Fort Minor Album

[No lyrics]

[Mike]
You ready? Lets go!
Yeah, for those of you who want to know what we`re all about
It`s like this y`all (c`mon!)

[Chorus]
This is ten percent luck,
Twenty percent skill,
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will,
Five percent pleasure,
Fifty percent pain,
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!

[Mike]
Mike
He doesn`t need his name up in lights
He just wants to be heard whether it`s the beat or the mic
He feels so unlike everybody else, alone
In spite of the fact that some people still think that they know him
But fuck em`
He knows the code:
It`s not about the salary
It`s about reality and making some noise
Makin' a story
Makin sure his clique stays up
That means when he puts it down, Tak`s pickin it up!
(Let`s go!)

[Tak]
Who the hell is he anyway?
He never really talks much
Never concerned with status but still leavin them star struck
Humbled through opportunities given despite the fact
That many misjudge him because he makes a livin from writin raps
Put it together himself, now the picture connects
Never askin for someone`s help, and get some respect
He`s only focused on what he wrote, his will is beyond reach
And now when it all unfolds, the skill of an artist

[Ryu]
This is twenty percent skill
Eighty percent beer
Be one hundred percent clear, 'cause Ryu is ill
Who would`ve thought that he`d be the one to set the west in flames
Then I heard him wreckin with The Crystal Method, "The Name Of The Game"
Came back dropped Megadef, took 'em to church
I like bleach man, Ryu had the stupidest verse
This dude is the truth, now everybody givin him guest spots
His stock`s through the roof I heard he fuckin with S-Dot!

[Chorus]
It`s just ten percent luck,
Twenty percent skill,
Fiftteen percent concentrated power of will,
Five percent pleasure,
Fifty percent pain,
And a hundred perecnt reason to remember the name!

[Ryu]
They call him Ryu he's sick
And he`s spittin' fire and Mike
Got him out the dryer he`s hot
Found him in Fort Minor with Tak
What a fuckin' nihilist porcupine
He`s a prick, he`s a cock
The type woman want to be with
And rappers hope he get shot
Eight years in the makin`
Patiently waitin to blow
Now the record with Shinoda`s takin over the globe
He`s got a partner in crime, his shit is equally dope
You wont believe the kind of shit that comes out of this kid`s throat

[Tak]
Tak
He`s not your everyday on the block
He knows how to work with what he's got
Makin his way to the top
He often gets a comment on his name
People keep askin him, was it given at birth,
Or does it stand for an acronym?
No. He`s livin' proof,
Got him rockin the booth
He`ll get you buzzin quicker than a shot of vodka with juice (juice)
Him and his crew are known around as one of the best
Dedicated to what they do n give a hundred percent!

[Mike]
Forget Mike
Nobody really knows how or why he works so hard
It seems like he`s never got time
Because he writes every note, and he writes every line
And I`ve seen him at work when that light goes on in his mind
It`s like a design is written in his head every time
Before he even touches a key or speaks in a rhyme
And those motherfuckers he runs with the kids that he signed?
Ridiculous, without even trying, how do they do it?!

[Chorus]
This is ten percent luck,
Twenty percent skill,
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will,
Five percent pleasure,
Fifty percent pain,
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!

This is ten percent luck,
Twenty percent skill,
Fifteen percent concentrated power of will,
Five percent pleasure,
Fifty percent pain,
And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!

[Outro - Mike]
Yeah! Fort Minor!
M. Shinoda, Styles of Beyond!
Ryu, Takbir!
Machine Shop!

Someone right now,
Is leaving their apartment,
Lookin' down at the street,
N wonderin' where there car went.

Someone in a car,
Sittin' at a signal,
In front of a restaraunt,
Starin' through the window at,

Someone right now with,
Their finger in their teeth,
Who could use a little floss.

Right across the street,
There's somebody on the curb,
Who really needs a jacket.
Spent half the rent at a bar getting plastered.
Now hes gotta walk fourteen blocks,
To work at a shop where he's about to get fired.

Someone right now,
Is looking pretty tired,
Starin' at a laptop,
Tryin' to get inspired.

Somebody,
Livin' right across the street,
Just wrote the best thing that shes written all week,
But her best friend's coughin' up blood in the sink,
He can't even think what happened,
Feeling so confused,
And he knows it looks bad but,
There's nothing he can do,
I wonder what its like to be right there in his shoes.

[Chorus]
But no,
I'm just takin' it in
Out the window of a hotel bedroom again,
Tomorrow I'll be gone,
I dont know when I'll be back,
And this world everything can change just like that,
That,
Just like that,
Just like that that,
Just like that,
Just like that.


