Chorus: Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem” هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ Verse 1: This is Damascus & this is a glass of spirit (comfort) i love - but im aware of the fact that certain kinds of love can slaughter you in their wrath I'm a Damascene being dissect me into halves & have not but grapes & apples fall in your path open my veins with scalpels hear ancestral chants if heart - transplants can cure some of the passionate why does mine stay torn in half then? minarets cryin tears of absence and like trees their souls speak years have passed them (you can hear them askin) for civil rights to live amongst tiers of jasmine as house cats take naps - relaxin "Es la cosa mas triste de este mundo Y asÌ me siento yo por ti solo por ti" (and this is how i feel for you) Chorus: Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem” هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ Verse 2: coffee grinders cracklin childhood reminders - back when how can i forget? when my reaction... to cardemom's strong fragrance yet & still finds attraction as proud fathers wait for a sweet daughter's face im askin... if my roots - heart - & language are here how am i supposed to make myself any more clear? is clarification necessary with love so dear? (so much so that there was no fear...) how many damascene bracelets were sold for this poetry here? apologizin to the willow wonderin' if my little siblings can hear my parts been scattered across coasts for years lanterns on horizons (floatin... saddened eyes had lost their hopes to see her...) "Es la cosa mas triste de este mundo Y asÌ me siento yo por ti solo por ti" (and this is how i feel for you) Chorus: Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem” هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ Verse 3: tossed around in shoreless oceans only to be hunted down by devils & demonic ghosts i battle garbage rap with prose & (rapid) flows thats apropos until nawar is open to em (thats fa sho!) identity of Arabness resemblin a widow though is there no festivus for the rest of us history books can show? what will remain of poetry's originality if so many a brown-nosing liar gets to have complete control? how we gonna ever write a verse to spit when killers still approach? i bore the burden of my words upon my back until i grieved... what shall remain of poetry when it is finally relieved? (the saddest thing in this world - my lady's - is knowin that we were meant to be from the very start but that we'll never be...) "Es la cosa mas triste de este mundo Y asÌ me siento yo por ti solo por ti" (& this is how i feel for you) Chorus: Arabic recitation of the first couplets from Nizar Qabbani’s “Damascene Poem” هذي دمشقُ.. وهذي الكأسُ والرّاحُ إنّي أحبُّ... وبعـضُ الحـبِّ ذبّاحُ

Chorus: You are my ... (Destiny) its hard livin in the West - when I know the East got the best of me ... (Destiny) could be lookin in my eyes - but you'll never really see the rest of me ... (Destiny) can you hear me "maseeri" (my destiny)? ... bi-lingual's what im blessed to be ... (Destiny) 7amamet Salameh - ifta7ee ajni7atikee oo 6eeree (dove of Peace - spread your wings & fly) Verse 1: وين الوعي - وين؟  امشوا معي هين  وادي بين الجبلين  عين حب للطرفين أمهاتنا حبت ذاتنا  بس مو عاجبهن مسباتنا هذا الحكي بين اخواتنا  زين العرب والأمريكان وألله يرحم كل أمواتنا  أغاني  'مثل 'المهاتمة إذا قلنا: العين بالعين ما صفى عندنا عيون بالشام بلاد الشام  من فلسطين إلى جبال لبنان  قبل ما اخترعوا الحدود من الإسكندرون إلى كردستان فهمان؟  جنجس خان ما خان قد ما خانونا أولاد العم بس دمنا دمهم . . .  بني أدم - بنو ذنمبهم  على أكتافنا - شلنا همهم  ليه؟  الله بيعلم . . .  بس ليك هذا الفتيش والبسكليت احسنلك من ١٠٠٬٠٠٠٬٠٠٠ مسدس  تعرف ليه؟  