Teach for America Rap Lyrics
[Hook]
(beatboxed trumpet mimicry)
That's the hook... repeat twice, then the bridge, then my flow
[Verse]
Four years at Radcliffe, that's all you know
A desire to do good and a 4.0
You're here to save us from our plight!
You got the answers cuz you're rich and white!
On a two-year sojourn, here to stay
Teach for America all the way!
Got no idea what you're facing
No clue just who you're displacing
Old lady taught fathers, old lady taught sons
Old lady bought books for the little ones!
Old lady put in thirty years!
Sweat and toil, time and tears!
Was that really your sad intention
To help the state of Louisiana deny her pension?
[Outro]
--Hellllllll to the no! Turn it off!
--What?
For one thing, it was the state of Louisiana who fired all those teachers, not Teach for America
--A scab is a scab is a scab, kay? Track 3 of my hip-hop opus addresses the hidden social costs of educational reform
--Davis, we're white guys. Deal with it
--Dude. Work in progress?
(beatboxed trumpet mimicry)
That's the hook... repeat twice, then the bridge, then my flow
[Verse]
Four years at Radcliffe, that's all you know
A desire to do good and a 4.0
You're here to save us from our plight!
You got the answers cuz you're rich and white!
On a two-year sojourn, here to stay
Teach for America all the way!
Got no idea what you're facing
No clue just who you're displacing
Old lady taught fathers, old lady taught sons
Old lady bought books for the little ones!
Old lady put in thirty years!
Sweat and toil, time and tears!
Was that really your sad intention
To help the state of Louisiana deny her pension?
[Outro]
--Hellllllll to the no! Turn it off!
--What?
For one thing, it was the state of Louisiana who fired all those teachers, not Teach for America
--A scab is a scab is a scab, kay? Track 3 of my hip-hop opus addresses the hidden social costs of educational reform
--Davis, we're white guys. Deal with it
--Dude. Work in progress?
About
Genius Annotation
David Simon, social compact, the usu. (We say that like its collapse a joke! It’s not!) His collaborator on The Wire, co-creator Ed Burns, was a Baltimore middle school teacher for many years. Burns' classroom experiences were the chief inspiration for the ample and graceful story arc on Season 4 of The Wire, perhaps the single best year of an American television series, ever.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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