Yo,
Somebody right now is droppin' his vote,
Inside a box and trying not to get shot in his throat.
For the act of freedom,
Right now somebody is stuck in Iraq,
Hopin' that he gets shipped back breathin',
A war that he's not really sure of the reasons,
So we show our support when the press mislead them,
Though we more then remain proud and salute the troops,
Get some I know you boys got some work to do

Meanwhile,
Right now someones 25-to-life-ing
Standin' on the corner,
With their thumb up hitchikin',
Stratching off a lotto ticket,
Hopin' for a real winner,
Sneakin' through the boarder just to work,
And eat a real dinner.
Right now someone wishes they were you and I,
Instead of second guessin' fatal thoughts of quiet suicide
But right now,
I'm staring out the window at a fiend,
With holes in his arm,
And holes in his jeans,
He pulled out his cigarette and sparked the light,
And walked right around the corner just outta my sight

[Re-Chorus]
But yo,
I'm just takin' it in
From the second story hotel window again,
The TV's on, and my bags are packed,
But in this world everything can change just like that,
Like that,
Like that,
Like that,

[Repeat]

Yeah,
Right now somebody sittin' in the darkness,
Tryin' to figure out how to put some heat in they apartment,
But they got a little mattress,
A little carpet,
And they appreciate it,
Cause some people on a park bench.
You seen 'em when you rushin' to get to the office,
Wife ride by 'em when she comin' from the market
Right now somebody coming out the pocket,
Tryin' to dump that rock they runnin' round the block wit',
Same time the cops is raisin' the Glock with aim to fill your legs,
And you're back with some hot shit
Right now somebody strugglin' to stop this man,
Who's kickin' and punchin' and cussin' at the doctors.
Down the hall the child takin' it's first breath,
The doctors ain't even passed him to the nurse yet,
Yo I wonder if he understands what it's worth yet,
Life, the time spent while we here on the earth,
Yet the answer to the question that we all seek,
Can be found, it depend on how free y'all think
Right now it's somebody who ain't eat all week,
That would kill for the shit that you throw away in the street,
I guess ones man's trash is the next man's treaure.
One man's pain is the next man's pleasure,
One say infinity the next say forever,
Right now erybody got to get it together man.

Im just taking it in,
In another strange hotel lobby again,
With my luggage on my back,
I don't know where I'm at,
I'm in world where we all change just like that,
Like that,
Like that,
Just like that,
Like that,
Just like that,
Just like that,
Just like that.
[repeat first chorus]

Y'all are not, not, r-ready (NO)
Not r-ready (NO)
We about to drop it steady (SO)
Do it like that
(like that, like that, like that, like that, like that, like that)

[Chorus]
Now why's everybody so petrified (WHAT)
Petrified (WHAT)
Step aside and just drop that (COME ON)
Drop that (COME ON)
Drop that (COME ON)
Drop that (COME ON) [x2]

Yeah
How you doin, y’all
My name is Mike
I’m fluent with the new shit
I’m doing it all night
I like what i do
I do what i like
I could quit and get it back like I’m riding a bike
Like stop
Bring it back, bring it back
We got that balance keeping us on track
That ya get what ya move and quit, wit no slow
You stare like you don’t care
But you do it though

I know
You really must be so lonely
Puffed up, like tough, but so phony
You and your boys, you don’t know me
You really wanna hold me, show me, homie

Lets get it over with for good
I got a friction addiction I wish you would
Machine Shop rockin' when we step inside
And we got everybody so petrified

[Chorus]

Listen you are not ready
Like children in a building you can’t stand steady
It must be the beat so heavy
Causin' panic attacks like a crack in the levy

Give you that Robert-plant
Dancing days are back
Feeling all in the track and in fact
For those knowing the name
I'm back with some brand new attack
Who can do it like - that

You really must be so lonely
Puffed up, like tough, but so phony
You and your boys, you don’t know me
You really wanna hold me show me, homie.

Tough talk doesn’t mean a thing
Get over yourself you know when we’re up in the scene
It's machine shop rockin' when we step inside
And we got everybody so petrified

[Chorus] [x2]

Y'all are not, not, r-ready (NO)
Not r-ready (NO)
We about to drop it steady (SO)
Do it like that
(like that, like that, like that, like that, like that, like that) [x2]

Get up

[Chorus] [x2]

Like stop (like stop)
Bring it back (bring it back)
We got that balance keeping us on track [x4]

Like stop (stop, stop, stop...)

Machine shop (shop, shop, shop...)

These days are dark and the nights are cold,
people acting like they lost there soul,
and everywhere i go i see another person like me,
trying to make it all feel like home.(x2)

Standing on a bridge in the dark and im seeing my breath,
trying to make it home with out freezing to death,
and my grandfathers face is stuck in my mind,
and how seeing him tonight is going to be the last time.
I should of brought a jacket,
blowing in my hands like its really going to stop the chill,
i buy a cup of coffee with a five dollar bill,
thinking layin` in that box people look so still,

At times like these you start thinkin`,
your first breath in and the clock starts tickin`,
im not try to bumm anyone out,
not tryin` to be drammatic just thinking out loud.
I'm just tryin`to make sense in my mind,
some defence from the cold that im feeling outside,
and for a minute this gig was some rythem and ryhme,
and get away from the grey just a bit at a time.