لأن مو عاجبهم بسمتك بس إبتسم برسمتك شابٌ عربيٌ ومثقف أعطيهم ختمتك وإذا لسة مو راضين (ذكرهم بكلام ' إيليية (أبي ماضي ' نسي الطين ساعةً أنه طين '  وهذه هي . . . القضاء والقدر يا حبيبي  (English translation) Consciousness? What consciousness - where is it? Take a walk with me  Here - in this valley between two "mountains"   where the source of love for both "sides" can be found our mothers like us - but dont like our foul language  so lets keep this between the siblings the best of Arabs & Americans and may God have mercy on all our dead Songs i sing like the Mahatma  ("aghani-d" means these songs ... which sounds like Ghandi & in turn relates to the next quote) If we say 'an eye for an eye' there wont be any eyes left in Sham  Bilad al-Sham (i.e. greater syria ... since "Sham" refers to Damascus ... but "bilad al-sham" means Greater Syria ... the distinction is made for the sake of unity across borders) from Palestine to the mountains of Lebanon before they made up these borders  from Iskandaroon to Kurdistan - understand? Genghis Khan never deceived us quite like our "paternal cousins" (Khan also means deceive in arabic) but our blood is their blood  children of Adam  who built their sins upon our shoulders we carried their burden why? God knows but listen, this little firecracker & bicycle are better for you than 100 million guns - wanna know why? because they dont like seeing you smile but smile you will - in your human being a young cultured/educated Arab male - give them your stamp of approval and if they still dont accept you then remind them of the words of Elliye (Elliye Abi-Madhee is a famous Lebanese poet who wrote a poem that started with the following words) "How soon a piece of dirt can forget that that is all he/she really is ... just dirt"  (i.e. we are all from this earth & will come back to it ... so there is no logic in viewing yourself as better than someone else) and that my friend is ... our Destiny Chorus: You are my ... (Destiny) its hard livin in the West - when I know the East got the best of me ... (Destiny) could be lookin in my eyes - but you'll never really see the rest of me ... (Destiny) can you hear me "maseeri" (my destiny)? ... bi-lingual's what im blessed to be ... (Destiny) 7amamet Salameh - ifta7ee ajni7atikee oo 6eeree (dove of Peace - spread your wings & fly) Verse 2: i write right to left ... you write left to right ... metaphor of a foreigner's plight... dressed to type... stereo & a mic... scenario of a fight... the burial of a white... imperial at his height's... a Turkish Rapper's Delight semetic etiquette might just have you rollin your "R's" poetic & light and grab a hold of your sorrows to relieve your tomorrows make it easier to borrow the aesthetics you bite like all the Arabic loanwords from Spaniards & Morros the Karma of Inquisition visions of horror so who's the Explorer? really was it Columbus? Muhammad al-Idrisi or Alfaragnus throw a Hobson Jobson while you figure it out im gonna start with a cipher thats a "siffir" (zero) - no doubt see you might not have learned to live with me but sure as hell can't without Chorus: You are my ... (Destiny) its hard livin in the West - when I know the East got the best of me ... (Destiny) could be lookin in my eyes - but you'll never really see the rest of me ... (Destiny) can you hear me "maseeri" (my destiny)? ... bi-lingual's what im blessed to be ... (Destiny) 7amamet Salameh - ifta7ee ajni7atikee oo 6eeree (dove of Peace - spread your wings & fly) Verse 3: see 3arab shootin at each other from iraq to falasteen syria to libnan...algeria to sudan pedagogy of the oppressed, tricklin' down... conquerin' through divisions & sadly this isn't the first time... one land - one love - one chance - one blood no fuss, no fight...yeah right young blood AK's cheaper than a book crooked leaders in a hook gettin' fished out missles gettin' dished out... bitched out by the West press get a big shout from the people gettin' rich out of this (bout)... now what's this really all about... land - money - or power? it was the colonizer's fault but now it's really just ours... leavin' a sour tase in our mouths... like generational slave names whenever speakin out out-spoken leaders gettin taken out quicker than belligerent drunks in a bar... we a far cry from livin' as one...

