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Shadow Business Lyrics
"When you were over in American Samoa, what surprised you the most?"
"I guess what hit me the most was the condition of the factory that the workers were in
the factory was surrounded by a fence and barbed wire on top, and on the bottom
and they have a chain linked fence around the whole factory, and military compound
the gate has a guard shack where the guard sit there and ... the worker movement
in and out of the factory, the factory made of tin panels, tin roof, it's really hot
the temperature over there is regularly ninety degrees, and inside the factory
it reach way over a hundred degrees"
Yeah, it's a contemporary form of slavery, they call it slave labor
But they don't prosecute them 'cause it's how they make paper
When you rockin' that fly shit that's made in China
By an eight year old child tryin' to feed him mama
He exposed to contamination and disease
And only fifty-five percent of them will get degrees
And the women have to try to placate the boss
Because of sex discrimination in the labor force
The slave master only let them speak in sign language
And they sufferin' from lung disease and eye damage
Fourteen hour shifts, seven days a week
Two shitty meals a day, very little sleep
Human life only worth three cents an hour
All human rights lost, no sense of power
Workin' for a hundred years in the grave passes
Only the improved cleverness of slave masters
Is life worth livin' if you livin' in Hell?
When the mind is confined to a prisoner cell?
And the lies they devise and the system, it fail
But I expect the system to fail
Is life worth livin' if you livin' in Hell?
When the mind is confined to a prisoner cell?
And the lies they devise and the system, it fail
But I expect the system to fail
"Many Chinese workers are forced to sign secret agreements
known as "Shadow contracts" before they leave China
severely, and in some ways, illegally restricting their activities while on
American soil
workers are forbidden to participate in any religious or political
activities
or to ask for a salary increase, or even to fall in love or get married"
It's 1.6 million people locked in jail
They the new slave labor force, trapped in Hell
They generate over a billion dollars worth of power
And only gettin' paid twenty cents an hour
They make clothes for McDonald's and for Applebee's
And workin' forty-hour shifts in prison factories
And while we sit around debatin' who the wack MC's
They have to work when arthritic pain attack the knees
Slavery's not illegal, that's a fuckin' lie
It's illegal, unless it's for conviction of a crime
The main objective is to get you in your fuckin' prime
And keep the prison full and not give you a fuckin' dime
But they the real criminal, keepin' you confined
For a petty crime, but they give you two-to-nine
And ain't nobody there to protect ya
Except a bunch of incompetent human rights inspector
Is life worth livin' if you livin' in Hell?
When the mind is confined to a prisoner cell?
And the lies they devise and the system, it fail
But I expect the system to fail
Is life worth livin' if you livin' in Hell?
When the mind is confined to a prisoner cell?
And the lies they devise and the system, it fail
But I expect the system to fail
"The sweatshop situation kind of conveys it and kind of take advantage of
the people that are poor and at an economic disadvantage"
"This Chinese woman made t-shirts and pants at the factory
until she became pregnant ... says she refused to have the abortion
and has now been barred from entering the factory"
"Allowing them to bring that onto US soil is a very big concern
we've now documented the fact that management coerces female workers
who become pregnant into having abortions"
"Human rights workers say it's common practice"
"Inside that factory, Chinese law applies, and Chinese law is supreme"
"Even though it's the United States of America?"
"The flag doesn't fly inside there"
Song Info
Submitted by
b-line On Oct 25, 2006
More Jedi Mind Tricks
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The quotes on this track are hard-hitting. Really exposes the truths that we should be taking care of.
The slave labor along with sweatshops on our country's soil. And we let it happen...?
Stuff happening in Saipan was exposed on the news with Brian Ross on 20/20. Yet not much was done. Shadow contracts distributed by China to these sweatshop workers are very constricting, leaving you with no freedoms. Everything Vinnie says is true in this song.
Anyways, this record is dope, love the beat and the lyrics are attacking real issues.
Only one comment? Seriously? I'm a not a huge fan of Jedi Mind but I do enjoy a bunch of their tracks. I just stumbled across Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell in my brother's CD case and this track caught me. Deep lyrics, tight beat.