Ant Banks - I Want to Be Free (That's the Truth) lyrics

[Verse 1:] You think Oakland California is a city of punks It only takes a second, to pop the trunk And just like that you know it's real You're in the right damn town to get k**ed It's all about the game, and nothin else You come out here, you better watch yourself Cause you can wear what you want, even blue or red But cross the wrong brothers, and end up dead You catch a body full of bullets, and get blasted Tryin to be a gangsta but you just ain't lastin This little town is gettin wild as hell Check the penetentiaries and all the jails If they could lock us all up that would be just fine Got my partners from Oakland doin serious time You can't argue with the truth it's hard to be black But it's a mindgame, and you gotta deal with that I wake up everyday and I just can't wait To make mo money, cause back in the days When I rapped, I did the same damn thing I do now Grab the microphone, and show you how But I was broke, the only thing I had was game I started makin money and knew things would change Bought a Benz, thought it might earn respect But the OPD, found it hard to accept I got jacked by the Task and jacked by the Vice Face down on the ground keep my hands in sight Put the handcuffs on backseat I'm in it Illegal search for about thirty minutes Askin me, where's the dope Where's my gun, but I don't know I said I'm rappin, they laugh like I told a joke And to this day they think I'm sellin coke [Hook:] I want to be free! (and that's the truth) Ohhh yeahhh I want to be free! Ohhh yeahhh [Verse 2:] I be in Oakland California every day of my life Ba** so hard you think I'm smokin a pipe And if I don't smoke it, I gots to grind Searched all my stuff, and all you find Is a pocket full of money count seven G's Now you wanna think I'm sellin keys Cause I'm a black man, but I run my own business So why the police wanna send me to prison They see a brother makin major cash They knock a patch out his black a** And that's the truth, you can't argue you at all Tryin to give you ten years for a phone call Ain't even trippin on the dank smoke Cause all they wanna find, is guns and coke In court all the time tryin to fight it We get rich, we get indeibted So what's the problem Officer this time? Is havin' big money being black a crime? Or did you take me to jail, to teach me a lesson Charge me with somethin, or just ask questions About the brothers I hang around What's really goin on in the Oakland town Tell me who went broke, and who got rich But Too $hort baby just ain't no snitch You say you're just doin your job But you're gettin on my nerves, just like Bob Everytime I hit a corner, I see you Always tellin brothers what to do You lock me up cause I don't know how to act But I'm down for mine so I be talkin back And when I do, you treat me bad as hell I'm sick of spendin nights in jail [Hook:] [Verse 3:] Got out of jail about fo'-fifteen Walkin down the street like a broke dopefiend Had a pocket full of money tryin to play the role Benz got towed and I was hella cold But I ain't trippin, I'm gettin used to it now Handcuffed your boy took me straight downtown For three warrants, had to catch me sooner or later Cause the five-oh's always tryin to jack a playa For no reason, wasn't doin nothin wrong You think I'm lyin, singin that same ol song Well I'm a black man, ridin in a Benz How in the hell did I make these ends? Here we go I pull over to the right Stop the engine keep my hands in sight I start cursin, cause it don't make sense Why would I run and try to jump a fence If I was plannin, a smooth getaway I never woulda stopped in the first place You'd be high speed chasin me but this time you ain't Cause all I got on me is a big fat bank And I hope I don't get robbed by you know who Make me donate some G's to the boys in blue And if I sue, I won't get nothin back But I ain't mad... I'm just black... [Hook: 2x]