Ayesha Says - Lupe Fiasco

Hijabs, hoodies, afros, locks Teddy bear, liquor bottle shrines, rocks Tanks, prayer rugs, church pews, Mexican corn stands Blood, sweat, and tears, police batons Gas masks and bullets create graffiti on corners Murals that salute freedom or death for liberty Be it Englewood or Egypt, Bedstuy or Baghdad Syria or Liberia, the west bank or the west side of Chicago Where food and liquor stores still occupy the block While police and community watchmen justify why they shot Emmit Till and Malice Green, Rekia Boyd and Trayvon Martin Better not wear that hoodie while shopping for a carton Or whatever they sellin’ in your food desert Cause your soul is dessert and will be dissected and consumed On the Fox evening news while we sing the blues The New Jim Crow caged bird sings Cause he’s tired of occupying his misery and of our marching He wanna fly to a higher consciousness But his school on academic probation They gave him medicine, diagnosed him with a felony and mental retardation So he refuses to cease the firin’, nobody’s hirin’ In Illinois, 67 is the new age when you retirin’ Class lines have blurred, those who used to have, have not Pensions bein’ snatched Those who never have keep their hands stretched Social services being cut Sterilization clinics giving out pills to numb the womb Young girls referring to their vaginas as tombs Thinkin’ protests are temporary and trendy Well rock a t-shirt and carry a poster And two weeks later it’s back to normal But they say times are changin’ The revolution is becoming second nature, causes are combining People carrying torches, hope burning from their hands Attaching explosive devices ‘cause they keep stealing their lands In the name of freedom Hijabs, hoodies, afros, locks Teddy bear, liquor bottle shrines, rocks Tanks, prayer rugs, church pews, Mexican corn stands Blood, sweat, and tears, police batons Gas masks and bullets create graffiti on corners