Cover art for Body Of Work by ​billy woods
Mar. 21, 20121 viewer7.6K views

Body Of Work Lyrics

[Sample: Nina Simone]
Breaking rocks out here on a chain gang
Breaking rocks, serving my time
Breaking rocks out here on a chain gang
Working, but I still got so
Far to go

[Verse 1: Masai Bey]
Aging at the edge of an ageless void
Too old to be young and too young to be old
Or young enough to be paranoid
I'm just flowing with the waves to stay afloat
Paddling on a board while praying for a boat
And some rope but I'll settle for a mic cord
Center of the seesaw, mamma told me I was very wealthy
Depending on your definition of rich and the way you see poor
I'm a Father and still a Sun
On the middle of the road bopping like I got no place to go
And some place to come
Positive warns me of the deceptions of negative
Negative is trying to convince me to believe positive is a sedative
I pondered this and learned that they both are relative to life on Earth
And sometimes feels like a repetitive burn
Ashes to ashes held captive in the urn

[Verse 2: Roc Marciano]
The ink embroidered, black exploited, crackers bought it
Crack was boiling, niggas balling, clientele calling
My Excel fishtail like a dolphin, instead of talking
Money's corporate, progress forward, bunnies is gorgeous
Picture me selling 20's on some '94 shit
Cutting dummies on porcelain, all my jewelry is frosted
Pigs is on corners more often, I'm feeling exhausted
I pray my sins don't fall upon my offspring
Grown-man pants, wallets and ID's
Health insurance policies, Wallabees and collard greens
Eating right, these the finer things in life
I see your ring in the light, everything that bling ain't ice
Niggas think that they nice, scat-rapping in tights
That math isn't right, this is rapper's delight
Now I'm through packaging white, rap with the passion of Christ
Don't get the facts half-right, yeah
[Sample: Nina Simone]
Breaking rocks out here on a chain gang
Breaking rocks, serving my time
Breaking rocks out here on a chain gang
Working, but I still got so
Terribly far to go

[Verse 3: Billy Woods]
Work my land, slash and burn
Elephant hands, every callus earned
With hoe and machete, wet earth turn
Deep in the dirt, king of the worm
Hyenas circle, cackle, blood curdle
Night dark as pitch
I'm up when the sky's purple
Tapping ashes off clips
Left the shebeen with her and said, "do your dance quick"
Now c'mon baby, tell me what's the word
Green thumb, no metal fingers but I'm still living off special herbs
Callaloo and cassava, big ganja
Aiming at Impalas
They came at dusk, wearing balaclavas
"You die today for the sins of your fathers"
Is it really stealing when you robbing from robbers?
Is it actually fake when you already posing as impostors?
Shoot the Boer, Kill the Farmer
Crack that Cape lobster
Boiling in Durban with poison, red dirt soiling
Black bodies toiling, mambas coiling
Overnight, that sweet milk spoiling

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