The Roots — Panic

[Verse: Black Thought] Yo, I woke up in the darkness at 12:17 to shots and sirens Look out the window, peep the high beams Now they searchin' The cops lookin' for the person that pulled the trigger Medical figures is nursin' the kid that got shot Some innocent Akh that would front to flip the rock On them at McKean Street block I tried to tell him to stop 'cause yo, it's ghetto red hot Similar to the blood now floodin' his top I take a step out the spot, to the point of attack And see the shorty-wop heart blast out of his back Damn, I'm thinkin' it don't cease, it's no more peace Police level increase, but what the fuck, it's still crime on the streets I can't breathe, now what's goin' on? One minute — you alive, the next — you're gone Illadel-P-H-I-A Hell Bust off into the heavens for the nigga who fell And hit the L, for the niggas who fell That could have been prevented In front of the flat your moms rented And no one expect that from you 'cause you was timid Fuckin' with them cats from outside city limits Funny how this whole thing changed, an off minute Yo, dig it, Panic!!!!! None of this is ever granted Drownin' in a nightmare, stranded