new jim crow
where we wanna go?

you know that man jimmy
took that boy to jail
made it so his mama
never make his bail
you know in that jailhouse
ain’t no room to rock
once they shut that door on you
make sure it stay locked

then that old man jimmy
came up in my bed
taxed me twice for lovin’
listen what he said:
“in my righteous nation
one thing you should know
i decide what you deserve
bible tells me so”

now that old man jimmy
came up in my hood
shut down all the factories
for a greater good
letter from the courthouse
trying to take my home
never saw that trickle down
now i’m on my own

there’s a quiet space inside you that is tender
and its solitude will sink you like a stone
everybody likes to tell you it gets better
’cause they all have tender spaces of their own

and they’d rather do anything but remember
when they knew that space was eating them alive
so they sometimes have to empty out their corners
but that somehow leaves you no place left to hide

so you think maybe with your life
you can buy back your illusions
maybe in your time
you will turn towards what’s to come
and maybe in a dream
you will stumble upon something

that is more than what it seems
more than what it seems

so sleep baby, sweet baby
sleep baby, slumber

i once heard a song that rocked me like a cradle
but its whispers make me shiver in my bones
they remind me of a place i’ll never get to
to a time before i knew i had no home

and i never thought the day would finally find me
when i’d lay before my feet my soldier’s shield
when i’d say before the buzzards all around me
take my flesh, for i have nothing left to wield

so you think maybe with my life
i could buy back my illusions
and maybe in my time
i could turn towards what’s to come
and maybe in a dream
we would stumble upon something
that is more than what it seems
more than what it seems

so sleep baby, sweet baby
sleep baby, slumber

you should know by now
this shit drives me crazy
sinner or saint, it’s all the same to me
i tried to tell you once or twice
in no uncertain terms
long as i live, i intend to breathe

show me what your good book is for
cause i don’t wanna fight anymore
if it were today,
would i see what you’d betray me for
all the little monsters in your head
could just be the lies you’ve been fed
can it really be
you can’t feel me here beside you

look up from the page
and try to hear me say that it’s alright
i’d swallow my rage
if you would hear me say that it’s alright
we’re more than the cage
you put us in, but then again
it doesn’t matter friend, we’ll be alright

i realize your life thus far has been a beast of burden
weight of the fallen on your shoulders
as far as i can see right now is as good a time as any
to spend some time down by the river

show me what your good book is for
cause i don’t wanna fight anymore
if it were today
would i see what you’d betray me for
all the little monsters in your head
could just be the lives you have led
still it doesn’t change,
yes, we are all in this together

look up from the page
and try to hear me say that it’s alright
i’d swallow my rage
if you would hear me say that it’s alright
look up from the page
if you can hear me say that it’s alright
the war that you wage
is gonna end today ’cause it’s alright

a bird in the hand ain’t spit to me
you give me one i must need three
enchanted by insanity
my dirty glass is empty

can’t find the dime i used to keep
and now i find i’m losing sleep
but in the morning all i need
is four bucks for my coffee

lost my religion years ago
to a song i used to know
but i don’t need a god to tell me
that the mountain must give way
to the river in its day
even roughest rock can shine

so i tumble, tumble, tumble

i’m lost among the muck of men
so i’m changing up my meds again
i’m nothing if i lose my pain
all the colors look the same

i’ve buried all the evidence
i’m sure i paid my penitence
so now it’s simple common sense
to pass along the blame

lost my religion years ago
to a song i used to know
but i still want god to show me
that the mountain can give way
to the river in its day
even roughest rock can shine

so i tumble, tumble, tumble