Prison
[Intro] {Mumia Abu-Jamal]:
Slavery is back. In fact it was never abolished. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution abolished slavery. Except in prison
At. The current rate of incarceration. By the year 2010 the majority of all African American men between 18 and 40 will be in prison. The State as their captor
It's gonna take people who are willing to fight
Not people who wanna negotiate with the enemy
Prison, prison, prison, prison
[Verse One] [Brother J]:
The pits of life contain men
Where reform and discipline unlabeled enslaved men
From rights of passage to stacking arraignments
To sporting the iron bars disgracing the pavements
It's just like cavemen from the pages of myth
Cohabiting in darkness while we wallow in filth
Generations of jewels who trickle down to abyss
As blood stains these prisons like the pyramid glyphs
Guilty or innocent agents of government
Treat our hoods like pickin grounds (schools to tenements)
All sag in uniform as thugs they represent
Racial stereotypes a profile for the oppressed
When you witness genocide everyday you get the hint
That the ghettos are cold like a lab experiment
As young women and men street hustle before they're ten
Graduating from juvenile halls then up the river to the
Prison, prison, prison, prison
(Christian Scott solo)
[Hook] [Brother J]L
Fear and oppression plague generation next
The house of regret locks down our street vets
Regroup and repair we lost sight of our mission
With honor we ride for justice we must remain out the
Prison, prison, prison, prison
(Christian Scott solo)
[Brother J]:
We trade wisdom for greed, we trade light for wealth
Fools wait for lock down to find knowledge of self
I bang hard on the left I never fiend for cream
If you borrow you owe it, if you take it you know you're goin to the prison
[Verse Two] [Brother J]:
The penalty for criminal states
If you're herb or bird man you're steady runnin from jakes
I circle with street soldiers that build and plant stakes
Free the land from Babylon my skills educate
In these United Snakes cause there's no debate
With these restrictions of law makes us communists of hate
New world of new focus the streets need to deal with new purpose
The eldership is lacking the cirus of guidance it's deep
The prison state of mind will have you dead in the street yelling P.I.M.P
If you're stressed fake playa cards to rest
Tell youths to stay in school research and manifest
Avoid
Slave ways from the whip to the gauge
From streets to the cage we stand judged cloak and dagger
Let twelve heads decide if you keep you're street swagger
Or be between bars as this crazed world gets madder
Come and heed funkin' lesson wise dome the mad hatter
Rock an onk off my dome cause I deal with life matters
It's straight genocide of my people and what's sadder
We bake devil's pie and put our heads in the batter
Prison, prison, prison, prison