Liberation Lyrics

[Verse 1: André 3000]
There's a— there's a— there's a— there's a fine line
It's too late to pray that I'm on it, yeah, yeah, yeah (Yo, yo, uh-huh)
There's a fine line between love and hate, you see
Came way too late but, baby, I'm on it
There's a fine line between love and hate, you see
Came way too late but, baby, I'm on it

Can't worry 'bout what a nigga think, now see
That's liberation and, baby, I want it
Can't worry 'bout what another nigga think
Now that's liberation and, baby, I want it


[Verse 2: Big Boi]
Lemme hear it, lemme hear it, lemme though, lemme hear it
How many times I sit back and contemplate?
I'm fresh off the dank but I'm tellin' my story
My relationship with my folks is give-and-take
And I done took so much, now give me my glory

To have a choice to be who you wants to be
It's left up-a to me and my momma n'em told me (Yes, she did)
I say, to have a choice to be who you wants to be
It's left up-a to me and my momma n'em told me

[Verse 3: Cee-Lo Green]
No, no, no (Ah)
I'm so tired, it's been so long struggling hopelessly
Seven and forty days (Hey)

Oh, I sacrifice every breath I breathe
To make you believe I'd give my life away
Oh, Lord, I'm so tired, I'm so tired (Tired)
My feet feel like I walked most of the road on my own (Own)
All on my own (Yeah)

We alive but we ain't livin', that's why I'm givin' until it's gone
'Cause I don't wanna be alone (I don't wanna be alone)
I don't wanna be alone (Yeah) (No, no, no)

If there's anything I can say to help you find your way
Touch your soul, make it whole, the same for you and I
There's not a minute that goes by that I don't believe we could fly
But I can feel it in the wind, beginning or the end
But people, keep your head to the sky
[Verse 5: Big Rube]
I must admit, they planted a lot of things
In the brains and the veins of my strain

Makes it hard to refrain, from the host of cocaine
From them whores, from the flame
From a post in the game
Makes it hard to maintain focus
They're from the Glock rounds, and lockdowns, and burials
The seeds that sow, get devoured by the same locusts
Cause it's a hard row to ho
If your ass don't move, and the rain don't fall
And the ground just dry
But the roots are strong, so some survive

So you're surprised, now I'm bustin cries
You got more juice than Zeus
Slangin lightnin tryin to frighten
Plains dwellers, of the Serengeti

But get beheaded when you falsely dreaded
Melanin silicon and collagen injected
Dissectin my pride, fool I don't wanna get it started
We be the lionhearted, without infanticide
It's like that red sprite, you can't imagine it
Unless you lookin at the canvas of life
And not through the peephole of mortality
Single minded mentality
Gettin over on loopholes
Gettin paid two-fold on technicalities
Clickin your heels, scared to voice how you feel
Packing steel
Pickin cotton from the killing fields with no toe, though
I don't think we in Kansas no mo' though
Midwest or Dirty South

Clean dressed or dirty mouth
Whether robbin preachers or killin Poor Righteous Teachers
You a scared demon
Shouldn't be allowed to spread semen
And you cowardly lions never defyin the jackals of Babel
Runnin with they pack, tail between your legs
Though the mane on your head say the story

As you downplay your glory
Cacklin, helpin the shacklin of your brethren happening
Just by rappin'

Libertad

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About

Genius Annotation

Following the incarcerated interlude from Nathaniel, “Liberation” comes in to talk about freedom – freedom from hatred, inequality, and all the obstacles people face in their community that can get them distracted from their goals.

This was a true collaboration, from André and Marvin “Chanz” Parkman working on the piano melodies, having Erykah Badu on this song instead of the original plan to put her on “SpottieOttieDopaliscious,” and adding Cee-Lo, Joi, and Screechy Peach’s soulful vocals before Big Rube closes out the track with one of his signature spoken word pieces.

André said the following about being liberated:

That was a really good time because we’d found our sound. We didn’t care what other motherfuckers thought ‘cause we didn’t have anything to live up to but ourselves. By that time we’d gotten to a point where we were in our own world. Anything we did, it was to impress ourselves.

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