Hijabs, hoodies, afros, locks
Teddy bear, liquor bottle shrines, rocks
Tanks, prayer rugs, church pews, Mexican corn stands
Blood, sweat, and tears, police batons
Gas masks and bullets create graffiti on corners
Murals that salute freedom or death for liberty
Be it Englewood or Egypt, Bedstuy or Baghdad
Syria or Liberia, the west bank or the west side of Chicago
Where food and liquor stores still occupy the block
While police and community watchmen justify why they shot
Emmit Till and Malice Green, Rekia Boyd and Trayvon Martin
Better not wear that hoodie while shopping for a carton
Or whatever they sellin' in your food desert
Cause your soul is dessert and will be dissected and consumed
On the Fox evening news while we sing the blues
The New Jim Crow caged bird sings
Cause he's tired of occupying his misery and of our marching
He wanna fly to a higher consciousness
But his school on academic probation
They gave him medicine, diagnosed him with a felony and mental retardation
So he refuses to cease the firin', nobody's hirin'
In Illinois, 67 is the new age when you retirin'
Class lines have blurred, those who used to have, have not
Pensions bein' snatched
Those who never have keep their hands stretched
Social services being cut
Sterilization clinics giving out pills to numb the womb
Young girls referring to their vaginas as tombs
Thinkin' protests are temporary and trendy
Well rock a t-shirt and carry a poster
And two weeks later it's back to normal
But they say times are changin'
The revolution is becoming second nature, causes are combining
People carrying torches, hope burning from their hands
Attaching explosive devices 'cause they keep stealing their lands
In the name of freedom
Hijabs, hoodies, afros, locks
Teddy bear, liquor bottle shrines, rocks
Tanks, prayer rugs, church pews, Mexican corn stands
Blood, sweat, and tears, police batons
Gas masks and bullets create graffiti on corners