Chorus: I got my - I got my sweet-water hustle on!!! (All Day) I got my - I got my rosewater hustle on!!! (Always) I got my - I got my pomegranate hustle on!!! (Hustle Onnnn!!!) I got my - I got my tamarindo my hustle on!!! (Yaoooo) The saint of (This aint a) sham my boy (NOOO) No one can break it down like i can my boy (OHHH) Here - watch hold my camera boy (GOOO) I do the hustle like im Van McCoy (WHOA...) you know the feelin every man's enjoyed (SHO) i make an honest livin with my hands - employed (DOUGH) so yes i am annoyed … go get ya hustle on or can the noise (shhhhhhh) Verse 1: now i could sell a bedouin a sandcastle with my hands shackled convince 'em its a glass palace when its ramshackle think twice - fixed price when ya can't haggle thick slice sit like brisk nights in the panhandle sweet tea competition greets me tryin to flip a cheap fee b/c they know they gettin manhandled (hey...) you Willy Lowman's need to know when it's time to cut your losses go ahead - punch your bosses thats word to MrTibbz I serve 'em till they nauseous like Woody Boyd witty pretty boy with the Narcicyst stick to the script quick sale dont tempt me long-term growth's when the fares grow plenty see they can claim to have a ton & barely have twenty concede its (can see it as) half full when its clearly half-empty now put your cups up & flex that muscle long remember that offendum said to go on & git that HUSTLE ON!!! Chrous: I got my - I got my sweet-water hustle on!!! (All Day) I got my - I got my rosewater hustle on!!! (Always) I got my - I got my pomegranate hustle on!!! (Hustle Onnnn!!!) I got my - I got my tamarindo my hustle on!!! I got my - I got my sweet-water hustle on!!! (All Day) I got my - I got my rosewater hustle on!!! (Always) I got my - I got my liqorish (3rq soos) hustle on!!! (Hustle Onnnn!!!) I got my - I got a Hibiscus hustle on!!! (Yaoooo) The saint of (This aint a) sham my boy (NOOO) No one can make it sound like i can my boy (OHHH) Now this is how its goin down my boy (GOOO) I do the hustle like im Van McCoy (WHOA...) you know the feelin every man's enjoyed (SHO) i make an honest livin with my hands - employed (DOUGH) so yes i am annoyed go get ya hustle on or can the noise (shhhhhhh) Verse 2: and no you can't knock it with any reasonable doubt the #1 pusha easin it out pourin my sugarwater pitcher picture pleasin ya mouth but put'chya payment in my palm dont go leavin without my keys & pound/spout with interest in me livin without the riba no doubt with reason i could freeze an account optimize streamline monopolize - truth even it out the cost of lies - proof believer devout prophecise who? im just tryina cop a fly soof what can i do? peddlar of a funkdafied brew customized to deliver the dollars in response to the customers a' hollerin behind you now mind you the market may take dips with bread chips like fondu & target your pensions with a penchant to starve you so git ya hustle on before you go & try to argue this a sample homey i aint gonna charge you

ONE TIME - for the D . C TWO TIMES - for the whole' MD THREE TIMES - for the Northern V ... A Where u Rep? - DMV ALL DAYYY Verse 2: I used to run around Tysons on some D M C Till I got my own license at the D M V Started to hit the city nightly on the G DUB P Thats the Parkwayyy We called it the "Sparkwayyy" Me & T Had dreams of blowin up like T N T The Beltway Bombers promisin to pay homage red yellow blue green orange line delay on it Marvin Gaye - Kwame Toure' - still gettin taxed w/ no say on it let freedom ring like Curtis Doyle - i need a ring tone rapper to realize im a grown rapper showin these yappers & whipper snappers ill be the king ruling the world & not blowin it like when Kurtis sings the breaks & blues - big band rhythms & swing Duke Ellington's U street Cherry Blossoms in Spring REDSKINS - CAPITALS WIZARDS - NATIONALS DC's for Da Capitol These are a few of my favorite things! Chorus: I got that DC pride Movin w a swagger - that's my DC stride Take em through the streets - like a DC guide Maryland n Virgina - yeah we DC wide Riiiight ... ? This that DC pride Glidin thru the city on a DC high the free world capital - this DC ma Make & Break (the) rules - thats what DC liiiike haaa ... ! Verse 2: We in this District of Columbia - city of imperfections Where homeless people sleep beneath the monument's erections The type of place decisions made by which you be effected where Mayors caught smokin a rock can still get re-elected really eclectic murder cap - not to be effed with Washington Bullets flyin like Rod Strickland in red fits entries & exits to the politickers a nexus we welcomin Obama but Bush was better in Texas federal inspectors lobbyists - generals - sexists abmassadors & metro passengers carry protection in every direction NORTH - SOUTH - EAST to the WEST END cemetary where my pop's restin the cops dressed in blue & black leavin brothers black & blue evidence markers numbered like the street signs too 14th - 16th - 18th on through three stars - two stripes - red & white thanks to you I got that … Chorus: I got that DC pride Movin w a swagger - that's my DC stride Take em through the streets - like a DC guide Maryland n Virgina - yeah we DC wide Riiiight ... ? This that DC pride Glidin thru the city on a DC high the free world capital - this DC ma Make & Break (the) rules - thats what DC liiiike haaa ... ! Yeah – shout-outs to the whole DMV Area … for those who don’t know that’s DC – Maryland & Virginia … Northern VA to be exact … Anybody reppin a 202 – 301 – 703 – 240 – or a 571 … You know what I’m talkin about … If you sittin bumper to bumper in rush hour traffic on the beltway – 395 – route 1 – 66 – 270 … then you know what I’m talking about … If you grew up listening to Donnie Simpson - Russ Par – Olivia Foxx – Dianne Rehm – or Kojo Namdi … You know what I’m talking about … and if you in the clubs on 18th St – M St – Adams Morgan – and you can’t wait to hit up Ben’s Chilli Bowl after hours for a half-smoke … then you damn sure know what I’m talking about! Outro Hook x 4:
 It’s taxation without representation But now its time to represent Represent – what!

