[Intro: Nas]

Uh, uh, yeah, yeah

Uh huh, uh huh

[Verse 1: Nas]

Yo, life is school for the soul and I'm in life seven already

Life’s simple but heavy, incomprehensible shit

Everything from sexy to deadly, I done been through that shit

Still goin' deeper like I grew a new inch on my dick

We looked at robbin' as a way of resolving our problems

My moms cooked food, but my niggas was starving

And whatever they was down to do, I was with ’em regardless

Turns out the Fed mouth started hittin' the hardest

My decisions was sharper, my predictions was on it

No fortune teller, just going off regular signs

Niggas often tell ya they moves without a word

Just reading they mind, wasn't needin' my nine

Corner executive, born in ghetto hell

Where the metal yell especially over necklaces

Life lessons is karma

Whatever you dish out come back as blessings or come back to harm ya

It could miss you and hit your kids for your dishonor

Generational curses, can't embrace it, let's break it

Escape and reverse it, escape and reverse it

[Verse 2: Talib Kweli]

Yeah, come on

Tried of rap fame, using my middle name

Had my little gang like M.O.P. we had a little fame

The hustlers had a twinkle in they eye

Entrepreneurial as the Winklervoss twins of a [fry?] while they in [crinkle fry?]

I ran to the crime scenes as the cops [encamped us?]

They intention was to kill us, and my man on the transcript

Old school, I call a bandwagon a band[?]

Classic like doing the [all whites?] with the [stand smith's?]

I was doing my thing, I was true to the game

I had background dancers, they was doing the [James?]

[Saidye?] got shot, we used to [scarf?] as a turner kit

It was winter of 1984, think Bernie Goetz

And burn a deck, Peters on billboards, 42's

Way before I was a [?] pourin’ my soul into recording booths

I saw the truth, boots on the ground, since I saw the [coop?]

[Covered for?] genocide, [and juice?] I tried to find the proof

The live performance is killin’ like OJ's isotoners

Life is like a project elevator, we fight for corners

[Verse 3: Yasiin Bey]

Reversing the misfortune by moving forward

Each direction is determined by intention

Life is a school for all of us without exception

24/7, seminars are in session

Some serious studious, some class clowns

The reality like gravity, shut that ass down

They laugh now, cry later and longer

They told me ain’t nothing growing, without some water

We sacrifice for what we needed and wanted

If it was righteous exact or was out of order

Everything is not for sale, everybody pays the price

You can run away and not escape, that's the way of life

Nobody makes it out alive

Nobody ever really dies

It's crazy how the contrast coincide?

It's strange how I’m amazed, but I'm not surprised

They may not understand it, but it's not a lie

Perhaps your understanding is not required

As long as the soul is born, and you feel a vibe

And it's quite alright

More will be revealed in time

Thanks, goodbye

[Verse 4: Common]

My soul walks through old parks, it goes dark like ozark

Ghetto stories with no art

Black mozarts, composing street symphonies

The charts read poverty, mahogany, and hennessy

Energy of the struggle

Bubbles in our stomachs

What he's running from

Watch him become it

The summit, used to be of Benz and rims

Now we peak at night dropping sins and gems

This is just around the way

Of the lost and found today

'Tryna move a pound today

Though sometimes it sounded gray

My people still down to pay, dues for freedom

Wash your hands, save your grace, new rules for eating

It's moods and seasons, I keep my head high on some earth, wind reasons

The fire that I'm breathing, inspired by the babies and the way that we lead them

It's our turn at the table to see them

Yeah