Lyrics The Remedy - Common , A Tribe Called Quest

Yo, we all got different things we got to deal with
We always are trying to put the blame on something else
Rather than, sometimes, looking at ourselves
Recognizing a lot of the stuff that happens
But if we look within ourselves
We could prevent a lot of this nonsense
It's about relating back to the essence
Where it all stems from, I'ma do my thing over this drum
Like a Native Tongue
Do what you will, if you feel that your steeze is real
Complicated with the skills over reel to reel
Brown skin is what I feel, my mind and body's appeal
Is to the no-frill mills, who hear the beats to chill
Constantly I'm hearing Black Americans just sneering
Looking for a leader who can fill us up with either
Hitting us up with great emotional chat about the fact
That the black is constantly held back
Like 50 tracks back in a relay race
And the white team's ahead, so let's keep up the pace
And I be needing something to feed my logical taste
At the end of the race, is there a paradise place?
Yo, we can't get involved in what the next man is doing
Material gain, we put too much in pursuing
Yo duke, I need this dough, so we can step to this party
But we can all Mardi Grati minus that shit in our body
What that got to do with that? 'Cause, kid, that's the essence
Your physical presence embodies every lesson
You can't run the Rolls Royce if the engine is busted
Can't even life the knife to cut the mustard
What we need to do first, now listen to this
Let's concentrate on our spiritual plate
Recognize your existence in this vast blue space
From a tiny cloud of blood to the human beings
With taste, sight, touch, smell and sound
Let's deem it profound
And prioritize this 'cause it was Allah's wish, "Allah? I'm God"
No, I don't believe that, that's a mystery
If God is so good, why does shit be happening to me?
There's divinity within because we come from the divine
A force that's not seen but you feel it every time
When the wind blows and the world turns and the rain drops
And the baby cries and the bird flies and the ground quake
And the stars gleam
So many things are evident of its existence
What we need to do is link it with persistence
Once we recognize that, we can move ahead
Native Tongue, Common Sense, yo, he's Hip Hop bred
From the spiritual world, my former life has developed
First person I lost close to me was Stella
Some of my mellows lost their mothers and their brothers
For them I feel empathy but I ain't pouring out no liquor for no niggas
I pour my heart out when I see Dot out on the deck
Knowing two weeks ago he slapped-box with death
I hear of niggas dying in the wind-in the news
But when it's somebody you know it hits you and emotions get bruised
I ain't been in your shoes, I won't judge you for knocking
Because the spirit of the ghetto says, 'You gotta!'
They snatch you again from rock flippin'
Give back into the neighborhood, you better start kickin'
Stickin' stores on the strip
I'm tired of Arabs giving me my change back
Devil bomb my yesterday, my tomorrow, he never gave back
I lay back, looking at the ceiling
Wondering, what can I do?
So my homie won't have to be dealing
Not 'cause you serving and I'm rapping, I'm better, just different pieces
To the puzzle of black life that we have to put together
Better ourselves 'cause families we gotta raise
No matter how long the money, shorter become the days
Men become like women and no difference in the season
If you got popped five times, you breathing for a reason
Let's put the five tenure plan into progression
Before we count our paper, count our blessings