Featured In

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
KRS-One
KRS-One
Performer
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
L. Parker
L. Parker
Songwriter
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
KRS-One
KRS-One
Producer

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you see a devil down
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you take the Devil's crown
(Ah, yeah) Stay alive, all things'll change around
(Ah, yeah) What?
(Ah, yeah)
[Verse 2]
So here I go, kickin' signs in ninety-five
I be illin', parental discretion is advised still
Don't call me ****, this emcee goes for his
Call me god 'cause that's what the black man is
[Verse 3]
Roamin' through the forest as the hardest lyrical artist
Black women, you are not a bitch, you're a goddess
Let it be known, you can lean on KRS-One
Like a wall 'cause I'm hard, I represent God
[Verse 4]
Whack emcees have one style, gun buck
But when you say, "Let's buck for revolution", they shut the fuck up
Can't get with it
Down to start a riot in a minute
You'll hear so many baow-baow-baow, you'll think I'm Riddick
While other emcees are talkin' about up with hope, down with dope
I'll have a devil in my infrared scope, boy
[Verse 5]
That's for calling my father a boy
And klak-klak-klak
That's for putting scars on my mother's back
Boo
That's for calling my sister a hoe
And for you, buck-buck-buck
'Cause I don't give a motherfuck
[Verse 6]
Remember the whip, remember the chant, remember the rope and
You black people still thinkin' about votin'
Every president we ever had lied
You know, I'm kind of glad Nixon died
[Verse 7]
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you see a devil down
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you take the Devil's crown
(Ah, yeah) Stay alive, all things'll change around
(Ah, yeah) What?
(Ah, yeah)
[Verse 8]
This is not the first time I came to the planet
But every time I come, only a few could understand it
I came as Isis, my words, they tried to ban it
I came as Moses, they couldn't follow my commandments
I came as Solomon to a people that was lost
I came as Jesus, but they nailed me to a cross
I came as Harriet Tubman, I put the truth to Sojourner
[Verse 9]
Other times, I had to come as Nat Turner
They tried to burn me, lynch me, and starve me
So I had to come back as Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley
They tried to harm me, I used to be Malcolm X
Now I'm on the planet as the one called KRS
[Verse 10]
Kickin' the metaphysical, spiritual
Tryin' to, like, get with you
Showin' you, you are invincible
The Black Panther is the black answer for real
In my spiritual form, I turn into Bobby Seale
On the wheels of steel, my spirit flies away
And enters into Kwame Ture
[Verse 11]
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you see a devil down
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you take the Devil's crown
(Ah, yeah) Stay alive, all things'll change around
(Ah, yeah) What?
(Ah, yeah)
[Verse 12]
In the streets, there is no EQ, no dee-do-ee-do-ee-do
So I grab the air and speak through the code, the devil cannot see through
As I unload into another cerebellum
Then I can tell 'em, because my vibes go through denim
And leather, whatever, however, I'm still rockin'
We used to pick cotton, now we pick up cotton when we shoppin'
[Verse 13]
Have you forgotten why we buildin' in a cypher?
Yo, hear me, kid, government is building in a pyramid
The son of God is brighter than the son of man
The spirit is, check your dollar bill, G, here it is
[Verse 14]
We got no time for fancy mathematics
Your mental frequency frequently pickin' up static
Makin' you a naked body, addict, and it's democratic
They press auto and you kill it with an automatic
[Verse 15]
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you see a devil down
(Ah, yeah) That's what you say when you take the Devil's crown
(Ah, yeah) Stay alive, all things'll change around
(Ah, yeah) What?
(Ah, yeah)
Written by: L. Parker
instagramSharePathic_arrow_out