Get By (Explicit) - Talib Kweli

Yeah my Lord yeah

We sell crack to our own

Out the back of our homes

We smell the musk at the dusk

In the crack of the dawn

We go through Epidodes II

Like Attack of the Clones

Work 'til we break our back

And you hear the crack of the bone

To get by just to get by

Just to get by just to get by

We commute to computers

Spirits stay mute while you eagles spread rumors

We survivalists turned to consumers

To get by just to get by

Just to get by just to get by

Ask Him why some people

Got to live in a trailer

Cuss like a sailor

I paint a picture with the pen

Like Norman Mailer

Me and Willa raised three daughters

All by herself with no help

I think about a struggle

And I find the strength in myself

These words melt in my mouth

They hot like the jail cell in the South

Before my ni**a Core bailed me out

To get by just to get by

Just to get by just to get by

We do or die like Bed-Stuy through the red sky

With the window of the red eye

Let the lead fly some G Rap sh*t

Livin' to Let Die＂

This morning I woke up

Feeling brand new and I jumped up

Feeling my highs and my lows

In my soul and my goals

Just to stop smokin and stop drinkin

And I've been thinkin

I've got my reasons

Just to get (by) just to get (by)

Just to get (by) just to get (by)

Ba ba ba ba da bada ba da bada

Ba da bada ba da badahh

Just to get (by) just to get (by)

Just to get (by by by by by by)

Ba ba ba ba da bada ba da bada

Ba da bada ba da badahh

Just to get (by) just to get (by)

Just to get (by by by by by by)

We keeping it gangster say fo shizzle

Fo sheezy and stayin crunk

Its easy to pull a breezy

Smoke trees and we stay drunk

Yo I activism - attackin the system

The blacks and latins in prison

Numbers of prison they victim black in the vision

Sh*t and all they got is rappin to listen to

I let them know we missin you

The love is unconditional

Even when the condition is critical

When the livin is miserable

Your position is pivotal

I ain't bullshittin you

Now why would I lie

Just to get by

Just to get by we get fly

The TV got us reachin for stars

Not the ones between Venus and Mars

The ones that be readin for parts

Some people get breast enhancements

And penis enlargers

Saturday sinners Sunday morning

At the feet of the Father

They need somethin to rely on

We get high on all types of **

When all you really need is love

To get by just to get by

Just to get by just to get by

Our parents sing like John Lennon

Imagine all the people watch

We rock like Paul McCartney

From now until the last Beatle drop

This morning I woke up

Feeling brand new and I jumped up

Feeling my high's and my low's

In my soul and my goals

Just to stop smoking and stop drinking

And I've been thinking

I've got my reasons

Just to get (by) just to get (by)

Just to get (by) just to get (by)

Yoyoyo yo

Some people cry and some people try

Just to get by for a piece of the pie

You love to eat and get high

We decieve when we lie

And we keepin it fly

Yoyoyo yo

When the people decide

To keep a disguise

Can't see they eyes see the evil inside

But there's people you find

Strong or feeble in mind

I stay readin the signs