I've been serving sentences
For crimes I didn't commit
Studying survivors
Trying so hard not to quit
I've had 2 billion teachers
And still don't know enough
I don't see how a darkened mind
Could be circuited to a heart
That's filled with love
I've been serving sentences
For poems I didn't submit
I've had my laureate moments
Sometimes I'm mediocre at best
I feel so exhausted from my losses
But I still know my way to bliss
I still believe in fairy tales
Though I've learned to survive
Without love's kiss
Some once upon a times
I ruined everything
I've still known no greater joy
Than when my sons sing
I've been serving sentences
For rhymes that weren't legit
I'd still give anything sometimes
For Hip Hop to love me back
I wanted to be knighted
From the firsts to touch the booth
With a mic and two turntables
Add a band like The Roots
I paid admission
I paid dues
I filled vaults
All the way to heaven
I know it was my own fault
I didn't make it to the feast
Half steps and lack of preparation
Are like marks of beasts
I've been serving sentences
Hoping to escape from Alcatraz
I've spent many hours studying letters
of Al-Hajj Malik El Shabazz
MLK and Jiddu Krishnamurti
And Jesus was just as sweet
Sometimes my sentences don't ride a beat
It's like a combination lock theory
I believe I'm ultimately set free
By perfecting my inquiry
