Lauryn Hill - Family Business lyrics

[Verse 1: Omega] Where I was born, nothing is promised My life is filled with less hope than the prophecies of Nostradamus Omega marks the ending of predictability, Birth of agility Who will it be to test me and expose their futility Iron like a lion from Zion Stop tryin' so hard, I think I smell your brain cells fryin' The family's behind you if you're worthy Philosophies developed deep in the back streets of dirty Jersey Troops with scully hats and Timberland boots No more break-dancing for loot n***as hustle and shoot In the Garden State, it grows stink weeds and criminals Government funds are minimal Oppression's subliminal [Verse 2: Wyclef] These days its hard for we to find peace of mind Between insanity and sanity there lies a thin line Some dwell in hotels with Jezebels A stone age and fall a victim to the Plague Unclean bad dreams of Wyclef being a fiend One last kiss from my sweet serpentine Eliminate, break, navigate To rejuvenate thoughts of suicide with my nickel plate Reconcilation came from my enemy-friend Who said, "family don't bend, we stay silent till the end" Now who would think that your best friend Would be your worst enemy and your enemy your best friend Stare into the air inspiration from the atmosphere I think of old ghosts that ain't even here Like Alex Haley, take notes on this biography My family tree consists of street refugees A ghetto land where we talk slang Stolen cars bang like my chitty bang-bang sh-bang For the heads, we ain't sellin' c**aine today So refrain and let my family reign, okay [Hook: Omega & Wyclef] Just walkin' the streets d**h can take you away It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play So defend the family that's the code to obey But if I fall asleep and d**h takes me away Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play So the family sticks together and we never betray [Verse 3: Wyclef] Nah, f** that Fifty-two pick up, no cops around Fifty-two thousand in cash, I don't want no savings bonds Have the money ready, I smell something fishy Your wife's in my custody, one false move and you'll find her body in the sea That's the voice of the kid, that's the kidnapper I do my work and then I catch my ticket to Jamaica Meet me in the alley, make sure you bring the money This ain't the seventies, I'm far from a jive turkey [Verse 4: Lauryn] My circle it can't be broken open, cut-throatin', provokin' Record promotin', tokin', chokin' on they words like smoke, and Cause we soft spoken, doesn't mean that we've forgotten Your booty smells rotten and one day you will be gotten See, jokers is scatter-brained, their focus is unrestrained My army is trained, you never find us beefin' in vain Cause I've seen fire and I've seen rain You claim fame, while modest n***as remain I can judge a character like Ito judge a verdict And if you bringin' threats I give you s** if I ain't heard it See, poppin' sh**'s about your attitude and how you word it I seen the biggest n***as on the block get murdered and they deserverd it Or so the beast said when they served it, that sh** is nervous So what's my purpose? Family, we must preserve it Your number's retired, I hope you like the hell fires You'll be screamin' "Murder She Wrote" like Chaka Demus and Pliers [Hook: Omega & Lauryn] Just walkin' the streets d**h can take you away It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play So defend the family that's the code to obey But if I fall should asleep and d**h takes me away Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play So the family sticks together and we never betray [Verse 5: John Forte] We used to jump rope, but now we gun hope Bustin' shots off of project roof tops Sending signals with the blunt smoke Ock, don't talk a lot if you can't hold it in lock If you think lips sink ships, imagine full Glock clips I hold a gla** of Remy Martin, gettin' milks by the carton Extortin' the lightweights for thinkin' they important The night pays in heavenly ways, ain't nothin' free I acknowledgin' your family and steppin' to your B.I You see I stay on top of sh** like a fly My n***as reach when they got beef, then jet down to South Beach Yo mouthpiece is yappin', I hear it in your rap and My family is thick so that bullsh** could never happen [Hook: Wyclef & Lauryn] Just walkin' the streets d**h can take you away It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play So defend the family that's the code to obey But if I should fall asleep and d**h takes me away Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play So the family sticks together and we never betray