[Verse 1: Black Thought]

Yin for Yang, I walk on a line

Between ghetto slang and stimulation of the mind

Life is a labyrinth of dollars and cents

As I quest for creams through the steam so dense

From the sensimilla puff, 'cause the tunnel is tough

Some lick shots with sound, some'll bust from the cannon

Experts original man'll examine

I am in fact lackin' confusion

As to what's real and what's illusion

I come from Illadelph where ya health, you never take for granted

As hot as the equator in a cypher 'round the planet

Or abnormal, niggas appearin' out of portals

And demandin' your soul, who control The Eight Immortals?

But the number 7, in this continual maze

Where nights fight with days within my mind marijuan' blaze

And some say I should change my ways

But it's hard to hear the phrase through the havoc and haze

Thought's style of lyricism'll never cease to accelerate

It's the great lab dweller

The mentals of The Roots are beyond any computer

The judge, prosecutor, or the drug distributor

Respect to the ex-Lex Luger, my nigga Malik B the intruder

Phila 5th Dynasty's the future

And DJ Krush is the producer

You're dealin' with the ginseng Roots — we get your renaissance looser!

Remember me — the Thought

I represent essentially and mentally

Eventually, you'll mention me as Most High

My decibels are most fly

I've come to paint your Thoughts Black

Yo, Krush, where's it at?!

[Verse 2: Malik B]

The Roots bring it from the Phila 5th, spill the gift

The melody of a felony is straight off a cliff

Now, can I get a witness to dismiss Christmas from the myth list?

Man, that's bogus, let's try to stay focused

You would think it was the 4th of July

'Cause in Illadelph, a round of applause light up the sky

Why? Don't ask me, subtle attitudes sometimes nasty

Foul-mouth bitches walk around, lookin' trashy

Bimbos talkin' about, "Where's the indo?"

Crackheads leavin' babies unattended at the window

To see death, and brothers with strikes who got three left

I'm tryin' to make it, 'cause if I don't, I'll probably take it

But perseverance is a virtue

The person that you think you hurtin' might hurt you

Your celly might jerk, too

Perhaps I'll go to court this time when I'm summoned

But I'm a rebel to the system, so I might not be comin'

So if I fail, man, just give out the bail

It's just more time to write another story to tell

Ill elements drop intelligence

Black Thought, Malik B fuck up they irrelevance

We got strain on the brain from bodies left in the dust

Man, just leave it to us

Look, man, you aim and I'll bust

Fuck betrayal, just trust, over tracks we lust

With DJ Krush from Japan, so no more need to discuss