Chorus: it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight Verse 1: i took a stroll down the straight called str8 met a medicine man about 1/3 of the way predecessor to the pusherman with somethin to say about an apple a day keepin the sickness away i valued his advice at face at first till he enlightened me to how precise nature worked givin us citrus fruits in winter time for vitamin c just met each other but im already invited for tea (sub7an allah) as fate would have it he & i turned out to be related a small world's even smaller when you're arab - aint it? made it a point to soak in all his information bout regenerative meditations & preventitive medication like a modern Ibn Sina with a pretty calm demeanor & a remedy for everything that plagued the arab nations yet when asked of how to cope with our impossible fate he just said follow the middle path to a Street Called Straight Chorus: it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight that's where we cease all hate & pray to 3ish peace all day Verse 2: i took a stroll down the street called str8 met a spiritual teacher about 2/3 of the way predecessor to the preacherman with somethin to say about a prayer a day keepin the satan's at bey he spoke of angels on our shoulders and the angles of our solar systematic self-destruction metaphysical corruption with a danger to our polar ice caps till it's out of our control & in the hands of our beholder we philosophized for over 20 minutes like that taught me lessons any questions he would give em right back said the answers were within us & i didnt like that but i realized later why he did it like that i had so much more to learn clock was ticking - couldnt stall committed his words to my memory his wisdom was enthrallin yet when askin him what was the most important to recall he just said follow the middle path Straight Street & that is all Chorus: it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight that's where we cease all hate & pray to 3ish peace all day Verse 3: i took a stroll down the street called str8 met a carpenter hard at work at the end of the way predecessor to the architect with somethin to say about not doin tomorrow what should be finished today he manipulated wood & metal till it followed function building all through Via Recta & Cardo Maximus junction somethin told me he was wise beyond his years i had a feelin from the way that he'd exposed the beams & ornamented ceilings with an ambidextrous half nonchalantly jest & laugh sayin that my western education made it hard to grasp his connection to the past deep-rooted in his craft but was more than willing to share with me the tools he knew i lacked and for that i would be grateful learnin how to build the monumental for the playful & the humble for the faithful yet when asked of how we'd stack against our impossible odds he just said follow the middle path Straight Street to the Gods Chorus: it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight it's just what we call fate llivin on a Street Called Straight that's where we cease all hate & pray to 3ish peace all day

Verse 1: Back in school was when we'd first got acquainted Crossed paths - nearly fainted When you told me that your name was Layla Hair darker than the night's sky waylak! Majnoon what a crazy tale I too often poeticized your eyes To every passer by Till it came back to haunt me As your dad denied Your hand in mine ñ marriage I was sad to find Wasnt written for us in the grand design Set out for Mecca on Hajj As I was really on Edge But no matter how hard I tried I couldnt sever our ties I pledged to your heart That we would never be apart As children But your father had other plans To find you another man Until then You were on house arrest Sealed in And I couldnt bare the pain Crying a tear’s refrain Insane Praying that Id be killed then I skipped town shameful Wondering what our world came to Chorus: The remorse of Old ways Divorced of Old times The source of Old prose and… (It Blows My Miiiiiind) Just how strong the memories remain In a reverie of pain Insane - Im not fine... Im yours, however distant you may be! Intertwined - forever reminded you’re my lady (It Blows My Miiiiiind) There blows no wind but wafts your scent And sings no bird but calls your name Star-crossed Lament Verse 2: Wandering through the wilderness Agony filled & lonely Pondering how I failed Knowing nobody could console me Only the homey Nawfal Had cared enough to explore Yet when he couldnt succeed He just took