Yeh, kinda funny how this world can treat you,
like a freak at a side show a carnival creature,
cimbing out of cans im a diamond in the sand,
but you cant tell the diffrence on a beach full of grimestones.
my lifes like trying to swallow a pinecone,
its tough when you live fast just to die slow,
talk to doubt tones my dreams are far fetched,
its seems so i sleep underneath this park bench.
I know it dont make sence and i dont expect,
for you to know what its like smoke, drink, piss, sniff,
every thing in my sight push rocks in my pipe,
lift off ill keep puffing `till my lips turn white,
and my chest is tight but who the fuck really cares,
when your so far up that even death looks right,
all i can do is hope for the best and pray,
that it gets a little better then yesterday.

these days are dark and the nights are cold,
people acting like they lost there soul,
and everywhere i go i see another person like me,
trying to make it all feel like home.(x2)

Yo, part of me i can think im next to hurl,
to many problems goin` on thats why i left my girl,
packed my bags and i traveld with a pen on my notepad,
it said i was wrote in all the things that i dont have,
but still i try to find away to escape,
from what i hate plan it in my head wich led to mistakes,
but now my, break in the most the adults paciently called,
many sleep in the grim but im the break in the storm,
right in my life in the short film the rise and fall ,
how i manage to scorch hills and cilmb the wall,
funds paid the endlless the cold egsistans,
even the things that change that change end up goin a distance,
over come the doubt that had control for so long,
i put it all behind me `cuz life still goes on,
now im much stronger and i know where i stand,
now the lost soul search is on over and over again.

These days are dark and the nights are cold,
people acting like they lost there soul,
and everybody try not to cry tryin,
go bye and tryin not to feel out of control,
and if you look hard enough somtimes you`ll find,
a place that might remind you of home ,
or if i doesnt feel like home,
you can do what i do,
just pretent you dont feel so alone.

feel like home(x7)

Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone

She said somedays I feel like shit
Somedays I wanna quit and just be normal for a bit
I don't understand why you have to always be gone
I get along but your trips always feel so long
And I find myself trying to stay by the phone
'Cause your voice always helps me to not feel so alone
But I feel like an idiot, working my day around a call
And when I pick up I don't have much to say, so

I want you to know its a little fucked up that
I'm stuck here waiting, at times debatin
Telling you that I've had it with you and your career
Me and the rest of the family here singing

Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone
Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone
Please Come back home

You know, the place you used to live
Used to barbeque with burgers and ribs
Used to have a little party every halloween
with candy by the pile but now
you only stop by every once in a while
Shit
I find myself just filling my time
With anything to keep the thought of you from my mind
I'm doing fine and I'm plannin' to keep it that way
You can call me if you find that you have something to say
And I'll tell you

I want you to know its a little fucked up that
I'm stuck here waiting, at times debating
Telling you that I've had it with you and your career
Me and the rest of the family here singing

Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone
Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone
Please Come back home

I want you to know its a little fucked up that
I'm stuck here waiting, no longer debatin'
Tired of sittin and hatin' and making these excuses
For why you're not around, and feeling sorta useless
It seems that one thing has been true all along
You don't really know what you've got till its gone
I guess I've had it with you and your career
When you come back I won't be here and you can sing it

Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone
Where'd you go?
I miss you so
Seems like its been forever that you've been gone
Please Come back home

Please come back home
Please come back home
Please come back home
Please come back home

“That beat is hard”

This is how it goes,
Welcome one and all to the show.
We’re wired up, fired up
Fucking ready to go.
In the back of the parking lot,
Outsida of da bar,
20 deep, 20 feet
From the boulevard.
Black hoodies, black caps
Black label and glasses
Previewing the new shit before all the masses.
Cuz the first thing I need when I got a new beat,
Is to see how it sounds echoing off the street.
I just take it for a spin,
Pop the CD in,
Slide it up to ten and get that rear view shaking.
Play it again so there’s no mistakin`,
San Andrea is the block, get this bitch earth quaking.
Like ohhhh!
Ready for it here we go,
We got the whole block rocking in stereo.
Taking control, letting everybody know
And if you feel like me hear everybody go
Ohhhh!
You’re not ready
I got plenty cuts for twenty months drop steadily.
Plenty tracks to empty on your whack pedigree
I’m back heavily while your back peddling.
Forget the chit chat, homey homey kick back
I’m that shit that can get your homey bitch slapped.
So zip your lip back
Listen and watch we got the whole block rockin
Off the way to beat knocks
You don’t have to wanna beat along the corner they know
That if you’re standing on that corner
Then you’re getting that show
World premiering
You’re hearing
That machine shop flow
San Andrea is the block, get this bitch earth quaking
Like ohhhh!
-
Ready for it here we go,
We got the whole block rocking in stereo.
Taking control, letting everybody know.
And if you feel it let me hear everybody go
Ohhhh!
Ready for it here we go,
We got the whole block rocking in stereo.
Taking control, letting everybody know.
And if you feel it let me hear everybody go
Ohhhh!

