Taught to look to the sky for something to believe in
Never satisfied, wondering why it always felt like something was missing
The truth is inside yourself – that knowledge is gold
But those words always seem to be left unsaid like a story untold
You strive for perfection, attempting to reach your goals
It’s the American dream they say, but is it really, or are you just playing your role?
To the media, your job, and that dude that treated you oh so cold
When you surpass the superficial you realize you done sold your soul
Forgetting that the most important thing is to love yours, in the words of J.Cole
People talk about the apocalypse like it’s thousands of years away
But look around, aren’t we already living it with social injustices and racism at bay?
I pray my friends and family don’t become another hashtag …man …what else can I say?
Rest In Peace to Sandra Bland, Terrence Crutcher, and countless others,
In Jesus name I pray
The revolution will not be televised, but please believe a war is well on the way
America, the land of the “free”
In all actuality, it sounds like some BS to me
Put your hands up, and you take a bullet cuz they look at your skin and don’t like what they see
But you’re criticized for standing up for what you believe in, when you decide to take a knee
Colin Kaepernick we see you, and we appreciate everything you’ve done b
This fight will never end, until we’re completely set free
Of systematic racism, all biases and inequalities
The things you want the most are the ones you fight hardest for
Is it money, power, fame, or your morals that matter more?
Truth be told I rather live without worry and hate, and be poor
Than to be a slave to the system that oppresses my people, takes lives, and slams doors
This is the world that we live in,
The type of world that I’m afraid to bring kids in
With people who think that they’re superior to others, even though we’re all born in sin
Take a look in the mirror and tell me what you see
Is it someone you’re proud of, or someone you’d never aspire to be
The choice is yours

Copyright 2016 Christiana Parisien