Stormy-eyed on the edge of dawn:
nose pressed against the triple glaze.
Floor to ceiling, wall to wall,
silent traffic streams both ways.
Along the fussy freeway drivers
dream of sunday barbecues.
Of a sudden, seems I can barely
face my self: no face to lose.
Call the bosses. Call supervisors.
Won't be in today to work for you.

E-mail that girl who's working nights.
She can dress down for this wind and rain.
Leave her new korean compact:
let some cabbie take the strain.
Take a shower. Take big espresso.
Take to the hills, and take a view.
Little black dress stretching over
hard crystal peaks: soft valleys too.
Call the bosses. Call for nurses.
Unfit today to work for you.

No wet excuses. Absent without leave.
I'll be her dayshift driver: exotic engineer.

Stormy-eyed on the edge of night:
(December, eastern time: late afternoon.)
Atlantic City tight behind.
Trump Casino calls pontoon.
Gristle-burger, frazzled fries
end this romantic interlude.
Tomorrow morning's sweet awakening
could hardly prove to be as rude.
Make the journey. Make amends.
Work some hasty overtime in lieu.

No wet excuses. Absent without leave.
I was her dayshift driver: exotic engineer.

[Animal]
It's another interlude motherfucker
You know it's Animal the Mixtape Bully nigga, MTB
You know how I do it the way I do it when I do it the way I do it
Motherfucker stab you in your throat with a icepick
Shoot you in the face with a beebee gun
Whatever I do to bring you to the conrete I'ma do it, you heard?
My motherfuckin nigga A, it's the closin of the album nigga
I salute you nigga, for never bein a bitch
For never bein a bitch-ass nigga {*music starts*}
Cryin, retirin, sayin you comin back to the game
Go findin God and comin back, keep gettin shot and comin back
Niggaz doin mixtapes and comin back
Lyin 'til y'all caught with guns and comin back
Keep comin back baby, you in the top five man
Y'all niggaz pay The Source for mics man
Cause you don't know how to be an original nigga from the streets
I respect you man, close it out like this, 2-double-oh-5
Fuck the world, you heard, say what's up A.W.O.L. take it

[AZ]
I am one of the flyest, crew is like the Al'Qaeda's
We war like in the mess halls of Elmyra
Bodies get caught, predicate spells is higher
Why talk if you ain't walk through hell's fire
All-nighters, upscale attire
In car get new cars you and your mans admire
Young messiah, back bottom guns for hire
I am that what the rap contracts require
Ghostwriter, coast to coast cyphers
I do this for them grown men in diapers that don't like us
Though, still the nicest, sendin kites to Riker's is priceless
Reminiscin on past life fights with Cypress
Hung lifeless, sprung from financial crisis
Never ran, I stand amongst the righteous
AZ-Q, dark denimy V suits
His, arson is lethal, only pardon his people so
Just ask it open the closed casket
Coke or the dope acid I'm back on that old Shaft shit
Got my ratchets, army fatigue jacket
Fitted cap on backwards with them cats from Flatbush
Bravehearted, fuck if they say squash it
We remain the largest, we invade regardless
Trains to Spofford insane with a brain from Hartford
It's hard to explain my artwork
One for the haters, two for the true and the raiders
I know dudes who eat your food with a razor
It's major, barbaric, brutal behavior
Called addict, I talk about the jewelry later
My respect is for the DL cartel connects
And the crews that came through and left arise well effect
Finesse, big boys only play with the best
It's no regrets, bein dead broke and raised in the 'jects
I'm a vet, cousin Comstock callin collect
Sayin he just left the box hot annoyed and depressed
Claimin he stressed did a 3 still facin the stress
I'm like look this ain't the vote and you ain't facin your death
So save your breath, tie your boots up and bang with the rest
Cause in reality they just incarcerated your flesh
You know the deal, I pray they process your appeal
Cause on the real, I still got my hands on the wheel
And I'ma drive 'til the gas run out
Either crash or a wrap 'til a smash come out
We them real niggaz

Patty lives up in the attic now
Her feet rarely touching the ground
Haunted by waltzes with Harry
Harry's hat hanging here in the hall

Memories fading for patty now
There�s nothing and no one to trust
Just the tick and the tock
Of the damnable clock
As the world that she does turns to dust

Patty stays up in her attic now
In silence except for the sound
Of the tick and the tock
Of the damnable clock
While the world that she knows disappears

Drinking in riddles
Waving to trains
Waving to trains that no longer run
Thinking in riddles
And waving to trains
Waving to trains that no longer run

I wasn't even ready to say goodbye,
It seemed like that kiss lasted forever
But didn't last long enough,
You are the hope that resides in me

I hope this goes well, cause for a long time
I will be living in hell away from you
And I ask myself 'is that something I can do?'

I wasn't even ready to say goodbye,
It seemed like that kiss lasted forever
But didn't last long enough,
We will continue in tune and it will be
Full of the warmth we shared so far
And it wasn't easy to walk into the car
Could you please give me something to hold on to?
Something deep that will remind me of you

With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep
With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep

With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep
With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep

I wasn't even ready to say goodbye,
It seemed like that kiss lasted (lasted, lasted) forever
But didn't last long enough,
You are the hope that resides in me
(with your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep)
And the next time, I drift off to sleep,
I hope you will be the next thing I see
(with your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep)

Maybe it's not over yet
Somewhere inside him there must be some
New dream awaiting to topple the rest
When he finds himself
Feeling alive yet alone
Maybe the best he can get is still out of his reach

Ran from the life that he hates
Hoping to find some new beginning
Abandoned the future they gave and
Took away knowing what they would say

Destined to rise above all of the
Simplified answers they gave him
Back there when surrounded by
Love he could not make sense
Of feeling alive yet alone
Maybe the best he can get is
Simply blurred by fate

Yet he knows he's the champion of the planet
But he's told he was wrong for somehow deciding to...