Turn the key,
turn the volume up to loud
Roll right roll every window down
Let the whole block know what this about
Turn it up ya’ll burn that system out
Turn the key,
turn the volume up to loud
Roll right roll every window down
Let the whole block know what this about
Turn it up ya’ll
Burn up that system like
Like ohhhh!
Ready for it here we go,
We got the whole block rocking in stereo.
Taking control, letting everybody know
And if you feel let me hear everybody go
Ohhhh!
We got the whole block rocking in stereo.
Taking control, letting everybody know
And if you feel let me hear everybody go
Ohhhh!
Let’s go ahead a test out the speakers you ready
Let’s go like this

Back home
Everybody`s searching for somethin`
But all they can find is a whole lot of nothin`
Back home
Ain`t nobody hoping and praying
`Cause they feel like nothing can save `em
And they try to hold out but they can`t fight the fact that...
Life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
`Cause ain`t a damn thing free
Back home

Common:
Back home/they holler "disciple" and "blackstone"
Same block they freebase yo we trapped on
where our grandmothers marched/the guns clap on
There`s liqour stores, beauty supplies, and rap songs
I travel the world just to come back to it
The crib got a lot of soul like black music
I`m attached to it
In many ways this city raised me/ and gave me
the drama, honor and bravery
The streets seem hollow/when I go to Chicago
It`s cheap wine and sorrow
Times is hard to swallow
In search of God`s tomorrow/I borrow words from the
Bible/and use them for survival/gangs rival
Signs painted on walls like hieroglyphics
I tell `em that this is all tribal
Used to dirt/shorty`s goin` through the same cycle
And trials like michael/tryin not to stay idle

Back home
Everybody`s searching for somethin`
But all they can find is a whole lot of nothin`
Back home
Ain`t nobody hoping and praying
`Cause they feel like nothing can save `em
And they try to hold out but they can`t fight the fact that...
Life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
`Cause ain`t a damn thing free
Back home

Ryu:
Back home it`s not Compton but close
The same problem exist and the pain throbbin`
And folks are so common
It don`t/really bother us much we just swallow it/uh
Crackt the bottle and smoke/hope tomorrow something
Magical happens that`ll put me back in the biz
But the chances of it actually happening`s kinda slim
Back home/we get the good life at a glimpse
In the form of a rap star, drug dealers, and pimps
I`m back home

Tak:
Back home/I try my best to keep it together it`s cold
Like the windy city streets of December
I pace back and forth/looking for the courage to shine
But can`t tap the source/need something nourish my mind
I know we all lose quite a bit in life
Only to gain some
Life or the dark winding roads we came from
But I move with the night/so I`m used to the shade
And never lose sight/bringing the truth back

Mike:
Back home/ We`ve got a lot of shit on our minds
We`re always behind on something cause there`s not enough time
And we`re non-stop/bottom line/doing what we gotta do
To get some food in the fridge and stay out of the hospital
Back home there`s people calling us hopeless
People trying to tell us all we need is some focus
But focus
Focus is overrated
Cause you see every blemish and mistake and can`t change it
Back home is alvarado/K-town and J-town
Or little for those that don`t know
Where figures shiver/living right in the litter
Where kids write bigger/right inside the LA river
On the concrete/a symbol of our everyday way
It`s that color and concentration over heavy and grey
And by the time the ink dries on this page
I`ll be half a day away from the place where I stay

Back home
Everybody`s searching for somethin`
But all they can find is a whole lot of nothin`
Back home
Ain`t nobody hoping and praying
`Cause they feel like nothing can save `em
And they try to hold out but they can`t fight the fact that...
Life goes black when those lights go out
But I guess you gotta just watch out for your own
`Cause ain`t a damn thing free
Back home

And I love this rap game mainly cause its cool,
To add a little spice to the life you've been through,
Everyone exaggerates a tiny little bit,
Make that shit sound more gangsta then it really is,
You cant appear weak man,
We wanna hear street,
We wanna hear you spit your thug over this here beat,
Don't take it as sarcastic,
I can't get enough I'm tellin you,
You can call my bluff if its not rough then I really don't need it,
I'm not even ashamed,
I've got too much reality and its fillin up my brain,
So sell me on the product,
I'm addicted to the game,
Suck it up like a cigarette,
Light it up.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
No body's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Let me tell you somethin that I realized tonight,
My hip-hop radios like Marlboro light,
They're both selling stories and they sound about the same,
Cigarettes say they're safe,
Rappers say they're really bang,
We don't care if its true when we lay the money down,
We don't believe the words,
We just love the way they sound,
They're acting like we're idiots,
They're lying to our face,
Maybe we are idiots,
We buy it anyway.
I'm runnin out to get the next rappers CD,
Just suckin up the guns, drugs n misogyny,
The same way that I suck up all the stories that I breath,
That little bit of death supposedly cancer free,
And everything they say got the truth twisted up,
Its what I want man I can't get enough,
Cause even though we know its all just a big bluff,
We just light another up,
WHAT we don't give a fuck.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Over and over but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Man listen to ma words,
Listen for a while,
Lip service radio,
Don't touch the dial.

