You see I came from a rock and a hard place.

Now I’ve thrown the rock and I never stop

Picked up my pride it never dropped

Took something warm and made it hot

To be or not to be, be it why not?

 

You can’t tell me what I know

 

I know myself that’s why I write

The stars spell out my name in lights

My balance and honor is held so tight

When I walk down the street I am a beautiful sight

For sore eyes and my eye is own the prize

The prize is liberation for my nation

 

You can’t tell me what I know

 

We hold these truths to be self-evident,

Well if we do show me show me the evidence

Take me to the truth I’ve been looking for it ever since

They took my people and claim we were free

And told me that America was the place to be

The land of opportunist and hypocrisy 

 

You can’t tell me what I know

 

I don’t claim to know everything but I know what I know

And I am not from Missouri but I show what I show

That is self-mastery and self-respect

Self-accountability and I keep myself in check

My people is always watching me

To make sure I’m who I claim to be

 

You can’t tell me what I know

 

How they beat me down physically and mentally

How they toyed with my emotions and claimed we were free

Don’t have nothing truly to claim yet been here for centuries

It’s no mystery how they have rewritten my history

So could you tell me something I don’t know?