The end of this song contains a very graphic audio clip from a police shooting. Please be advised.

LYRICS

Verse 1

I remember coming up as a little boy, cap guns, now they're killing us for carrying little toys! the "thought he had a gun", blaow, "made a mistake" cops! Tamir Rice he aint even get a chance to live his life, advice to kids, read more than "Of Mice And Men"! Read! study the enemy KNOW the way that they function, lies in the air got me at the point of combustion... "I can't breathe"

Houses now they running up in them in killing innocent children its cold! Why are cops shooting reality shows!? Yo if you body a little black body they"ll prolly do diddly it's literally what reality shows... Aiyana Jones, wasn't "Jerome's niece, still police shot the princess in the dome piece! You know the way that it goes, fo sho... i can't breathe!!

Cop not sentenced "no justice no peace", how would you feel if it was your daughter yo seed? Tension thickening sickening I'm feeling belligerent feelings legitimate witnessing GENOCIDE it won't cease...

prechorus

Back then they was spraying us with hoses...

Couldn't smite the fire in the heart of the soldiers

They hating on my melanin, ain't nothing changed since J-DILLA was yelling it

chorus

On the count of 3 say what!? I can't breathe! On the count of 3 say what!? I CAN'T BREATHE!!

VERSE 2

Starks talk to'm the real listen and hear me out, I tell'm cause I LOVE'M the streets smothered so many dying. Ain't got too many leaders, too many martyrs, too many blind, although it's so blatant, fired like 50 shots.. I swear Sean Bell got executed publicly meanwhile they take the deranged in custody yo the scandalous double standards they hand us are so damaging famished our souls vanishing family I can't breathe...

his mother stared at me like she seen me before, prolly saw her sun in my eyes like Afeni Shakur, you could hear the pain in her voice and the pain in my voice too, yo it's hard to be tough with your mom in a noose, and every story they hear is like reliving their! own I can't breathe!!

Car chase here in Detroit killed 3 kids, police hit 2 more, didn't lose no sleep
I can't breathe!!

Shooting SC, 9 lost lives, one was a senator info the news won't supply

He wasn't tackled or greeted with guns outside, instead they gave him a vest, holy confederate pride.

Instead, THEY GAVE HIM A VEST, holy confederate pride!

They used to set the dogs loose on us, wouldnt teach us how to read but they couldn't hide the truth from us!!

They only feed us the scraps yo, we improv put it together that's hip-hop in effect yo!!

They used to hang us from trees homie...
Then stand around and laugh at it, then call US "animals" please homie.



*Audio clip is from the Tulsa police shooting*