If you're in the car,
Turn up the track man,
Give your whole neighborhood some second hand rap,
Hey,
Matter of fact,
Listen for a while,
Lip service radio,
Don't touch the dial.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Once in a while but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool.

Its just like a cigarette,
Its something that I do,
Over and over but between me and you,
Its just like a cigarette,
Nobody's really fooled,
I don't want the truth,
I just wanna feel fuckin cool

Chorus
I guess
That this is where we've come to
If you don't want to
Then you don't have to believe me
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me

I don't want to be the one to blame
You like fun and games
Keep playin 'em
I'm just sayin
Think back then
We was like one and the same
On the right track
But I was on the wrong train
Just like that
Now you've gotta face the pain
And the devil's got a fresh new place to play
In your brain like a maze you can never escape the rain
Every damn day is the same shade of grey

Hey
I used have a little bit of a plan
Used to
Have a concept of where I stand
But that concept slipped right out of my hand
Now I don't really even know who I am
Yo, what do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free
And whatever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen to me

:Chorus:

Back then, I thought you were just like me
Somebody who could see all the pain I see
But you proved to me unintentionally
That you would self-destruct eventually
Now I'm thinking like the mistake I made doesn't hurt
But it's not gonna work
Cause it's really much worse than I thought
I wished you were something you were not
And now this guilt is really all that I got

Uh
You turned your back
And walked away in shame
All you got is a memory of pain
Nothing makes sense so you stare at the ground
And hear my voice in your head when no one else is around
So what do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free
And whatever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen to me

:Chorus:

Instrumental Break

:Chorus:

I'll do what i have to do
You're on your own now believe me

Whatever happend to you?
You're on your own now believe me

What do I have to say?
You're on your own now believe me

It's not gonna happen to me
You're on your own now believe me

The dude, he said that, like, when we were making the first Linkin Park record
He was like,
"Yeah you know, I don`t know about the rapping like, I don`t know... maybe you should just be a rock band."
You know what I mean, like, trying to change us
like they signed us as an act like what we sound like and then he`s like
"Oh I don`t know maybe you should just play keyboard"

Before the first song that you heard me on
There were people already tryin` to get me gone
Tellin` me to quit rapping
"Just play the keys"
That my band had a singer
They didn`t need me
But my band had my back
So we did the tracks
Put out the album and the talk went flat
It was funny at first but then the humour faded
When some magazines printed that our label made us
We were to be good to be true
Some were saying ghost writers were writin` all that we do
So we had to disprove it
We spelled it out to the detail how we do it when we`re making this music
After that I made it a rule
I only do e-mail responses to print interviews
Because these people love to put a twist to your words
To infer that you said something fucking absurd

Oh, did I lose you at infer?
Not used to hearing a verse that uses over first grade vocabulary words?
People used to infer that we were manufactured
Now I`ve got the interviews on file
Which people said what
Which number to dial
So now every enemy screaming insanity
All they`re ever gonna be`s another big fan of me
Bitch

Lets go ya`ll

These people are running off at the mouth
Tryin to convince me that I`m running on empty
Tryin to convince themselves that the record with Jay was a fluke
That the record that I`m makin is a mistake
and I cant take this
Lemme tell you where I`m at with this
You bastards are gonna have to take back that shit
I`m not plastic and fake
When I make tracks I take facts and lay them out for the masses
You assholes are gonna see soon that I`m not playin
Start askin me the names that I`m not sayin
But I`m tryin to be bigger than the bickerin
bigger than the petty name callin
under the breath talkin
rumors and labels and categorization
I`m like a struggling doctor, No patients
But you can say what you want about me
keep talkin while I`m walkin away

You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind`s made up anyway
I`m taking the high road going above you
this is the last time that I`m gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind`s made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it`s not gonna work today

You people are running off at the mouth
Tryin to make me take myself off safety
Tryin to make my friends turn their backs on the team we built
buildin up some mistaken information
and I cant take this
lemme spell it out plain for you
angry groups complain about the things we do
im not changing direction, I`m stepping my game up
Maintainin my name, the same way I came up
You`re gonna see that I`m not playin
start asking the names that I`m not sayin
but im tryin not to mention the names of people who wanna sight and attention
You like the hype but pretendin you`re part of the picture wont pass
You`re like a high school dropout, no class
You can say what you want about me
keep talkin while i`m walkin away bitch

You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind`s made up anyway
I`m taking the high road going above you
this is the last time that I`m gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind`s made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it`s not gonna work today

