It Ain’t Fair (Explicit) - The Roots/Bilal

Written by：Ahmir Thompson/Tariq Trotter/Phonte Coleman

Oh brother hmm

It's a mystery yeah

Will you hear my cry

Won't you hear my plea oh

Cause I'll never know I'll never know

How it feels how it feels

How it feels how it feels

Oh how it feels how it feels

To be

To be

Free

People swear they won't but they're walking in their sleep

I pray the lord their souls to keep

Because wolves disguised as sheep patrol our streets

And we all know that what you sow you shall reap

Those who do know you should teach

Through every loophole we gon' leap until you reach

A common ground and become unbound

Because when your whole town becomes a better round

Tears weighing down

Because it ain't fair

It's hard when you're looking for love

And it ain't there

Or try to read what tomorrow holds

When it ain't clear

Because the well is running dry

Race tension is running high

Under 21 is far too young to die

My salvation's under fire

This marks a rising of the tide

Every day I wear a mask like an umpire

Guess a ni**a gotta laugh to keep from crying

Tonight another friend passed on the young side

It's bad 'cause a good friend's hard to come by

Justice is never color blind never gun shy

The one crime you may never see the sun shine

We know of one times giving you the finger

'Round hearing me f**k you it's not the number one sign

I hear they turning downtown to the front line

It's something like the same place but it ain't safe

They took it from the human race to a tank chase

The devil feeding off hate so he gain weight

There's tainted water in the well so we can't taste

People dazed and amazed though it ain't grace

Impossible to co-exist in the same space

Enter the black saint with the war paint face

This generation we've forsaken all that's real

What emotions do we feel

Is your poison called a pistol or a pill

Some people say let Jesus take the wheel

Others say thou shall not kill

But they don't tell religion ain't gon' pay my bills

We've come so far yet here we are

Ruthless god presumed inferior

We scared o y'all

It ain't fair

It's hard when you're looking for love

And it ain't there

Or try to read what tomorrow holds

When it ain't clear

Because the well is running dry

Race tension is running high

Under 21 is far too young to die

My salvation's under fire

Rising and rising oh

To my afro Israelis Native American Mexicans

Invested in wrestling with Willie lynch's next to kin

The rising of the tide noose surrounding necks again

Look at how they try to hide proof of all the in excellence

The only tag you know me as is holy swag

Through any glass window we smash and bro we back

It's coming fast I'm unabashed so we have

An awareness of the only flag that's growing fast

I guess I'm tryna minimize regrets I identify with death

That don't mean it's not an uninvited guest

I'm just tryna answer all of my requests

And express in 140 characters or less

Why I'm the best educator re legislated premeditated

Dedicated heavy weight that ever paid it with blood

Not tuition without a cop's permission

I got a pot to piss in despite the opposition

Listen

Oh it ain't fair

It's hard when you're looking for love

But it ain't there

Try to read what tomorrow holds

And it ain't clear

Because the well is running dry

And it ain't fair

No it ain't there

No it ain't fair

Looking for justice and it's just us

It ain't fair

There's a riot going on out there

And it ain't fair

When your protector is your predator

It ain't fair

No it ain't fair

No it ain't fair

Y'all just gon' turn the other way

No it ain't fair

Turn a bloody cheek on these bloody streets

It ain't fair

It ain't fair

It ain't fair

No it ain't fair

No no

No no

No no

No no