your daddy to war And demanded we be united But as your clan was defeated The same excuse as before is what Your father slowly repeated I’d ruined your reputation With all of my proclamations He’d rather kill you than see us together A complication to say the least I conceded To the desert retreated Wrote a rhyme in the sand for you Praying that you could read it Time passed & eventually you would come to be greeted By many a suitor Intent on sweeping you off your feet - When it happened Couldn’t believe it You were somebody’s wife? Was it really my fate to live such a pitiful life? The aches cut like a knife as my miserable heart burned To all that trouble & strife ñ I vowed to never return A lesson learned Chorus: The remorse of Old ways Divorced of Old times The source of Old prose and… (It Blows My Miiiiiind) Just how strong the memories remain In a reverie of pain Insane - Im not fine... Im yours, however distant you may be! Intertwined - forever reminded you’re my lady (It Blows My Miiiiiind) There blows no wind but wafts your scent And sings no bird but calls your name Star-crossed Lament Verse 3: Brainsick they would call me Demented smitten & mad And this took a toll on Baba’s health Whoa it was getting bad See I was his only son And so I was all that he had He died of a broken heart I knew that it made you sad You sent me a note condoling me Said you were thinking of me Then when my mother passed You had even said you still loved me Given that bitter absences made our hearts fonder I had to come back to see ñ I couldn’t take it much longer However the irony was your husband would die too Therefore our traditions stated I would be without you For not one - but two Years to be left grieving Naive - in a spider love (& in spite of) Was this tangled web we were weaving My Karma just getting even For living life depraved? Why was it such a sin to have given all that I gave? For now I lie at your grave And I’m ready to die a whaler Thus ends the tale of Majnoon Layla Chorus: The remorse of Old ways Divorced of Old times The source of Old prose and… (It Blows My Miiiiiind) Just how strong the memories remain In a reverie of pain Insane - Im not fine... Im yours, however distant you may be! Intertwined - forever reminded you’re my lady (It Blows My Miiiiiind) There blows no wind but wafts your scent And sings no bird but calls your name Star-crossed Lament

Chorus: Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane Its An Arab Superhero & He Came to Bring Change Unite The Divided & Free 'Em From The Chains Of The Tyrants Who Reign in Vain & Pain (Hey!) Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane Its An Arab Superhero - Yeah I know It Sounds Strange But The Only Thing Keeping Us From Going Insane... Is Knowing He'll Be Back Again (InshAllah) Verse 1: While some men sank in trepidation & banked on medication from anxt of separation this talib got by & advanced through dedication enhanced by preparation & chants of meditation his cognizance high the mantra was fly like bombs in the sky a constant surprise this impossible rise through the ranks steady walkin the planks throwing rocks at the tanks on the blocks of an occupied middle east bereft not an olive tree left seein theft in the keys to the lock he'd kept steep steps on the stairway to peace he slipped petroleum made these trips that much slicker billy crystalized a citylight's flicker silly pistols fire a streetfight triggered other men to fall off their grandstands still he held his ground like a handstand (damn!) Chorus: Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane Its An Arab Superhero & He Came to Bring Change Unite The Divided & Free 'Em From The Chains Of The Tyrants Who Reign in Vain & Pain (Hey!) Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane Its An Arab Superhero - Yeah I know It Sounds Strange But The Only Thing Keeping Us From Going Insane... Is Knowing He'll Be Back Again (InshAllah) Verse 2: Amidst military coups and the critics of his literary views he's pitted wary - given very few alternatives to violence and yet & still he carries on through scary obstacles contrary to... popular belief he can keep a cool head amongst grief-stricken war-torn Middle East streets sticking by the weak mothers of the bleak futureless populace confident he speaks (truth) through the cracked concrete of urban eruptions proving that policies of curbing corruption further the function of justice & earning the trust of a people who've all been flustered & cant move