The ancestors built it with the sweat from their backs
Eyes full of tears, waiting for years
For a compensation that will never be received
Fought in every war for freedom, but denied his own
Viewed like animals, shot down like dogs in the street
To rot for hours in 90 degree heat
Protests and marching, marching and beat
Black fists raised high for all to see
Respect must be given, I am a man too
Instead fear was the feeling that permanently ensued
Every win was tainted with the sting of deceit
Cointelpro, Patriot Act and the Crime Bill of ’94
History rewritten to hide deeper what’s been hidden
Working full-time to lock out an entire people
This is the view from within the ghettos
Spaces and places where being locked out is known and grows