Color Lines Songtext
von Watsky

Your first rap show posted in the back row
Of a sea of white kids bent on supermanning that hoe
Pretty soon you′re buying fitted hats and high tops
Pretending that you're black enough and rapping with the lights off
Its like a cyclops with one closed eye
You can tell me that you′re winking,
But the grin dont lie
And no mouth supplies, what your skin tone hides
About a thousand miles south as the Jim Crow flies
And then we're playing he said she said
I see red when I peep a pink cheeked boston meathead
I wanna go Bruce Lee
When I see him on the T taking up two seats
And say, "excuse me, but would you move if hell froze?"
You know the subway is the underground railroad
Lynch trees have the same white limbs
Check out my arms, I look just like him
These color lines will make you break you make you choose a side
These color lines these color lines been here since jump
I write these color lines cause if I don't I′ll lose my mind


I write these color lines these color lines
Let′s you and I get one thing straight
The game never been equal, ain't no food on my plate
I gave birth to this and you just took it and co opted it and profited
And packaged it and wouldn′t give me half of it
Peep how I master this and break down how you took it all
Raped the culture and you standing there looking all
Innocent, take a mile when I give and inch
And how you getting rich, is it a coincidence?
Or is it ignorance? You don't know your own privilege
You own riches and don′t know what homeless is
You got a lot to learn before you even think about
Hip hop, black culture and which fitted you pickin out
Nigger in the street, I don't think so bro
My people ain′t supportin your black history show
So stop what you doing we won't take it anymore
Before you come in my house wipe ya feet at the door
These color lines will make you break you make you choose a side
These color lines these color lines been here since jump
I write these color lines cause if I don't I′ll lose my mind
I write these color lines these color lines
I see the color lines
It′s tough that Every other time a bother rhymes
White mothers think of gutter crimes
We keep our standard higher
We don't kick lower rhymes
Other times it undermines the fact the mine are over mindsAll you gotta do is get past the guilt
We ain′t living in a house that master built
If you understand that, tell your people what you know
Because one of em got enough money to pay back what you owe
Yes, My great gramps had land, had slaves
I guess I pressed this record off the bank he made
But I want independance, past the declaration
But one down ass white boy can't pay for reparations
I′m running out of patience while you do the work of Satan
Like an impulse. Edu Leedz Black history's an insult
Number one. I′m not. trying. to tell. your. story
I just want to sit on my porch, drink a forty and spit
Number two, cause You can smell bullshit
I just love hip hop
Pinky swear that's it
If you love hip hop respect it
That includes the people who created it and paved the way for this
So that you're making it
Well if you′re talking on who′s making it, I'll play devil′s advocate
A lot of black music has white dollars backing it
(Kweli's got it on lock)
Rupert Murdoch funded Rawkus
You looking for the keys, then you better check the pockets
I′ll be checking pockets all right
As soon as it gets dark and all night
I'ma get my money we can all fight
You taking out the high and the mighty
And their kids
You say kill whitey
I say call i live?
You′re not black militant
Killing us diligent
Grab my fam, and grandma and light us up like a filament
I thought we were cool now I'm this close to giving in
Just put a bullet in for each missed dose of Ritalin
These color lines will make you break you make you choose a side
These color lines these color lines been here since jump
I write these color lines cause if I don't I′ll lose my mind
I write these color lines these color lines
So whats a white man′s place in hip hop?
A white man's place... is to stay in his place how ′bout that?
Ill learn my place man cause when i was in middle school...
I learned, to freestyle from the Asian kids.
Are some worth procreating more than others?
I mean, a procreation has a lot to do with disrespect so
As a participant in hip hop
You'd have to have supreme respect for where it came from
D′you think that we should have total cultural exchange?
Because we don't want to lose our heritage
I mean yo if I could do Latin River dance, and make a whole bunch of money off of it...
Kaching
If... you take Latin River Dance I′ll speak on behalf of my Irish side of the family
And we'll give you Latin River Dance if you
Forgive all the cultural appropriation and heritage
Privilege and my Jewish side of the family
Will throw in Klezmer music.
Unfortunately that doesn't undo,
Years of oppression and white privilege.