Look
Mind state of a gangster from the '40s
Meet the business model, Motown's Barry Gotti
Turned crack rock into a chain, the 40-40s
Sorry, my jury's so gaudy
Slid into the party with my new pair of Maury's
America, meet the gangster Shawn Corey
Hey young world, wanna hear a story?
Close your eyes and you can pretend you're me
A cut from the cloth of the Kennedys
Frank Sinatra having dinner with the Genevieves
This is the genesis of a nemesis
Mother America's not witnesses
The Harlem Renaissance birthed black businesses
This is the tale of lost innocence
As the incense burn and the turntables turn
And that Al Green plays
I see my mother's afro is momma taps and toes
Like she rolls her Js
And my papa just left the house
In search of the killer of my uncle Ray
And she's trying to calm my nerves
As I observe, this is just one day
And what tomorrow has in store, we can never be sure
So all we can do is pray
Pray for me
As I head to my home room
I observe the rooms, dope needles on the ground
I hear a car go vroom, drug dealer in the BM with the top down
As the girls start to giggle, I ask, "Why you laughin'?"
They say, "You too little,
One day you'll understand when you become a man
'Bout things you have to get you"
Fast forward, freeze frame, I'm a pistol
Fistful of dollars, ignorance, it's so blissful
I didn't choose this life, this life chose me
Around here it's the shit that you just do
I just left school, the same BM is pulled over by the boys dressed blue
They had their guns drawn, screaming, "Just move
And here's to something else you suggest we can do"
He made his way to the trunk, opened it like, "Huh"
A tresure chest was removed
Cop said he'd be back next month
What we call corrupt, he call paying dues
Now when the rules is blurred
As they is or were, what am I to do?
But pray, pray the Lord forgive me
Pray God speak out what I'm 'bout to go through
Pray
Pray for me
Anyway this old pressure in the drug profession
Flourishes like beverages, it's fresh and ahh!
Sweet tasting sin, everything I seen made me everything I am
Bad drug dealer or victim, I beg
What came first, moving chickens or the egg?
This is why I be so fresh
I'm trying to beat light 'cause I can't cheat death
Tree shamed with shamelessness
And stainlessness that aimed to sizz
You know what game this is?
Move coke like Pepsi, don't matter what the brand name is
I stand behind mine
Everything I do, I'm a man behind mine
I'm not an angel, I'm sure
But every night before I lay I drop my knees to the floor and I pray
Pray for me
Pray for me
Mind state of a gangster from the '40s
Meet the business model, Motown's Barry Gotti
Turned crack rock into a chain, the 40-40s
Sorry, my jury's so gaudy
Slid into the party with my new pair of Maury's
America, meet the gangster Shawn Corey
Hey young world, wanna hear a story?
Close your eyes and you can pretend you're me
A cut from the cloth of the Kennedys
Frank Sinatra having dinner with the Genevieves
This is the genesis of a nemesis
Mother America's not witnesses
The Harlem Renaissance birthed black businesses
This is the tale of lost innocence
As the incense burn and the turntables turn
And that Al Green plays
I see my mother's afro is momma taps and toes
Like she rolls her Js
And my papa just left the house
In search of the killer of my uncle Ray
And she's trying to calm my nerves
As I observe, this is just one day
And what tomorrow has in store, we can never be sure
So all we can do is pray
I observe the rooms, dope needles on the ground
I hear a car go vroom, drug dealer in the BM with the top down
As the girls start to giggle, I ask, "Why you laughin'?"
They say, "You too little,
One day you'll understand when you become a man
'Bout things you have to get you"
Fast forward, freeze frame, I'm a pistol
Fistful of dollars, ignorance, it's so blissful
I didn't choose this life, this life chose me
Around here it's the shit that you just do
They had their guns drawn, screaming, "Just move
And here's to something else you suggest we can do"
He made his way to the trunk, opened it like, "Huh"
A tresure chest was removed
Cop said he'd be back next month
What we call corrupt, he call paying dues
Now when the rules is blurred
As they is or were, what am I to do?
But pray, pray the Lord forgive me
Pray God speak out what I'm 'bout to go through
Pray
Flourishes like beverages, it's fresh and ahh!
Sweet tasting sin, everything I seen made me everything I am
Bad drug dealer or victim, I beg
What came first, moving chickens or the egg?
This is why I be so fresh
I'm trying to beat light 'cause I can't cheat death
Tree shamed with shamelessness
And stainlessness that aimed to sizz
You know what game this is?
Move coke like Pepsi, don't matter what the brand name is
I stand behind mine
Everything I do, I'm a man behind mine
I'm not an angel, I'm sure
But every night before I lay I drop my knees to the floor and I pray
Pray for me
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I think the lyrics are off in a few places (I hear the first line as "Mind state of a gangster from the '40's", for example). This song has a straight-forward meaning...there's two sides to the story of the main character in American Gangster. The whole "forced into what he does" type of deal... It's a great song though.
excellent song, perhaps the best one on American Gangster. Really shows how people turn to their faith in times of distress.