ′em
And they try to hold out, but they can't fight the fact
That life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
′Cause ain't a damn thing free back home (Back home)
We takin' it back home, y′all
Yeah, it′s Common Sense (Yeah)
My guy Mike (What up, Com?)
S.O.B. (Uh-huh)
Yeah, that's how we rotate
It′s G.O.O.D. Music (Hahaha)
Hip-hop (Don't stop)
Yeah, uh
It′s home for me, baby