I wasn't even ready to say goodbye,
It seemed like that kiss lasted forever
But didn't last long enough,
You are the hope that resides in me

I hope this goes well, cause for a long time
I will be living in hell away from you
And I ask myself 'is that something I can do?'

I wasn't even ready to say goodbye,
It seemed like that kiss lasted forever
But didn't last long enough,
We will continue in tune and it will be
Full of the warmth we shared so far
And it wasn't easy to walk into the car
Could you please give me something to hold on to?
Something deep that will remind me of you

With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep
With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep

With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep
With your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep

I wasn't even ready to say goodbye,
It seemed like that kiss lasted (lasted, lasted) forever
But didn't last long enough,
You are the hope that resides in me
(with your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep)
And the next time, I drift off to sleep,
I hope you will be the next thing I see
(with your voice on the phone, I don't feel so alone
I feel you next to me, breathing in your sleep)

Maybe it's not over yet
Somewhere inside him there must be some
New dream awaiting to topple the rest
When he finds himself
Feeling alive yet alone
Maybe the best he can get is still out of his reach

Ran from the life that he hates
Hoping to find some new beginning
Abandoned the future they gave and
Took away knowing what they would say

Destined to rise above all of the
Simplified answers they gave him
Back there when surrounded by
Love he could not make sense
Of feeling alive yet alone
Maybe the best he can get is
Simply burned by fate

Yet he knows he's the champion of the planet
But he's told he was wrong for somehow deciding to..

Run from the life that he hates
Hoping to find some new beginning
Abandoned the future they gave and
Took away knowing what they would say

[Intro]
And you don't hear none of those stations, for hip-hop and R&B playin him
Ask why, in fact, where are those stations today?
Somebody better ask somebody that
The people that's most affected, by this war
are the so-called hip-hop generation

[recruiter]
The Army is the best kept secret in the whole world
That every soldier gets his or her own private room
You can forget that old brown boot image of the Army
It's a job like anything else, you'd love it, all the soldiers do

[Paris]
I remember how it started, remember the time
I was watchin Rap City bout a quarter to nine
Commercial said the military givin money for school
Caught the bus up to my campus, they were signin recruits
And met this dude named Diablo, was some kind of vet
He explained the situation told me what to expect, he said
'Now we'll help you pay for college and train you for work'
Said I could take computer classes and could quit if I want
But best of all was the fact I'd, have my own shit
I'd have my own space and have my own place to keep it
On top of that I'd travel, and visit the world
Hell Diablo said the women overseas was the pearl
Didn't even call my girl, let's get it on fo' sho'
Signed my name, took some tests, and I was outta the do'
A true soldier for America, ready to go
On the road a vacation'll be good for the soul

[Chorus]
Don't matter what they sayin now
They lyin what they say fo' sho'
They don't play when it come to war
They get down, they get down, they get down

[Paris]
I showed up at basic training, but what a mistake
Cause this motherfucker yellin at me all in my face
In this dirty-ass latrine, 50 men in a room
Runnin laps up in the mud at 4 o'clock in the mornin
I'm scrubbin toilets doin laundry, and feelin the pain
If I didn't know no better, I'd think 'boy' was my name
Same bullshit line so many bit 'fore me
Got a nigga twisted up in this illusion of freedom
Fuck this shit, I'm out tomorrow, made up my mind
Everything Diablo said I'm findin out was a lie
That's when my unit got the call, the Commander in Chief
wanna ground troop assignments keepin peace in the East
What a relief, I'm thinkin finally somethin new
Shipped us off and 20 hours later we was en route
Touched down around 11, the desert was brutal
Then the ground split and caught us by surprise from the shootin

{*explosions, sounds of war and death*}

[Chorus] - 2X

[Paris]
It was all surreal, seen 'em blow the spine out his back
In the minefield, we was reelin from the attack
Seen the M.O.'s hand upon the receiver, still attached
with an alarm on it, set off the beacon, then I mashed
Who the first truck, blood and guts splash in my face
Cuttin kids down, couldn'ta been no older than eight
What the fuck is goin on, who we fightin and why?
Killin kids, killin killers, who the fuck is supplyin
I'm cryin out for protection, but none of it came
So I dumped in all directions 'til the heater was drained
But that night vision shit, wasn't helpin us win
Caught a round of friendly fire but it wasn't so friendly
We simply got lucky, headed back to the base
Seen a soldier rape a woman, shot her dead in the face
Guts stuck to my clothes, body parts galore
If this a peacekeepin mission I ain't ready for war
And now I'm back home bitter, and sick and contagious
And I'm knowin we some bullies, that's why everyone hate us
Still broke than a motherfucker, niggaz is starvin
And that job trainin shit is only good for the Army
I guess I shoulda been a C.O., and kept up a file
Shoulda listened when my homies said we murder for oil
Now I'm fuckin with this wheelchair, ain't nuttin the same
And I'm knowin confrontation's mo' than video games
War is pain

Maybe it's not over yet
Somewhere inside him there must be some
New dream awaiting to topple the rest
When he finds himself
Feeling alive yet alone
Maybe the best he can get is still out of his reach

Ran from the life that he hates
Hoping to find some new beginning
Abandoned the future they gave and
Took away knowing what they would say

Destined to rise above all of the
Simplified answers they gave him
Back there when surrounded by
Love he could not make sense
Of feeling alive yet alone
Maybe the best he can get is
Simply burned by fate

Yet he knows he's the champion of the planet
But he's told he was wrong for somehow deciding to..

Run from the life that he hates
Hoping to find some new beginning
Abandoned the future they gave and
Took away knowing what they would say