Sho Baraka - Maybe Both, 1865 lyrics

[Intro] It was hard to hear over the gunshots Running round back and forth And then he said He said [Verse 1] I'm looking for a happy ending I said, "We never had happy beginnings" I'm on my knees, I'm praying, I'm on my knees But, now I'm an easy target for them to attack me Liberals and intellectuals justifying my anger But when the cameras ain't here, they ain't no where near Oh, so eloquent, watch them pontificate When the smoke clears, the blogs re-build real estate You sitting in your academic tower Tweeting around the hour while the poor fights the power Oh stop it, oh stop it, you and your non-profit With a heart full of promise based on bad economics Put your ballot in the air, pull out a lighter, then burn it We just giveaway votes, make them Democrats earn it Politicians don't care cuz' they don't see a need They won't care till we bleed on the same concrete We burning down the neighborhoods where we live at If we don't own it, well let's do something to change that It didn't change Watts, it ain't doing much now Watch the philosophers argue while Rome burns down [Bridge] Bang, bang, bang Bang, bang, bang Reload the gun, they gon' do the same thing Bang, bang, bang Bang, bang, bang Reload the gun, they gon do the same thing [Hook] Is it a ballot or a bullet? Let me know Should I fight or should I pray? Who's my foe? Are they k**ing with a pistol or a vote? Or, maybe, it is both? Or, maybe, it is both? Or, maybe, it is both? Maybe, both [Verse 2] Why stop now? I haven't caught the holy ghost yet Sing a little louder, we can drown out the protests We build an antebellum, they too busy to listen I hear disturbing things come from so-called "Christians" Quick to justify your man's d**h Because of a criminal record or how a man dressed Thugs I guess, only perfect people get grace If that was the Lord's way, there'll be no one in the faith True flaw, America k**s and hides behind the law They purchase this land with violence, but never count the cost Put a dollar to your ear, you can hear the moaning of a slave America the great was built off the labor that they gave Jefferson and Washington were great peace pursuers But, John Brown was a terrorist and an evil doer Oh yes, God bless the American Revolution But, God ain't for all the riots and the looting [Bridge] Bang, bang, bang Bang, bang, bang Reload the gun, they gon' do the same thing Bang, bang, bang Bang, bang, bang Reload the gun, they gon do the same thing [Hook] Is it a ballot or a bullet? Let me know Should I fight or should I pray? Who's my foe? Are they k**ing with a pistol or a vote? Or, maybe, it is both? Or, maybe, it is both? Or, maybe, it is both? Maybe, both [Verse 3] Before another man dies And another mom cries The people ask why? Keep yo' head to the sky Another man dies and another man cries Lord, hear em' cry He said, "Stop, don't pull it" Wait a minute, a ballot or a bullet? [Verse 4] What's your standard? Where you stand? What's your views? What gives you the right to the think the way that you do? Is it school? Is it news? Is it man's wisdom? Is it religion? Why listen when you can make your own decisions? It's funny how some people see the Lord Some see him as a pacifist Some see him with a sword The Lord who hated sin showed grace to the thief Saved the lonely prostitute from being stoned in the street He was holy, but he hung with the sinful Drove out the wicked by flipping over tables in the temple He took a wrongful d**h, yet he remained silent But, he said he coming back, and he is bringing violence Many people isolate him just to make him fit their cause Never too involved in a greater context at all So, are there two christs totally unrelated Or, maybe there's one Christ, and he's pretty complicated Huh? Pretty complicated Or, maybe it is both Maybe, it is both Maybe, both [Outro] Yo, it's Travis Hey man, it's Friday morning I've been meaning to call you I'd love to get your take on some of these things I've been thinking more and more about the issues And I think it would be good to hear what you think I'm trying to make sense of some things And, I wanna make sure I have a better picture of what's going on So, let's meet Call me back and we'll make it happen in the schedule Take care man Bye