Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)
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about 3 years ago
Lyrics of Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free) by Lupe Fiasco
verse
First off say peace to Pine Ridge
Shame at all the damage that the white man wine did
Ghost dance, Trail of Tears, 5 million beers a year
And all that other crime did
More peace to the teachers of blind kids
To rebels in small cells keeping their mind big
Say everything′s hostile
Suicide bombers and prosperity gospels, emaciated models
With cocaine and blood pouring out their nostrils, they got to
Just to stay awake on the catwalk of life where everybody watch you
Straight hair, high heels and a handbag
Crucifixes, racism and a land grab
Katrina, FEMA trailers, human body sandbags
A peace sign and a pants sag
A money toss cause a 9 stripper mad dash
A friend request following a hash tag
Now everybody want it like a last laugh
A Michael Jackson jacket or a daft mask
Purple Jordans or the mixed girl in your math class
Stable is when the Ba'ath had Baghdad
But corporate jets really had to have that gas bad
War and they hope they all fall from the ratatat
Cause that′s just more dinosaur for the Cadillac
chorus
Live from the other side what you see
A bunch of nonsense on my TV
Heaven on Earth is what I need
But I feel I'm in Hell every time I breathe
Reporting live from the other side what you hear
A bunch of nonsense all in my ear
Rich man, poor man, we all gotta pay
Cause freedom ain't free, especially ′round my way
verse
And we marvel at the state of Ottoman
Then turn around and treat Ghana like a garbage can
America′s a big motherfuckin' garbageman
If you ain′t know, you're part and parcel of the problem
You say no you ain′t, and I say yes you is
Soon as you find out what planned obsolescence is
You say no they didn't, and I say yes they did
The definition of unnecessary-ness manifested
Say that we should protest just to get arrested
That goes against all my hustling ethics
A bunch of jail niggas say its highly ineffective
Depart from Martin, connect on Malcolm X tip
Insert Baldwin to similar the separate
To me, the truth is more fulfilling than a meth hit
Or finding really fast internet to have some sex with
It′s all one song short of a set list
Couple croissants shy of a continental breakfast
Or blowing out your birthday candles just to make a death wish
So absurd, word to Chief Bone Necklace
Down at the Lakota Sioux Casino
A whole culture boiled down to giving you pokeno
I go as left as a heart in the chest
Cause the Horn of Africa is now starving to death
chorus
Live from the other side what you see
A bunch of nonsense on my TV
Heaven on Earth is what I need
But I feel I'm in Hell every time I breathe
Reporting live from the other side what you hear
A bunch of nonsense all in my ear
Rich man, poor man, we all gotta pay
Cause freedom ain't free, especially ′round my way
verse
An all white Los Angeles, the dream of Mr. Chandler
Hope and pray they take Columbus day up off the calendar
South Central an example of God′s gifts
So shout to all the mothers raising babies in SPA 6
The projects of Oakland city, Detroit ghost towns
Monopolies on poverty where D-boy coke bound
It's parts of Manila like the video for "Thriller"
But the US Embassy is reminiscent of a villa
If poverty is chocolate and privilege vanilla
Then what′s the flavor of the Sunday preacher's pedophilia
Cash rules everything around these niggas
As classrooms everywhere around me wither
Hither you can be Mr. Burns or Mr. Smithers
The tyrant or the slave but nowhere in the middle
Of the extremes of America′s dream
Freud fighting Neo, Freddy Krueger refereeing, now...
chorus
Live from the other side what you see
A bunch of nonsense on my TV
Heaven on Earth is what I need
But I feel I'm in Hell every time I breathe
Reporting live from the other side what you hear
A bunch of nonsense all in my ear
Rich man, poor man, we all gotta pay
Cause freedom ain′t free, especially 'round my way
Writer(s): Peter O. Phillips, Wasalu Jaco, Corey Brent Penn, Paul L. Kantner, Maryyn J. Buchwald
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Meaning
The song 'Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)' by Lupe Fiasco delves into societal issues and injustices, criticizing historical events like the Trail of Tears and modern-day problems such as poverty, racism, and corruption. It highlights the contrast between privilege and poverty, questioning the true essence of freedom and shedding light on the harsh realities faced by marginalized communities.
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Themes
Social injustice
• America's a big motherfuckin' garbageman
• Monopolies on poverty where D-boy coke bound
• Shame at all the damage that the white man wine did
Struggle for freedom
• Cause freedom ain't free, especially 'round my way
• Rich man, poor man, we all gotta pay
Cultural critique
• If poverty is chocolate and privilege vanilla
• A bunch of nonsense on my TV
• Cash rules everything around these niggas
Personal despair
• But I feel I'm in Hell every time I breathe
• Heaven on Earth is what I need
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Moods
Social commentary, anger, freedom, reflection, hope
Rating: R
Lyrics contain adult material, to be consumed with caution
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Credits
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Contributions
Last edit about 3 years ago
Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1
Album • 2012 • 15 tracks
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