No I.D. - G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition) lyrics

[Intro: Common] After bein' 25 you know just trying to survive in the world About to have a little boy or baby girl. Who knows? Anyway just when you start gettin' that little age and experience to you start thinking about stuff, trying to make the right moves So bust it out this is what I was thinkin' check it [Verse 1: Common] Yo the education of the Lon chicka Lonnie Lynn Began, began with time Being my bloodline is one with the divine In time brother, you will discover the light Some say that God is Black and the devil's White Well, the devil is wrong and God is what's right I fight, with myself in the ring of doubt and fear The rain ain't gone, but I can still see clear As a child, given religion with no answer to why Just told believe in Jesus cause for me he did die Curiosity k**ed the catechism Understanding and wisdom became the rhythm that I played to And became a slave to master self A rich man is one with knowledge, happiness and his health My mind had dealt with the books of Zen, Tao the lessons Qur'an and the Bible, to me they all vital And got truth within 'em, gotta read them boys You just can't skim 'em, different branches of belief But one root that stem 'em, but people of the venom try to trim 'em And use religion as an emblem When it should be a natural way of life Who am I or they to say to whom you pray ain't right That's who got you doing right and got you this far Whether you say "in Jesus name" or "Hum do Allah" Long as you know it's a bein' that's supreme to you You let that show towards others in the things you do 'Cause when the trumpets blowin', 24 elders surround the throne Only 144,000 gon' get home Only 144,000 gon' get home Only 144,000 gon' get it, baby [Hook: Cee-Lo] I've lived and I've learned I have taken and I've earned I have laughed, I've cried I have failed and I have tried Sunshine, pouring rain Found joy through all my pain I just wanna be happy with being me [Verse 2: Cee-Lo] Let me voice my concern So many of my fellow brothers have given themselves a title that their actions didn't earn Our ignorance is in the same breath as our innocence Subconciously, seeking to find an impressionable mind to convince I've finally come to the realization why Black people in the worse place 'Cause it's hard to correct yourself when you don't know who you are in the first place So I try to find the clue in you But evidently, White folks know more Black history than we do Why're we being lied to? I ain't know our history was purposely hidden Damn, something in me wanna know who I am So I began my search, my journey started in church It gave my heartache relief when I started to understand belief Hustlin' was like a gift spent my share of time in the streets Taught me survival from this evil I'm just gonna have to deal with And I felt like a fool when I tried to learn it in school It almost seemed like a rehearsal when the only science and math are universal Takin' elder advice, read the Bible, the Koran Searched scrolls from the Hebrew Israelites Hold on, this ain't right, Jesus wasn't White Some leads were granted with insight And it's all in the plan, but it took me some time to overstand He still created with the imperfection of man So, with following I disagree By no means have I forgotten or forgiven what's been done to me but I do know the Devil ain't no White man, the Devil's a spiritual mind That's color blind, there's evil White folk and evil n***as You gon surely find there's no positivity without negativity But one side you gonna have to choose Any chance to speak I refuse to misuse So how can you call yourself God when you let a worldly possession Become an obsession and the way you write your rhymes and can't follow your lesson If a seed's sown, you make sure it's known, you make sure it's grown If you God, then save your own, don't mentally enslave your own If you God, then save your own, don't mentally enslave your own If you God, then save your own, don't mentally enslave your own [Hook] I've lived and I've learned I have taken and I've earned I have laughed, I've cried I have failed and I have tried Sunshine, pouring rain Found joy through all my pain I just wanna be happy with being me