forward but still make babies as though its all good runnin around barefoot - cant afford sandals huddlin by candles to pray hey its nothing that a 3arab Superman cant handle Chorus: Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane Its An Arab Superhero & He Came to Bring Change Unite The Divided & Free 'Em From The Chains Of The Tyrants Who Reign in Vain & Pain (Hey!) Look Up In The Sky - Its A Bird - Its A Plane Its An Arab Superhero - Yeah I know It Sounds Strange But The Only Thing Keeping Us From Going Insane... Is Knowing He'll Be Back Again (InshAllah) Verse 3: Like a couple bedoin homes I'm too tense (PUN: two tents) Writin up some relevant songs - I do vent Waxin poetic on the fact that pathetic leaders act sympathetic when we know they ain't sent not one cent or qirsh of aid to refugees pot belly kirsh they lay in SUVs not really skilled - who braves the mess you leave? what must we say to passover these developmental disasters are lyin ahead livin in denial like Egyptian Pyramids comin to a point where the bubble's gonna burst & desalinized water will no longer quench our thirst we need a glass half-full for the youth - shine an optimistic outlook from the roofline like bat signals - till the criminals fade away (hey!) here he comes to save the day …

Verse 1: we've grown numb to imagery of death & demise... blind as st paul till he saw a syrian sky... miles away...wars preyin on the teariest eyes... our deaf ears still ain't hearin their cries... why? is it even worth askin anymore... when guilt is but a swinging door... with crooked men on either side... cushionin each other's fall... orphans hidin from a devil w dark wings... & writers w a conscience feel it pluck at our heartstrings... but very seldom do we bother to speak... led to believe we're rendered powerless by fatherless creeps - bastardized politickin while our daughter's beseech us to let em flee their borders in peace... I wonder if these sad scenarios will still remain as commonplace when i'm a father... wanna face allah without regrets... i should have tried harder... quranic verses that we all live & die by... "ya laytani kuntu turabaa" Chorus: i used to wish that allah had taken us both away... b/c life without u i couldnt stand for one more day... but now i see that I was in over my head... & i just pray for your soul instead... Verse 2: a generation of our future's parents robbed of their role models... and bottling the anger in until they explode on a road to a dead end... paved w empty promises... told by our head men... who fold on any armistice... sellin weapons to finance this... ever-decadent highness' ... surpluses & minuses... as we're stuck in the wryness of war-torn horizons and forlorn surprises of which border to cover and if mortars will smother as if all of the other sh*t that dictators can stick ya with wasn't enough for brothers who live within this conspicuous state... sore thumbs... sure crumbs can cure hunger... but what of the post-traumatic stress a 3-year-old will undergo in baghdad... knowin that they bucked dad? growin up to buck back... like gimme my change... sayin (#%@$) that... its no surprise he never got to hear this from his usra... "inna - ma3 - al-3usrii - yusra" Chorus: i used to wish that allah had taken us both away... b/c life without u i couldnt stand for one more day... but now i see that I was in over my head... & i just pray for your soul instead... Verse 3: you keep your eyes on the street i worry bout whats below it we're pavin over a mass grave no markers to show it the last words of the lad were "biddee 3ish baba" - know it his Heart of Darkness could Conrad-ical Marxists & poets missin the mark of heroics listen & hark to the stoic yet transcendentalist flow & be Emmerson & Thoreau at the same moment & blow it i blame no-one & grow with my shame - tiptoing through it they Sykes-Picoted a hole in our brain wish i could laugh now but it wasn't funny the way they cut up our map vowin to divy up money that wasn't theirs to begin with but our leaders were dimwits too conceited to see that they couldn't beat them & win with little means to defend my people under attack - ta7t it seems that our end's a scene fadin to black - inma7at i dream w a pen b/c our reality's all - a7a dont mean to offend - repent "qull huwa allah - a7ad" Chorus: i used to wish that allah had taken us both away... b/c life without u i couldnt stand for one more day... but now i see that I was in over my head... & i just pray for your soul instead...

