In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
[Verse 1]
They told me I would never make it, I would never achieve it
Reality is nourishment, but people don't believe it
I guess its hard to stomach the truth like a bulimic
It's a dirty game and nobody is willing to clean it
But this is for the paraplegic people dreamin' of runnin'
Ladies married to men who don't please 'em, dreamin' of comin'
Verbally murderous like David Berkowitz when I'm gunnin'
Some cowards on the internet didn't think I would sell
Scared to talk shit in person, cuz they stuck in a shell
And couldn't understand the pain of being stuck in a cell
Hell is not a place you go, if you're not a Christian
It's the failure of your life's greatest ambition
It's a bad decision to blindly follow any religion
I don't see the difference in between the wrong and the wrong
Soldiers emptyin' the clips at little kids and they moms
Are just like a desperate motherfucker strapped to a bomb
Humanity's gone, smoked up in a gravity bong
By a Democrat-Republican Cheech and Chong
Immortal Technique, you never heard me preach in a song
I'm not controversial, I'm just speakin' the facts
Put your hands in the air like you got the heat to your back
And shake your body like a baby born addicted to crack
And since life's a gamble like the craps tables at Vegas
I freestyle my destiny, it's not written in pages
[Verse 2]
I hate it when they tell us how far we came to be
As if our people's history started with slavery
Painfully I discovered the shit they kept us secret
This is the exodus like the black Jews out of Egypt
I keep it reality based with the music I make
Blow up the truth in your face with the style I run with
Like the navy missile that shot down flight eight hundred
I'm like the Africans who came here before Columbus
And from the 1500s until after the morrow
I watch Latin America get raped in the sorrow
You see the Spaniards never left despues de Colon
And if you don't believe me, you can click on Univision
I never seen so much racism in all of my life
Every program and newscaster, all of them white
It's like Apartheid with ten percent ruling the rest
That type of stress will make me put the fucking tool to your chest
Step in my way nigga, I wouldn't wanna be ya
I burn slow like pissing drunk with gonorrhea
I'll do a free show in North Korea, burning the flag
While J. Edgar Hoover politicians dress up in drag
Try to confuse you, makin' it hard to follow this:
Capitalism and democracy are not synonymous
You swallow propaganda like a birth control pill
Sellin' your soul to the eye on the back of the dollar bill
But that will never be me, cuz I'm leavin' the past
Like an abused wife with the kids, leavin' your ass
Like a drug addict clean and sober, leavin' the stash
Unbreakable Technique, leavin' the plane crash
I'm out with the black box and I refuse to return
I spit reality, instead of what you usually learn
And I refuse to be concerned with condescending advice
Cuz I 'm the only motherfucker that could change my life
[Ending]
Some people think I won't make it, but I know that I will
Escape the emptiness cuz that shit is slow and it kills
The flow and the skill, I made y'all believe that it last
You can make the future, but it starts with leaving the past
They told me I would never make it, I would never achieve it
Reality is nourishment, but people don't believe it
I guess its hard to stomach the truth like a bulimic
It's a dirty game and nobody is willing to clean it
But this is for the paraplegic people dreamin' of runnin'
Ladies married to men who don't please 'em, dreamin' of comin'
Verbally murderous like David Berkowitz when I'm gunnin'
Some cowards on the internet didn't think I would sell
Scared to talk shit in person, cuz they stuck in a shell
And couldn't understand the pain of being stuck in a cell
Hell is not a place you go, if you're not a Christian
It's the failure of your life's greatest ambition
It's a bad decision to blindly follow any religion
I don't see the difference in between the wrong and the wrong
Soldiers emptyin' the clips at little kids and they moms
Are just like a desperate motherfucker strapped to a bomb
Humanity's gone, smoked up in a gravity bong
By a Democrat-Republican Cheech and Chong
Immortal Technique, you never heard me preach in a song
I'm not controversial, I'm just speakin' the facts
Put your hands in the air like you got the heat to your back
And shake your body like a baby born addicted to crack
And since life's a gamble like the craps tables at Vegas
I freestyle my destiny, it's not written in pages
[Verse 2]
I hate it when they tell us how far we came to be
As if our people's history started with slavery
Painfully I discovered the shit they kept us secret
This is the exodus like the black Jews out of Egypt
I keep it reality based with the music I make
Blow up the truth in your face with the style I run with
Like the navy missile that shot down flight eight hundred
I'm like the Africans who came here before Columbus
And from the 1500s until after the morrow
I watch Latin America get raped in the sorrow
You see the Spaniards never left despues de Colon
And if you don't believe me, you can click on Univision
I never seen so much racism in all of my life
Every program and newscaster, all of them white
It's like Apartheid with ten percent ruling the rest
That type of stress will make me put the fucking tool to your chest
Step in my way nigga, I wouldn't wanna be ya
I burn slow like pissing drunk with gonorrhea
I'll do a free show in North Korea, burning the flag
While J. Edgar Hoover politicians dress up in drag
Try to confuse you, makin' it hard to follow this:
Capitalism and democracy are not synonymous
You swallow propaganda like a birth control pill
Sellin' your soul to the eye on the back of the dollar bill
But that will never be me, cuz I'm leavin' the past
Like an abused wife with the kids, leavin' your ass
Like a drug addict clean and sober, leavin' the stash
Unbreakable Technique, leavin' the plane crash
