Motives and Thoughts Lyrics

Rotating bodies, confusion of sound
Negative imagery, holding us down

Social delusion, clearly constructed
Human condition, morals corrupted

Trapped in reaction, lawlessness, war
Dissatisfaction from bowels to core
Devil's technology, strategy for
Human mythologies, urban folklore

Sick of psychology, counterfeit cure
Wicked theology, robbing the poor
Scheme demonology mislead the pure

Strictly strategically studying war
Light shown in darkness, image exposed
Few can see through the new emperor's clothes
Lustful this hustle turn humans to hoes
When the blind lead the blind, just more trouble and woes
It's the mind that they chose
Its designed to stay closed

Standard of jokers, court jester logic
Sick looking cosmics, from schoolyards to college
Primitive man with civilized knowledge
System collapse and he still won't acknowledge
God is the saviour, studies behavior
Trying to fix the mix mind that he gave ya

Stiff-necked scholars on prescription meds
Wishing their problems were all in their heads

Moral dilemma, pride is the root
Misguided from youth, heart divided from truth
Egyptians and Grecians, spiritually dead
Imperially led, by the
gods in their heads
Motives and thoughts
Industrial wealth
Global economy, in it for self
Heart full of madness, covered with kind
Pleasure designed to take over your mind
Furnished in godliness, painted in good
This tainted priesthood got real saints misunderstood
While classes in government, set up the veil
And cultivate minds for more mythical tales
Typical Hollywood follies good girl
While vice and corruption take over the world
Motives and thoughts
Check your motives and thoughts

Blind with the wickedness, deep in your heart
Modern day wickedness is all you've been taught
Lied to your neighbors, so you get ahead
Modern day trickery is all you've been fed

Motives and thoughts
Check your motives and thoughts

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Genius Annotation

Lauryn Hill is perhaps better known for her singing and rapping than for her poetry, but here she delivers a powerful lyric in tight rhyming couplets which focuses on social evils and ways to overcome them.

It was first delivered at Def Poetry.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Credits
Written By
Release Date
2005
Tags
Comments