The Devil You Know

(album: The Devil You Know - 2006)

Helicopters over the house again
We got the projects two or three blocks from here
They pull these kids over for Driving-While-African
And the ones that got the warrants always run in fear
I sit here waiting for the coast to clear
Wishing once again I had a gun around here
Turn on the news and what do I hear?
Some kid shot the bank up on Gallatin Road
Ran away from the cops while he was trying to reload
He beat them up to Eastland Street on feet
Now he's probably reloaded and running down my street
I better turn the alarm on and lock myself in
Helicopters over the house again

Sometimes you rise above it
Sometimes you gonna sneak below
Somewhere in between believing in heaven
And facing the devil you know

This poor kid probably never had a chance to give a fuck
He wouldn't know good luck from a debutante
He's got to find a way to be Steve McNair or Young Buck
Or he's just tough luck looking for a prison to haunt
And you can fuck getting any kind of job you want
Unless you really want to work in a fast food restaurant
And who wants to do that? Do you want to do that?
I wouldn't trade that for my crooked hat
Or my gang or my gun or my waist full of pagers
For a job deep-frying shit, for richer teen agers
If that's where it's at and no one's gonna help
How you gonna blame a man for helping himself?
There is a war going on the poor can't win
Helicopters over the house again

Sometimes you rise above it
Sometimes you sneak below
Somewhere in between believing in heaven
And facing the devil you know

Black and white cops shining lights in the bushes
I can't see how this kid is gonna get very far
Unless he finds a way to make it back over to Barry Street
And he can't do that unless he steals a car
The way things are, they don't seem right
It's all these white people talking 'bout some hope and light
There ain't no hope in Sam Levy, there's just guns and drugs
We ain't building bridges we're just training thugs
And then I hear this terrifying kick at my back door
In walks this kid, I say "I've seen this kid before"
I see him all the time at that bar on Woodland Street
And now he's bleeding in my kitchen tracking blood off his feet
And he's looking at me like I'll either help him or die
Until he sees in my eyes that I'm on his side
I hand him my keys, I say "You better move fast
"There's a J in the ashtray and plenty of gas"
He throws me his cash, he says "I'll be back for this"
I say "Yeah? Well don't be surprised if there's a little bit of it missing"
His gold teeth glistened with a big old grin
He said "We'll talk about that when I see you again"
He shook my hand, I shook his back
I felt like I was 'bout to have a heart attack
Until he finally drove away I thought "Goddamn"
Helicopters over my house again

Sometimes you rise above it
Sometimes you sneak below
Somewhere in between believing in heaven
And facing the devil you know