أنهار كثيرة عرفتها أنهار كثيرة أزلية كما العالم عرفتها أنهار أزلية تدفقت حتى قبل أن يتدفق الدم في شرايين البشر وروحي ازدادت عمقاً كالأنهار فأنا بمياه الفرات استحممت حتى قبل انبلاج فجر الحياة وعلى ضفاف الكونجو بنيت كوخي ... حيث هللت لي مياهه لأغفو... من دلتا النيل العالي أشرفت... وشيدت الأهرامات العظيمة وإلى شدو المسيسيبي استمعت ... حين مر به لنكولن في دربه إلى نيواورليان ومع الغروب رأيت أحضانه الطينية تتحول لكتل ذهبية لقد عرفت أنهاراً وأنهاراً أنهاراً أزلية معتمة كما الغسق
وروحي توغلت في القدم ... وروحي ازدادت عمقاً كالأنهار

Verse 1: My Fatherless growth... could have easily meant loss of all hope but mom was the rope reeling me in when I couldn't float For i'd have eloped with dope if she hadn't taught me to cope opened up my scope of vision overcomin' the 'khawf' (fear) 7izn imprisoned me though...livin' with images so vivid...witnessin' his visage turn livid in turn did it's part to turn this disenchanted heart rigid 'imta 7ata3raf imtaaaa?' (when oh when will you realize?) My mother's plea steadily echoed in the back of my mind Beggin' to see the same optimism of when I was 9... Hard to believe that Omar curly's innocence may have died but now she tells me with pride...that she sees him in my eyes and I can only hope that one day I'll live up to the name His humility and distaste for fortune and fame... Holdin' me tight night after night saying "7abibi ma tinsa" (don't forget my love) 'innee ba7ibbak inta' (indeed I love you) Verse 2: Knee-deep in "ithm" (sin) praying it won't reach my neck Drowning in guilt...stilts needed to catch my breath This "tawbah's" pathetic, but even still, I'm glad that I said it 'Cause I ain't never been the type to do somethin' and regret it But Karma's a _____ and this time, I gotta repent "Ya rub-bee ighfirlee wa li-walidayyah" (Oh Lord forgive me & my parents) now & again succumbin' to sin can happen to the strongest of men then again 'imta 7ata3raf imtaaaa?' (when oh when will you realize?) the Holy Qur'aan's wisdom & enlightenment spawned verses for persons on this earth in search of guidance along with a sense of purpose with respect to what they're worshipping for sheddin' the nervousness that surfaces when hit with a prob- lamenting over it ain't soberin' if shoulderin' all the blame of shameless misbehaving When the aim of it all is to learn from mistakes just make sure you're takin' it all with a grain of salt - before the train of life comes to a halt

Intro (First two couplets from Nizar Qabbani's poem 'Qariat il-Finjan'): جلست والخوف بعينيها تتأمل فنجاني المقلوب قالت يا ولدي لا تحزن فالحب عليك هو المكتوب Verse 1: she sat with fear in both her eyes ponderin the turkish coffee cup inverted carefully she worded destiny & time now dont you grieve my son for love is written for you in the signs martyrdom for he who dies religiously but love is blind your coffee-cup is terrifyin a life of travellin & battlin a lot of love...a lot of death a load of pain unravels as your chasin after every woman on the planet only to return like a defeated king - lascivious & lonely Chorus: if love is free ... why'd a fortuneteller charge me a fee just to say that? im free to love ... but nobody's willing to reciprocate - i guess its payback ... Verse 2: in your future is a girl whose eyes alone can make you praise the lord lips shaped like grapes - beautiful - her laugh is musical and still the sky above's a gloomy grey that rains & pours road blocked...dead locked...immutable...a sight unusual the woman of your dreams sleepin in a palace tower guarded by both dogs & soldiers - likes of which will make you cower and the princess of your heart in a slumber from the start suitors lost - climbin fences to uproot her... who'd've thought? now i've read many palms & horoscopes before but never seen a coffee-cup resemblin your coffee-cup...i've never seen sorrows like the sorrows emanating from this demitasse your destiny's to walk on dagger tips of love so many times... the solitude of seashells & the weepin willowy wails... leave you stuck in currents of an oceanic love for females... the details you will love & lose a million times only to return like a dethrone'd king - lascivious & lonely Chorus: if love is free ... why'd a fortuneteller charge me a fee just to say that? im free to love ... but nobody's willing to reciprocate - i guess its payback ... Verse 3: i read between the lines like fortune-tellers with a coffee cup and i aint talkin bout them frapuccinos with the frothy stuff our peoples are of equal standing in the eyes of G_d we trust but we're the ones who shoulder blame when errorism's army busts im sick of askin why - wanna kick up ash n fly when a man is rich whether in gold or knowledge he should try treatin the poverty of other brothers with consideration knowin that the highest form of flattery is imitation its another iteration of the same bitter-taste with the same limitations faint recollections of her face interlaced in the bars of a jail where there aint visitation man i hate bein patient - rather be the doctor diagnose a higher dose of mea culpa - not ya general hospital scrub in soap or opera a local wasta connect-the-dot hopeful qaari'at il-finjan Outro (Last two couplets from Nizar Qabbani's poem 'Qariat il-Finjan'): مقدورك أن تمضي أبدا في بحر الحب بغير قلوع وتحب ملايين المرات وترجع كالملك المخلوع