I'm out with the black box and I refuse to return
I spit reality, instead of what you usually learn
And I refuse to be concerned with condescending advice
Cuz I 'm the only motherfucker that could change my life
[Ending]
Some people think I won't make it, but I know that I will
Escape the emptiness cuz that shit is slow and it kills
The flow and the skill, I made y'all believe that it last
You can make the future, but it starts with leaving the past
Lyrics submitted by MrMojoRisin5552, edited by mntecky, AnonymousKid
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crab stables in vegas?? musta missed that one at the bellagio hahaha
haha nice one
look, we owe it this incredibly conscious MC to get his lyrics straight. this is what i hear:
[Verse 1] They told me I would never make it, I would never achieve it Reality is nurishment, but people don't believe it I guess its hard to stomach the truth like a bulimic It's a dirty game and nobody is willing to clean it But this is for the paralygic, people dreamin' of runnin' Ladies married to men who dont please 'em, dreamin' of comin' Verbally murderous like David Berkowitz when I'm gunnin' Some cowards on the internet didn't think I would sell Scared to talk shit in person, cause they stuck in a shell And couldn't understand the pain of being stuck in a cell Hell is not a place you go if you're not a christian It's the failure of your lifes greatest ambition It's a bad decision to blindly follow any religion I don't see the difference in between the wrong and the wrong Soldiers emptyin' the clips at little kids and they moms Just like a desperate motherfucker strapped to a bomb Humanity's gone, smoked up in a gravity bong By a democrat republican Cheech and Chong Immortal Technique, you never heard me preach in a song I'm not controversial, I'm just speakin' the facts Put your hands in the air like you got the heat to your back And shake your body like a baby born addicted to crack And since life's a gamble like the craps tables at Vegas I freestyle my destiny, it's not written in pages
[Verse 2] I hate it when they tell us how far we came to be As if our peoples history started with slavery Painfully I discovered the shit they kept a secret This is the exodus like the black jews out of Egypt I keep it reality based with the music I make Blow up the truth in your face with the style I run wit' Like the navy missile that shot down flight eight hundred I'm like the africans who came here before Colombus And from the 15 hundreds until after tomorrow I watch Latin America get raped into sorrow You see the spaniards never left después de Colón And if you don't believe me, you can click on Univison I never seen so much racism in all of my life Every program and newscast, all of em' white It's like apartheid with 10 percent rulin' the rest That type of stress'll make me put the fuckin' tool to your chest Step in my way nigga, I wouldn't wanna be ya I burn slow like pissin'drunk with gonnorrhea I'll do a free show in North Korea burnin' the flag While Jay Edgar Hoover politicians dress up in drag Try to confuse you, makin' it hard to follow this capitalism and democracy are not synonymous You swallow propaganda like a birth control pill Sellin' your soul to the eye on the back of the dollar bill But that will never be me, cause' I am leavin' the past Like an abused wife with the kids, leavin' your ass Like a drug addict clean and sober, leavin' his stash Unbreakable Technique leavin' a plane crash I'm out with the black box and I refuse to return I spit reality instead of what you usually learn And I refuse to be concerned with condecending advice Cause' I am the only motherfucka that can change my life
[Ending] Some people think I won't make it but I know that I will Escape the emptiness cause' that shit is slow and it kills the flow and the skill I made y'all believe it at last You can make the future but it starts with leavin' the past
I like your much-more-correct version, with a couple of edits. They're small compared to the corrections you made to the original up top, but they stood out to me:<br /> <br />
this is my favourite song by immortal technique, you never know is another. immortal technique owns
'But this is for the paralygics, people dreamin' of runnin''
wtf is paralygic? paraplegic maybe?
who ever typed these lyrics has a problem with spelling and making up words. like "crabstables!"
and how can you be urbanly murderous. hahah
this song has so much insight it's ridiculous. everyone likes the christian and hell line, but i think others are far more powerful.
"Reality is nourishment, but people don't believe it I guess its hard to stomach the truth like a bulimic" - people don't want to admit that they can do whatever they want. it's more convenient for them to say i can't do it, factor xyz means i can't, etc.
"You can make the future but it starts with LEAVING THE PAST" - just some crazy shit right there.
I agree, my favorite part is from the first line to "It's a dirty game but nobody is willing to clean it." IT has the best lyrics in rap in my opinion.
"Hell is not a place you go, if you not a christian it's the failure of your lifes greatest ambition"
never heard it said any better than that, he says it so well with politics, culture, life philosophy...
"It's like a part tide with 10 percent ruling the rest." Apartheid, not a part tide. also, i think the song's called "Leaving the Past"
Immortal Technique is tight because they are actually educated, which is very rare in the rap world. However, i am not making fun of all the other rap because i like it all, but this is a nice change for once. They really know how to rap powerfully, with actual relevancy.
hey ronny, immortal technique is a guy, not more than one. if you want some good info go to viperrecords.com/imtech/bio.shtml And to this song, what can i say, Immortal captures it and as always, he knows what the hell he is talking about! rock on immortal, saw you at the abbey in the chi