[Killer Mike:]
Down with the shame,
Down with the shame,
Used to walk traps in the rain with cocaine,
Used to write raps in the traps as I sat in the rain and I prayed that God give me a lane,
Give me a lane,
Give me the fame,
Give me the fame and I promise to change,
Won't be the same,
Won't be the same type of man that puts cocaine in this lady's hand.
Heard she was pregnant, I'm guilty I reckon, 'cause I hear that good shit can hurt baby's brain,
Heard he was normal 'til three and then he stopped talkin',
Since then, ain't nothin been the same,
Seen her some years later out in Decatur, told her I'm sorry for causin' her pain.
«Causin' me pain?”
«Causin' me pain?»
She asked again and she grabbed my right hand,
Asked am I crazy, said, «Look here, baby, I release you from all of your sins and your shame,
‘Cause I've been redeemed,
I found in Christ,
Whatever it take, I hope you find it, Mike.»
The look on her face shown that glory replaced all the shame and the hate, and that she wears a crown,
My late Grandma Bettie had prayed with her heavy and told her to tell me lay my burdens down.
[Hook:]
Can't pick up no crown, holding what's holding you down.
[El-P:]
Down with the shame,
Down with the shame,
Carried the flag in some other men's name,
Loaded my weapon and swore to them vengeance and stepped with aggression right into the fray,
In to the haze,
In to the murk.
Told me to prove to them what I was worth,
“We'll teach you to move without mercy and give you the tools to go after the causers of hurt.
You'll become death,
You will take breath,
This is for everything you've ever loved,
Use all the pain that you've felt in your life as the currency go out and trade it for blood.
You are not you,
You are now us,
We are the only ones that you can trust.
You'll become fear,
They'll become dust,
Before this moment, you didn't mean much,
You are the smoldering vessel of punishment born to do nothing but justify us.
Give us your empathy, we'll give you lust,
Let yourself go, my son, time to grow up,
Give up your childish obsession with questioning,
Anything we don't tell you is irrelevant,
Everything you've ever been is replaced by the metal and fire of the weapon you clutch.”
[Hook:]
Can't pick up no crown, holding what's holding you down.