Mourning in America Lyrics
[Intro]
I don’t usually use those big words
Cause I don’t usually deal with big people
I find you can get a whole lot of small people
And whip hell out of a whole lot of big people
[Verse 1: Brother Ali]
Murder murder murder kill kill kill
Cannibals walk the earth and get ill blood spill
Eyes sunk deep in their skull their bone chill
Few for survival most for the thrill
Terrorism is the war of the poor
Hold up a mirror so the script get flipped
Cause when it’s in reverse it ain’t wrong no more
Warfare’s the terrorism of the rich
Who’s the true guerilla
When the bomb on your body killing innocent civilians
But a life is a life and a killer is a killer
You’re at a desk chillin’ push a button kill a million
See the anguish of the parents
When they’re carrying the body of the baby that they cherish
When innocent people perish
It’s a very thin line between a soldier and a terrorist
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
I don’t usually use those big words
Cause I don’t usually deal with big people
I find you can get a whole lot of small people
And whip hell out of a whole lot of big people
[Verse 1: Brother Ali]
Murder murder murder kill kill kill
Cannibals walk the earth and get ill blood spill
Eyes sunk deep in their skull their bone chill
Few for survival most for the thrill
Terrorism is the war of the poor
Hold up a mirror so the script get flipped
Cause when it’s in reverse it ain’t wrong no more
Warfare’s the terrorism of the rich
Who’s the true guerilla
When the bomb on your body killing innocent civilians
But a life is a life and a killer is a killer
You’re at a desk chillin’ push a button kill a million
See the anguish of the parents
When they’re carrying the body of the baby that they cherish
When innocent people perish
It’s a very thin line between a soldier and a terrorist
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
[Verse 2]
Overseas we can mutilate and mangle
Let me give you an example what our troops are coming back to
Cold cities where the youth are getting strangled
The community in peril and our future looking narrow
Your school already failed you
The boys in blue will nail you they salute you with a barrel
The streets are a certified dead zone
Decorated with chalk lines and headstones
All the way live and every night the bullets flying
Even if you ain’t dying you a traumatized survivor
When you grow up in a climate of overriding violence
You will never get beyond it it’ll always alive inside you
And death just surrounds you
Fallen classmates’ ghosts haunt you
Crime just calls you cause you look at what you walk through
Ain’t certain if you’ll make it ain’t sure you even want to
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
Overseas we can mutilate and mangle
Let me give you an example what our troops are coming back to
Cold cities where the youth are getting strangled
The community in peril and our future looking narrow
Your school already failed you
The boys in blue will nail you they salute you with a barrel
The streets are a certified dead zone
Decorated with chalk lines and headstones
All the way live and every night the bullets flying
Even if you ain’t dying you a traumatized survivor
When you grow up in a climate of overriding violence
You will never get beyond it it’ll always alive inside you
And death just surrounds you
Fallen classmates’ ghosts haunt you
Crime just calls you cause you look at what you walk through
Ain’t certain if you’ll make it ain’t sure you even want to
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
[Choir]
Tears and sorrow block the sunlight
Head low heart broke eyes closed tongue-tied
Waters raise the tide is climbing
Speeding time the sky is crying
Shots are fired bombs and sirens
War and riots mourning in America
[Verse 3]
Now that society forgot you
And they locked you in an obstacle course where nothing’s possible
If you slip up and they caught you
They got boxes where they lock you make a million dollars off you
They rule you too rude to school
They screw you in a booth shoot electricity through you
Or inject death into you
On a television set and let it ooze through you
Every time a leader tries to stand up for our freedom
Someone claps them with the heater their brain and back leaking
A shame their family grieving the only way to see them
Is a displaced dream displayed in a museum
They say they built our nation for a reason
Then they stained it with the bleeding of the slaves that never seen it
I ain’t hating I still want to believe it
And I’m not trying to leave it I just call it how I see it
Tears and sorrow block the sunlight
Head low heart broke eyes closed tongue-tied
Waters raise the tide is climbing
Speeding time the sky is crying
Shots are fired bombs and sirens
War and riots mourning in America
[Verse 3]
Now that society forgot you
And they locked you in an obstacle course where nothing’s possible
If you slip up and they caught you
They got boxes where they lock you make a million dollars off you
They rule you too rude to school
They screw you in a booth shoot electricity through you
Or inject death into you
On a television set and let it ooze through you
Every time a leader tries to stand up for our freedom
Someone claps them with the heater their brain and back leaking
A shame their family grieving the only way to see them
Is a displaced dream displayed in a museum
They say they built our nation for a reason
Then they stained it with the bleeding of the slaves that never seen it
I ain’t hating I still want to believe it
And I’m not trying to leave it I just call it how I see it
[Hook]
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
They haven’t got anything to lose
And they’ve got everything to gain
And they’ll let you know in a minute
It takes two to tango. When I go, you go
Murder murder kill kill kill
Death and destruction a cap get pealed
Harm or heal destroy and rebuild
Shots still ring out and blood still spill
They haven’t got anything to lose
And they’ve got everything to gain
And they’ll let you know in a minute
It takes two to tango. When I go, you go
About
Genius Annotation
This song is an observation and a critique of our culture of death and murder. From actual war zones around the world, to our own inner cities where this summer’s death rates rival war zones. Brother Ali also address our national hypocrisy regarding violence. We have a zero tolerance policy of violence committed against us, but we’re a lot more lenient and patient when it comes to the violence we commit.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 4.Mourning in America
- 5.Gather Round
- 7.Need A Knot
- 8.Won More Hit
- 9.Say Amen
- 10.Fajr
- 11.Namesake
- 12.All You Need
- 13.My Beloved
- 15.Just Fine
Credits
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Writer
Released on
August 10, 2012
Mourning in America Interpolations
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