What Do You Know?

(альбом: The End Of The Beginning... - 2002)

[sample repeats] "I know, I know, I know"

[Verse 1]
Feel free to hate me and to doubt me, but until you stood behind my plate
And peep the way I truly swing, you could never out me
See, opinions are like rap careers: Everybody's got one
And most of 'em out to zip, even less if it's a hot one
Like the radio songs that make us sing along
'Cause the beat is real heavy and the hook is real catchy
Make you nod your head steady, and you don't feel sketchy
'Til you're all by yourself, and you riding around
And realize to yourself how stupid it sounds
Mainstream or Underground, away team, home town
It boils down to the facts: Wack is wack
Camby can't hold Shaq, and a party ain't a party if
you don't bring a sack
Or your own 12-Pack or this 12 on the wax
I detail every track to make a sentence sparkle
Giving thoughts to the thoughtful, but I don't know
How I know how to pull these diamonds outta charcoal
I just know

[Chorus]
"I know, I know, I know"
Think you do when you don't 'cause uh.
"I know, I know, I know"
Think I don't when I do but uh.
"I know, I know, I know"
Think you do when you don't 'cause uh.

[Verse 2]
It's knowledge of self, knowing what you can and you can't do
And knowing to play the hand that God chose to hand you
I plan to double down when my turn comes around
I suggest you do the same, you can't take these chips with you
So it's best to play the game while there's breath up in your frame
Judge to death be the name, so I modern-day confuse
For you Latter Day souls, promote the type of fun
That makes your Saturdays whole, grey matter turn gold
With the stroke of a pen, help your spirit verge free
Before it chokes from within, me I'm cloaked in my sin
So I decorate my shrow, so the tat on my arm
Is the badge of a proud, B-Boy gone wild
In the rap sense of child born in '78
So I know no other culture just to set the record straight
I'm a vandal B-Boying, turntable destroying
Right now it's the skills with the mic I'm employing
'cause I

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
I know tomorrow's not promised so handle business while you can
I know a friend's not a friend just because he lends a hand
I know a man's not a man, if he has to beat his woman
I know she'll push you to the point where you feel she had it coming
I know you both love each other so a brawl would be senseless
I know this 'cause I lived it, and I mean every sentence
I know that 25 to Life is a very long time
I know that that's the reason that I have to go for mine
I know that waiting on no man is the scheduled flight of time
I know that time is unfair when I listen to Sublime
I know that my time is coming so I gotta keep running
I know that our time is now so let's have a little fun and
I know you gotta feel me, or my fate is soon to seal me
I know that cigarettes and alcohol are out to kill me
I know I gotta quit, but not right know
I know I gotta quit, but I just don't know how; I just

[Chorus]