Why does it always have to be
Somebody`s always watching me
All I really need is some room to breathe
Is anybody out there listening?
Cuz I cant stand to keep this in
All I really want, I`ll say it again

You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind`s made up anyway
I`m taking the high road going above you
this is the last time that I`m gonna trust you
You can say what you have to say
cuz my mind`s made up anyway
all that bullshit you talk might work a lot
but it`s not gonna work today

My father came from Japan in 1905
He was 15 when he immigrated from Japan
He, he... he worked until he was able to buy this patch
And build a store

Let me tell you the story in the form of a dream,
I don`t know why I have to tell it but I know what it means,
Close your eyes, just picture the scene,
As I paint it for you, it was World War II,
When this man named Kenji woke up,
Ken was not a soldier,
He was just a man with a family who owned a store in LA,
That day, he crawled out of bed like he always did,
Bacon and eggs with wife and kids,
He lived on the second floor of a little store he ran,
He moved to LA from Japan,
They called him `Immigrant,`
In Japanese, he`d say he was called "Issie,"
That meant `First Generation In The United States,`
When everyone was afraid of the Germans, afraid of the Japs,
But most of all afraid of a homeland attack,
And that morning when Ken went out on the doormat,
His world went black `cause,
Right there; front page news,
Three weeks before 1942,
"Pearl Harbour`s Been Bombed And The Japs Are Comin`,"
Pictures of soldiers dyin` and runnin`,
Ken knew what it would lead to,
Just like he guessed, the President said,
"The evil Japanese in our home country will be locked away,"
They gave Ken, a couple of days,
To get his whole life packed in two bags,
Just two bags, couldn`t even pack his clothes,
Some folks didn`t even have a suitcase, to pack anything in,
So two trash bags was all they gave them,
When the kids asked mum "Where are we goin`?"
Nobody even knew what to say to them,
Ken didn`t wanna lie, he said "The US is lookin` for spies,
So we have to live in a place called Mandinar,
Where a lot of Japanese people are,"
Stop it don`t look at the gunmen,
You don`t wanna get the soldiers wonderin`,
If you gonna run or not,
`Cause if you run then you might get shot,
Other than that try not to think about it,
Try not to worry `bout it; bein` so crowded,
Someday we`ll get out, someday, someday.

As soon as war broke out
The F.B.I. came and they just come to the house and
"You have to come"
"All the Japanese have to go"
They took Mr. Lee
People didn`t understand
Why did they have to take him?
Because he`s an innocent labourer

So now they`re in a town with soldiers surroundin` them,
Every day, every night look down at them,
From watch towers up on the wall,
Ken couldn`t really hate them at all;
They were just doin` their job and,
He wasn`t gonna make any problems,
He had a little garden with vegetables and fruits that,
He gave to the troops in a basket his wife made,
But in the back of his mind, he wanted his families life saved,
Prisoners of war in their own damn country,
What for?
Time passed in the prison town,
He wanted them to live it down when they were free,
The only way out was joinin` the army,
And supposedly, some men went out for the army, signed on,
And ended up flyin` to Japan with a bomb,
That 15 kilotonne blast, put an end to the war pretty fast,
Two cities were blown to bits; the end of the war came quick,
Ken got out, big hopes of a normal life, with his kids and his wife,
But, when they got back to their home,
What they saw made them feel so alone,
These people had trashed every room,
Smashed in the windows and bashed in the doors,
Written on the walls and the floor,
"Japs not welcome anymore."
And Kenji dropped both of his bags at his sides and just stood outside,
He, looked at his wife without words to say,
She looked back at him wiped the tears away,
And, said "Someday we`ll be okay, someday,"
Now the names have been changed, but the story`s true,
My family was locked up back in `42,
My family was there it was dark and damp,
And they called it an internment camp

When we first got back from camp... uhh
It was... pretty... pretty bad

I, I remember my husband said
"Are we gonna stay `til last?"
Then my husband died before they close the camp.

Wooooh Wooooh Woooh Wooooooooh Woooah

I had a friend named Victor and
The two of us used to hang every single day
And it seemed like overnight that his whole life just changed
I know when his mom and dad broke up it didn’t make sense
But I know that his dad was a drunk and he gambled away the rent
Pretty soon Victor was seeing red, pissed off,
but instead he’d drink every night until he passed out and then he`d do it all again
The whole time he was smiling on the outside to cover the pain,
But on the inside all he was just trying to get away

He`s dying to get away, let the pain of yesterday go slipping through the cracks

Yo, funny how things change color then fade to another shade when you
Had ’em made that was all good but now look, just another day.
It was so fresh, it was so clean never saw it go 1-2-3, lights out which way to turn
Can’t get a grip, all alone in the big white house
Everything gets worse and you just curse till your head bursts
And it hurts so bad and she left, make yourself should’ve thought of that one first
No family, no kids, can’t accept what you did.
Now you wanna wanna wait, but you can’t because the past comes back again

Slipping through the cracks sip a little Jack. Could’ve been half dead
What about rent? Why does every cent gotta be a bet? When’s it gonna end?
Oh my God we don’t got a penny left.
My mom’s gotta find a way to get a job, out of debt, out of Dodge, out of breath, out of this big problem
My pop’s wanna get away from the pain and the better place in his brain but the medication he takes
makes him wasted so sick if he’s gonna think the good Lord would come take him, I’m shaking him, wake up you son of a bitch.

