Verse 1
I'm sick of your influences, my fault for giving ear to you
I won't take your suggestions and I will not live in fear of you
My worth and my value aren't wrapped in what you offer me
I will not sit here quietly 'cause you are not the boss of me
Responsibility demands I put your sugared snacks away
Trust a balanced intake fueled by what my Daddy has to say
Skip your fancy golden ropes and hop the scotch and bourbon
Medication that you've placed before my face in hopes the jury
Is still out on who I've judged as faithful, well it isn't you
It took a little while but I caught the scheme, it's nothing new
Adam faced it, Jesus faced it, why should I get any less?
Working to convince me that His order's better with your mess
Irony so thick that you could choke on what they call a whip
Ice and chains are also aptly named for what their promise is
Slavery is non-negotiable, the only choice I make
Is whether who I'm tethered to's remembered as a lamb or snake
Fancy cars are prison bars, satirically you turn the keys
Lock yourself inside a fantasy that will pretend to please
for a month or two or three until the seed sprouts into greed
then no matter what your speed you see there's naught beneath your feet
Nothing solid under all this, why do you think He calls it fallen?
Brawls and ballin all will falter once you look outside the walls
Gauge the motion of your life against His standard stationary
Realization of your plight is scary, He'll repair your bearings
Trust that as you fight, His grace is multiplied inside
All your life you're taught to trust the parts of you that have to die
Beauty's fleeting, worth repeating, learn to see the deeper things
Focus your affection and attention on creation's King
Verse 2
Remember God's response to Samuel's relay of the people's plea?
It's not you that they've rejected, Samuel, it's Me
God's design did not involve a system of democracy
But sinful people longed and clamored for a blatant mockery
Of that which He'd established, determining instead
To emulate the pagan practice of a governmental head
A single individual who ruled through his decisions
Choosing now collectively to turn their backs on God's provision
Don't put too much trust into the ticking of a ballot box
A sinful heart condition can't be cleansed by passing laws
The Christians under Roman rule obeyed the mandates of the land
But did so in a way that made it clear they served higher commands
Jesus said to Pilate that His kingdom wasn't of this earth
So politicians can't ever substitute the place of the church
Christians serve a ruler who is infinite and never-changing
Placing hope in finite, fickle humans then is strange
Laws that come into conformity with Scripture
Or don't ask something ungodly I can follow with conviction
However on the converse, statutes that oppose the Lord
Like Daniel at his window, I'm obligated to ignore
Nations, kings and earthly reigns can come and go so quickly
But Jesus said as He ascended He'd always be with me
His blood's the only hope for sin, He is the only opening
With access to the Father regardless of who we vote in
America's disparity from what would be a Christian nation
Stretches all the way back to its founding and foundation
It wasn't even really found, there were people here already
So they twisted Scripture, murdered, called it destiny manifesting
Slavery to civil rights, enslavement of the blacks by whites
Reparations paid to everybody else wronged by the stars and stripes
Politics are not the answer, sin lives in the heart of man
I'll cast my vote for I AM since so many died just so I can
(And I don't just mean soldiers)
Verse 3
Giving voice to people who have lived under oppression
Serving as the outlet for societal depression and aggression
Waging war against a faulty system
Opening an avenue for talent and ambition
Offering as role models others who have beat the odds
Status as the underdog, loyal to a local squad
A me against the world mentality aims to settle the score
Drawing inspiration from the soldiers who have gone before
All inherent values in the world of hip-hop
Though it's wandered somewhat, it's these gears that make it tick tock
A culture just like any other in need of ambassadors
To infiltrate and elevate the teachings in the Master's words
Hope for the sin problem raging in society, freedom for the prisoners living inside of the
System that convinced 'em they were worthless, expendable, a mission for the giftings that were given so incredible
Role models, core fathers who can lead the way, iron on iron, fellowship, grow, read and pray
Learn from Christians in the past and fight with Christ to reach the mass