De La Soul - Held Down lyrics

[Cee-Lo] Allow me.. to break it down.. ah yea yea yea yea yeahh.. Life.. [humming] [Pos] This is dedicated to all my folks Diagnosed with a bad case of that proper upbringin And never took the time to fall in line or follow or swallow the thoughts Of the recognized committees who lurk throughout ya cities Ya hood, ya town, no matter which type You from the same type of people try to hold you down Just because you tailor made for bigger and better things Never missed a chance to move ahead of things And what does it bring? I tell you for me it brought jealousy in back wounds from all the stabbin Cats posin as my fan just to get grabbin what's mine I'm livin in times where my daughters are found around kids who can't afford thinkin caps But always found drinkin raps and eatin off beats Claimin laws of the streets - but who made the laws? Everybody playin (Rebel) with no sign of a +Cause+ [Chorus: Cee-Lo] Well I, feel the world around me I've found, that others, will bring you down, just to be down You've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be Where you wanna go with your life With your life.. [Pos] Yo, I'm never singin the blues but findin the clues to maintain And I been blessed to reign supreme over nearly every dream I had, and I made it come true I'm an imperfect man and I'm holdin the clue to perfection, it doesn't seem to matter what direction I look I find people settin traps Tryin to find the goal - without havin any maps Even friends of mine, jumped on line, just to become my adversary They felt they were entitled to the dairy I made They don't come to chill or behave And they got, toast ready to burn Not learnin to live, but they yearnin to take what you earn [Chorus: Cee-Lo] Well I, feel the world around me I've found, that others, will bring you down, just to be down You see - you've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be And where you wanna go with your life With your life.. [Pos] So quick to place blame.. and deny the shame we bring upon ourselves So many names held accountable for my own account When a large amount was weight - that I made and shaped When I climbed I found It was hard to find others around to point my fingers at Which made me realize the truth The biggest supressor could be your own ego lookin for an excuse to plant roots, in a field of self-sorrow to sprout and follow the first thing you feel Nourishes your hunger to be respected, it gets hectic And when I'm watchin the news, and my daughter walks in and choose to ask, "Why were all those people on the floor sleepin, covered in red?" I told her that they were lookin for God, but found religion instead [Chorus: Cee-Lo] Well I, feel the world around me I've found, that others, will bring you down; just to be down You see, you've got to make up yo' mind, where you wanna be And where you wanna go with yo' life With your life, with your life.. [Cee-Lo harmonizes and ad libs with choir] [Cee-Lo] I need my SPAAAACE, to live.. Well I, feel the world around me I've found, that others, will bring you down; just to be down You see, you've got to make up yo' mind, where you wanna be And where you wanna go with yo' life With your life, with your life..