He’s dying to get away, let the pain of yesterday go slipping through the cracks
Hiding himself away, watching all the memories fade away from red to black

He’s dying to get away, let the pain of yesterday go slipping through the cracks
Hiding himself away, watching all the memories fade away from red to black

Slipping through the cracks, slipping through the cracks, slipping through the cracks.

These hungry rappers battle for a buck and some change
There really be kids starving / give a f___ if it change
Shock rap / Not that / you get signed you might blow up
Release "Party In Iraq" / you might blow up
I see you trying to think a few lines you might get at me with
Slap happy with babies who`re born with crack in their cribs
Too much to cram under your oversized fitted
And the public school system failed you /
either you`re ignorant or...]

You know me, I used to get caught up in everyday life
Tried to make it through my day so i could sleep at night
Tried to figure out my way through the maze
Of rights and wrongs, but like you used to say
Nothing feels like it`s really worth it
Forget perfect, i`m trying not to be worthless
Since i last saw you i been lookin for a purpose
Well i met this kid who thought like i did
He had a weird way of lookin at it
This is what he said

Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you`ll see nobody cares
Cos you dont wana be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared
Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you`ll see nobody cares
Cos you dont wana be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared

I dont remember where i met him or remember his name
But he walked funny like he was too big for his frame
Just over five foot but he weighed a buck fifty
And what he said just seemed so right it stuck with me
Listen its like poker you can play your best
But you got to know when to fold your cards and take a rest
And know when to hold your cards and hold your breath
And hope that nobody else is stacking the deck because
I dont need to tell you that life isnt fair, it doesnt care
It arbitrarily cuts off your air, and like you i want someone to say its okay
But in the truest parts of our hearts everybody`s afraid
But just underappreciated and overwhelmed
Fighting so hard to hide our fear that were scaring ourselves
You understand when im saying that you always did
But its different in the words of a cowardly kid

Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you`ll see nobody cares
Cos you dont wana be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared
Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you`ll see nobody cares
Cos you dont wana be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared

Im no hero, you remember how i was, you know
All i ever did was worry, feeling out of control
To the point where everything was going end over end
Im spinning around in circles again
This is where you come in
All of this to explain to you why
I had to separate myself away from yesterday`s life
Please remember this isn`t how i hoped it would be
But i had to protect you from me
Thats why i slipped out the back before you knew i was there
I know you felt unprepared
But every single time i was around i just bring you down
And i could tell that it was time to be scared
Thats why i slipped out the back before you knew i was there
And i know the way i left wasnt fair
I didnt want to be around just to bring you down
Im not a hero but dont think i didnt care

Green Lantern [echo]
Uh
MS
Lupe
Ya know, I'm a fan man, I'm a real fan
(Gonna be somebody)
Feel real honored to be up in here, ya know I'm sayin
(Gonna be someone)
They had to bring out the expensive mics for this one
(Gonna be somebody)
Ya know I'm sayin the seven thousand dolla headphones for this one here
Yeah, ya know I'm sayin
(Gonna be someone)
Comeon, talk to em

[Mike Shinoda]
This is the story of them against us
Win or lose
Forcin your feet into someone else's shoes
Everybody's got somein to say
That we oughta live their way
What were doin's not okay
In this world
Everybody's got a chip on
Both sides of their neck
Got no respect
Wait up a sec
You ever feel like the pressure's too much too take
Too much weight
Ladies, and, Gentlemen
If anybody can hear me right now
Please shout back
Were not the only ones feelin so trapped
In a dream of somebody else
In fact
They got their heads full of some overblown scheme
Opportunity they missed
Back when they were sixteen
And all they want to do is push you to be that
And all you wanna do is scream back

[Chorus]
Gonna be somebody
For anybody tellin me I can't
Gonna be someone
For anyone who told me I had no chance
Gonna be somebody
I'm tellin you the time has come (Like that)
Gonna be someone
And maybe you'll get it when I'm finally done

[Mike Shinoda]
We don't sleep to dream
We sleep to build stamina
Energy to do our thing
Get your camera
Cuz this ride is about to begin
Sit down, and buckle it in
Let me say it again
In this world
Everybody's got a chip on
Both sides of their neck
Got no respect
Wait up a sec
When I was young
They said the odds of makin it
Were slim, to none
Ladies, and, fuck it
I'm tired of them sayin the dream you have
Doesn't exist
Tellin you you're worthless
Sayin you should quit
Basically tellin' you
That you'll never be shit
Really they're pissed
Cuz they'll never achieve
Some opportunity they missed
Back when they were sixteen
And all they want to do is push you to be that
And all you wanna do is scream back

