KRS‐One - Know Thy Self Lyrics

You ready to go? I'm ready to go
What about y'all, y'all ready to go?
(yeah aight yeah) I'm ready to go look

Know thy self, and thou shalt know
The universe and God (whoa ohh ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend
Know ye not that ye must be born again?
What does it mean to be in
The world but not of it
It means you want the cars the cash the
Jewels the house but you don't love it
It means to taxes regulation state
Law you live above it
It means you a FREE hip-hopper
You ain't nobody's puppet
You don't see no money on me
You see it up in the cupboard
You see me up in Toys'R'Us
With my seeds cause they love it
You see insurance flash out
If my kids pass out
You see seven acres of land where
We can all spaz out
To all my fathers that fathered
Hold your head up for starters
Teach your toddlers
Not to be thieves and robbers
This that other kind of rap
That leads to true hip-hop
There's other kinds of raps
But they lead you to get shot
The choice is yours, you gettin older now
You got a kid comin
How you gonna hold it down?
It's one thing to be iced out and rocked up
What's the point if you're gettin locked up?

Know thy self, and thou shalt know
The universe and God (whoa ohh ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend
Know ye not that ye must be born again?
It's really time we seperate the young
Men from the big men
The young girls from the women
Whatever the title that fit them
My style designed to open a child's
Mind when I spit them
I only got a little bit of time
To really rhyme and uplift them
You see them brothers talkin about
That crime? Forgive them
It won't be long before they words
Manifest and they live them
Sometimes you gotta go back to
The beginnin to learn
After fifteen years I'm just BEGINNIN to burn
To all my true hip-hoppers
That pay bills and live proper
Never allow a negative thought to stop ya
Correct ya posture, stand upright not uptight
Don't be scared of the light
Just prepare for the fight
We say "Criminal Minded"
Cause our thoughts are illegal
We represent the very thinkin of
Inner-city people real people
People that take care of theyself
They need health, love, awareness and wealth
Not to mention, knowledge of God
Not college, the job then dead - if
You agree nod your head
It's one thing to be iced out and rocked up
But what's the point if
You're gettin locked up?

Know thy self, and thou shalt know
The universe and God (whoa ohh ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend
Know ye not that ye must be born again?
C'mon c'mon yo, tonight is it
We gonna steal away together
Through these rhymes I spit
When the student is ready, the teacher
Shall appear so I'm here
But are you really ready to face your fears?
Mo' money, mo' money, is that your credo?
You've been livin in a dream world Neo
Power to the people! Nobody's equal
Everybody's diversed and different
My lyric'll never cheat you
My verse is gifted
So manifest what you believe is God almighty
It could be Allah Jesus
Krishna Buddha Aphrodite
It could be Nefretire come hear
Me and never fear me
It's like at some point in your life
You gonna have to hear me
I represent them teachers preachers
Comin through your speaker
Manifestin another lesson to
Them true believers
Instead of pickin up our women
Ready to mistreat 'em
You better get yourself a wife and
Kid and never leave 'em
You better teach 'em you better read
'em you better feed 'em
The system will defeat 'em if you don't
Teach 'em the cops'll beat 'em
The style that I be
Kickin quick is "Edutainment"
Hip-Hop culture needed a teacher quick
So I became it
Instead of rhymin about my history
And what I been through
I'd rather rhyme about awakening
The God within you yo, it's one thing to be
Iced out and rocked up
But what's the point if
You're gettin locked up?

Know thy self, and thou shalt know
The universe and God (whoa ohh ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend
Know ye not that ye must be born again?

Yeah yeah fRESH, for two-thousand and two
My sisters and BROTHERS
My sisters and BROTHERS