Chorus: with every dawn i wake... and every song i make... through every beat i'm taken closer to my maker... don't see no way... of ever bein' no stray... with him there will be no wavering... b/c we know they gonna try to deceive us through their lies & mischievous compromises of jesus' teachings... it's wrong...but it's on... a new dawn..a new morning... a chance for us to just move on . . . A new orient... Verse 1: yeah i'm an optimist and(?)... i ain't gon' compliment them... corrupt & kleptocratic addicts of apocalyptin'... the figure of hate - it fits them... belligerent traits - their dictum... the bigger the stakes... the bigger the chase... the bigger the bait to get them... i see the traps of phonies... a heathen strapped his cronies... I'm fendin' em off with the pen... offendum's rappin homey... Political hacks... to get at iraq... they split up the map...toni sinister minister prime... in it for infinite spinach & cash only... the lonely-hearted feel me… if only god would heal me... the pain of yesterday could pave the way for dawn to deal me.. a better hand.... when a man's bedouin kin nettlin' him to no end... it's better for him to throw in...(the towel) just to keep it humble... though i could be disgruntled... watchin my cousins robbed by the dozen... bob's your uncle... no sense in cryin direct your energies at rectifyin... if destiny's a lexicon... my fate, it seems...im testifyin' Chorus: with every dawn i wake... and every song i make... through every beat i'm taken closer to my maker... don't see no way... of ever bein' no stray... with him there will be no wavering... b/c we know they gonna try to deceive us through their lies & mischievous compromises of jesus' teachings... it's wrong...but it's on... a new dawn..a new morning... a chance for us to just move on . . . A new orient... Verse 2: so im an immigrant - what? im still american but... the pilgrimage of puritans don't get compared to my up... bring in the fairness i must be well aware of the cusp the interference i cut seein the perils of lust bein a parent is tough our mother earth's had enough the mistress purses were stuffed big brother's words were a bluff what u gonna eat our food & not want us to share it? uh uh... put your feet in my shoes & not know how to bare it a ha! hypocrisy's apparent thats why i can see the fear in eyes of people - overbearing swearin war was "over there" when it's really here... im really rare... like bloody steaks they called - hi(gh) nobodys there... i guess its safe to say that racists pray it stays this way so they can take whats in the safe - keep us at bey with Akkk's but im'a make a case for patience & for godness sake - sleep in raise my face up in the morning find that i'm wake - speaking... Chorus: with every dawn i wake... and every song i make... through every beat i'm taken closer to my maker... don't see no way... of ever bein' no stray... with him there will be no wavering... b/c we know they gonna try to deceive us through their lies & mischievous compromises of jesus' teachings... it's wrong...but it's on... a new dawn..a new morning... a chance for us to just move on . . . A new orient...

Chorus: SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be There im honored 3iiish Nirvana - Peace & Harmony Verse 1: مشولي اموري  حضوري ضروري مجبور وفخور بجذوري سوري 'لك شوو؟' خربولي دستوري  ومحولي عروبة عصوري دوري دوري  يا أسطوانة أيام وشهور يللي بتمر مرور  للي بيقدر يطول  هذا السور - قد ما علي  والسعر - قد ما غلي  ما باع له حصته تراثه وقصته فستق حلبي أدب عربي  غلبي؟ النهي عن السلب إجابةً على إرادة نبي خالق الأرض بالفعل الماضي، المضارع، والأمر  إشتعل، يشتعل، وشعل الجمر  أفكاري كالنهر  والنبع من مخي بردى وزمزم  قنبلة - طخي طخي راسك إنت فايت بيت أفندم عائلة الشققي أسرةً من طين ومن دم  شوو أساسك؟ ليك بتضلك هيك حتندم ... هيك حتندم ... وتبكي - تبكي  عمر أفندم  Chorus: SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be There I'm promised land & solace Peace & Harmony SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be There I'm gonna 3ish (Live) 3ish Harmony With no one but me & my family Verse 2: its that "home" so nostalgic that poem known to sound (home)sick that phone click-clack tone lift that bone - give it back to him look what that do 'em just a little hope knots on a rope bigger black tomb take 'em back through them paperback tunes bombs in the sky make Iraq bloom ironic isnt it? how a modern Babylon was responsible for the current problems in the Fertile Crescent what a dilemma when they murder peasants and they find men will never learn their lesson its a fine line 'tween a smith n wessun hindsight 20/20 - keep em guessin get your mind right - aint no half-steppin this is hip-hop - what a blessin Chorus: SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be There I'm promised land & solace Peace & Harmony SyrianamericanA is where i wanna be There I'm gonna 3ish (Live) 3ish Harmony With no one but me & my family