Once we have the knowledge of self as a people then we could be free
and no devil could ever enter the boundaries
I stand in the center around all these sounds I see
Blessin' Allah that I found the key
That's how we be

We are by no means ashamed of our cultural background
Not a tad bit 'fraid of change
Look around, it's the same ol' same ol' thang
(Hey, what's goin' on man? How you doin', man?)
Ahh, you know, I can't call it
Try to maintain, overlooking these boundaries

I gotta be righteous, I gotta be me
I gotta be conscious, I gotta be free
I gotta be able, I gotta attack
I gotta be stable, I gotta be black

Who is that surrounding me?
Enemy enemy you crossed the wrong boundary, poof!
Wicked witness wizardry
Disappear from here and end up in a tree
Crossed the wrong boundary

The sharp shooting wizard but not a Grand Dragon
A chop off the block but my pants ain't saggin'
Got a strong ass grip but my name ain't Money Grip
Liked Gladys better when she sang with The Pips
And when it comes to strength I'm surely of the stronger
And when it comes to death I pray my children live longer
Payback's a bitch, that's why I never borrow
If the push come to shove I'd do a stick-up tomorrow
With the group thing over and my flat top gone
I'm livin' kinda lovely, only Allah above me
Provin' that old time axiom - birds of a feather flock together
Know where I'm coming from?

I see, I saw, I'm the future, the past, I'm me, I'm why' all
I'm the enemy, friend, and the law
The beginner then end-all
The Final Call, the raw
The win, the loss, the draw
The summit, the peak, the wall, the downfall
The energizing uprising black nigga
The wise, the eyes, the dirt
The overall ball, the earth
And most importantly the birth of a new generation of blackness
And we're forced to set our boundaries

I gotta be righteous, I gotta be me
I gotta be conscious, I gotta be free
I gotta be able to counterattack
I gotta be stable I gotta be black

I gotta be open, gotta be me and
I gotta keep hopin' we're gonna be free
Gotta be able to counterattack
Gotta be stable gotta be black

Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Group
Writer(s): EDDIE HAYES, GLENN K. BOLTON, MIKE LAFAYETTE TROY, MTULAZAJI ISSAN DAVIS, ORNETTE GLEN, RANDALL WILLIS