3 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
People Everyday Lyrics
See I was resting at the park minding my own
business as I kick up the treble tone
on my radio tape player box, right
just loud enough so folks could hear it's hype, see ?
Outta nowhere comes the woman I'm dating
investigation maybe she was demonstrating
But nevertheless I was pleased
My day was going great and my soul was at ease
until a group of brothers started bugging out
drinking the 40 oz, going the nigga route
Disrespecting my black queen
holding their crotches and being obscene
At first I ignored them cause see I know their type
They got drunk and got guns and they wanna fight
and they see a young couple having a time that's good
and their egos wanna test a brother's manhood
So they came to test Speech cause of my hair-do
and the loud bright colors that I wear [Boo !]
I was a target cause I'm a fashion misfit
and the outfit that I'm wearing brothers dissing it
Well I stay calm and pray the niggaz leave me be
but they're squeezing parts of my date's anatomy
Why, Lord, do brothers have to drill me ?
Cause if I start to hit this man they'll have to kill me
[CHORUS:] I am everyday people (2x)
I told the niggaz please let us pass, friend
I said please cause I don't like killing Africans
but he wouldn't stop and I ain't Ice Cube
but I had to take the brother out for being rude
and like I said before I was mad by then
It took three or four cops to pull me off of him
But that's the story y'all of a black man
acting like a nigga and get stomped by an African
[CHORUS]
business as I kick up the treble tone
on my radio tape player box, right
just loud enough so folks could hear it's hype, see ?
Outta nowhere comes the woman I'm dating
investigation maybe she was demonstrating
But nevertheless I was pleased
My day was going great and my soul was at ease
until a group of brothers started bugging out
drinking the 40 oz, going the nigga route
Disrespecting my black queen
holding their crotches and being obscene
At first I ignored them cause see I know their type
They got drunk and got guns and they wanna fight
and they see a young couple having a time that's good
and their egos wanna test a brother's manhood
So they came to test Speech cause of my hair-do
and the loud bright colors that I wear [Boo !]
I was a target cause I'm a fashion misfit
and the outfit that I'm wearing brothers dissing it
Well I stay calm and pray the niggaz leave me be
but they're squeezing parts of my date's anatomy
Why, Lord, do brothers have to drill me ?
Cause if I start to hit this man they'll have to kill me
I said please cause I don't like killing Africans
but he wouldn't stop and I ain't Ice Cube
but I had to take the brother out for being rude
and like I said before I was mad by then
It took three or four cops to pull me off of him
But that's the story y'all of a black man
acting like a nigga and get stomped by an African
Song Info
Submitted by
ice On May 21, 2001
More Arrested Development
Tennessee
Mr. Wendal
Give A Man A Fish
Fishin' For Religion
Mama's Always On Stage
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
It seems like the narrator is trying to avoid using violence, but once people are pushed too far, they tend to push back.
Yeah, I think Speech is telling a story of his "Brothers", the African-Americans he should regard as friends, who are acting obscenely in front of his girlfriend.
Yeah, I think Speech is telling a story of his "Brothers", the African-Americans he should regard as friends, who are acting obscenely in front of his girlfriend.
As you said, ho-ju, he doesn't want to fight, but if these people keep pushing and pushing, making him feel as if his girlfriend is at risk, he will lash out to defend her.
As you said, ho-ju, he doesn't want to fight, but if these people keep pushing and pushing, making him feel as if his girlfriend is at risk, he will lash out to defend her.
One Love and Peace.
One Love and Peace.
It is also a statement about the black community where they can be their own worst enemy for getting ahead. Like the crabs in a bucket mentality.
This song is basically a lament about black-on-black violence. They set up an relatively idyllic scene, a day at the park, listening to tunes, running into someone you love and being pleased about it. The song goes out of its way to highlight the contrast between the speaker's more traditional African cultural roots, and the more boorish behavior of a couple of drunk "tough-guys" at the park.
The song is actually kind of sad. There's a part after most of the lyrics where you can hear the background singers saying "Why, oh, why, oh why, oh why?" In other words, why do people who should have solidarity together decide to mess with one another like this? I think the author is saying that this type of division is PARTLY responsible for why it often feels like African Americans cannot seem to get ahead even when they are trying as hard as they can, and how sad it is to be pulled down by people who should want to see you succeed.
Great song.