[Lupe Fiasco]
Uh
They gone think you're crazy
Mumblin' to yourself
In the basement all day
Uh-uh-uhin to ya self
My pops didn't dig it
Was shovelin to myself
My boys used to get it
They dug it because they felt
My undertakin took me
I was makin in my stealth
For wealth of rhymes, of crazy
I was chuckin to myself
Then they went into the mental rolodex
See I'm knowin bout heart
Like a brain in my chest
And I took up a school
Where subjects was gettin felt
Books under my seat
No book layin on my desk
My teacher's like, Mr. Jacob
Yes?
With all that knowledge
You aint tryin to go to college
Be a lawyer or a doctor
Get a whole lotta dollas
Rather degrade women
And glorify violence
Well the work that works for me
Might not work for you
No homework, I got work to do

[Chorus]
Gonna be somebody
For anybody tellin me I can't
Gonna be someone
For anyone who told me I had no chance
Gonna be somebody
I'm tellin you the time has come (Like that)
Gonna be someone
And maybe you'll get it when I'm finally done

(Im finally done)

This is an invasion
Fort Minor
The Rising Tied
In stores

[Mike:]
One time for my Machine Shop crew and then its
Two times S.O.B and LP too and then it's
Three times It's Mike and Six on the track and then
Four Times when we come in through the back they're sayin

[Chorus:]
Oh no close the door
Shut the lights and start to the show
Better let everybody know
Get on the mic and there they go

[Mike:]
Armed and dangerous bitch
Ya'll cant really hang with us in this
Everyone's so afarid of us/ shit
Makes me wanna hang it up and quit
Forget aboit all the things you heard before
'Bout time that we're kicking down your door
Everybody's gonna hit the fucking floor
Like " please Mike dont hurt me anymore"
I dont gotta have a secret lie or an alibi
everybody knows why I'm here
I'd just as soon crazk a bottle
As crack you over the head with a bottle a bear
So just listen up there powder puff
Better believe that I'm not playing
You can love it you can hate
But dont mistake it everboy's saying

[Chorus]

What you really wanna do is this
Just make believe thati dont exist
But you wont cause everytime you go to sip
I talk right over you just like this
It's annoying just for you
You can scream all day 'til your face is blue
Im gettin in your head and you know it too
And thats just me you dont know my crew
My man Sixx John understand though
The way that he flows you can call him Rambo
Never miss a shot never run out of ammo
Coming with heat like a goddamn commando
And in S.O.B
Ryu, Tak, Vin Skully, Cheapshot
Now you see
Fuck with me?, nah , Sixx

[Sixx John:]
Uh oh whatere you yell when you see that door colse
Imma bail through the back (fo sho)
Straight to the bar so i can act (a fool)
I figure you guys would get a little surprised
Youy eyes wide when its me and Mike Shinod
Im just plain old Sixx John from the Nam- District
This is not supposed
I still talk with awkaward speech
Im like a dog that's off his leash
Step out with a Fort Minor patch on a black tee
Niggas scared to walk these streets
I aint trippin homie talk is cheap
Accapella or we can bark on a beat
And if that aint enough action i got
Seventeen pages in the little magazine i keep

[Mike:]
We got this place rockin' beat knockin non stopping
If ya'll are with it let me hear it now (yeah) yo

One time
for my Machine shop crew and then its
Two times
S.O.B and LP too and then its
Three times
Its Mike and Sixx on the track and
Four times
we do it like that

Come with me
Let me walk in through the world that I currently stay in
You can take a look around and tell me if I’m mistaken
You can even talk to everybody that I live with
Maybe you could tell me why everybody’s so distant
Is it me or maybe, when I look around daily
I don’t even know the people I can put my trust in lately
People that I used to hang with now their actin’ to different
I’m still the same person why doesn’t anybody listen
Can somebody please just explain to me
What happened to the way that we always said we’d be
Right now I dunno why I push through the pain that I got through
And I’m losin’ hope

[chorus]
Deafening voices
That frequency inside my head that says
I’m going at it the hard way I focus
Get everything inside out of my brain that claims
I’m going at it the hard way

Come with me
Let me walk in through the world that I currently live in
Not a thing is forgotten, not a thing is forgiven
Nobody can hold their own underneath the weight but
Nobody can take the blame for their own mistakes so
What do you do when somebody lets you down
And you wanna say something but you can’t cause their not around
Inside you think they know the extent of the pain
But they won’t even admit that they were the one to blame
Can somebody please just explain to me
What happened to the way that we always said we’d be
Cause right now I dunno why I push through the pain that I got through
And I’m losin’ hope

[chorus]

Voices in my head

Can somebody please just explain to me
What happened to the way that we always said we’d be
Right now I dunno why I push through the pain that I got through
And I’m losin’ hope, give me one reason not to

[chorus]