Life Poetry: Somalia (by K'naan Warsame)

Somalia

by Elisheva Offenbacher on Monday, April 12, 2010 at 7:57pm

I spit it for my block it's an ode I admit it,
here the city code is lock and load
any minute is rock and roll,
then you rock and roll, and feel your soul leaving,
it's just the wrong glance that'll leave you not breathing,
I'm not particularly proud of this predicament but,
I'm born and bred in this tenement I'm sentimental what,
plus it's only right to represent my hood and what not,
so I'm about to do it in the music and the movies cut,
to the chase pan across the face I'm right there,
freeze frame on the street name, oops wait a minute,
this is where the streets have no name and the drain of sewage,
you can see it in this boy how the hate is brewing,
cuz when his tummy tucks in fuck the pain is fluid,
so what the difference does it make entertaining through it,
some get high mixing coke and gun powder sniffin,
she got a gun but coulda been a model or a physician...

So whatchu know about the pirates terrorise the ocean?
to never know a single day without a big commotion,
it can't be healthy just to live with such a steep emotion,
and when I try and sleep I see coffins closin'...
So whatchu know about the pirates terrorise the ocean?
to never know a single day without a big commotion,
it can't be healthy just to live with such a steep emotion,
and when I try and sleep I see coffins closin'...

We used to take barbed wire,
mold it around discarded bike tires,
roll 'em down the hill all full blazin',
that was our version of my own bike racin'***
Damn! Do you see why it's amazin'
when someone comes out of such a dire situation,
and learns the English language just to share his observation,
probably get a grammy without a grammar education,
so fuck you school and fuck you immigration,
and all of you who thought I wouldn't amount to constipation,
and now I'm here without the slightest bit of reservation,
they love me in the slums and the native reservations,
the world is a ghetto administering deprivation.
But mommy didn't raise no fool, did she, hoyo?
I promised I would get it and remain strictly loyal,
cuz when they get it then they let it all switch and spoil,
but I just illuminated it like kitchen foil.

A lot of mainsteam n**gers is yappin' about yappin',
a lot of underground n**gers is rappin' about rappin',
I just wanna tell you what's crackin-lackin',
before the tears came down this is what happened...

So whatchu know about the pirates terrorise the ocean?
to never know a single day without a big commotion,
it can't be healthy just to live with such a steep emotion,
and when I try and sleep I see coffins closin'...
So whatchu know about the pirates terrorise the ocean?
to never know a single day without a big commotion,
it can't be healthy just to live with such a steep emotion,
and when I try and sleep I see coffins closin'...

Somalia...

By K'naan Warsame

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lCPXEARpE8

If I tagged you it's because I thought you could appreciate the poetry that comes from tragedy...I love this guy.
Go check out his website...he's the real deal: http://knaanmusic.com/
Or follow him on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/knaan.