1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, now here we go... 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, now here we go...

[Verse 1- Talib Kweli]
I see an old black man, walking around town/ peeping gentrification and watching it go down/ if you live for enough seasons you see it all come back around/ there's experience under that crown/ When I see an old black man, I see way more than just his color/ you discover/ they call him uncle even if he ain't your father's brother/ they calling him OG/ he ain't falling for no schemes/ his convertible looking clean/ he deferred to it like a dream/ Like the poems of Langston Hughes/ an old black man who's suffered through/ some abuse that'll leave a gangster confused/ the invisible man, even though he right there in the room/ call him Nigger, call him darkie, a coon/ YEP! When you see an old black man/ cognac in his hand/ full attack/ never slack like his throwback pants/ give him dap because when you back in the streets fucking up again, he'll jump out the bushes like 'son, that'll get ya five to ten!

[Hook]
I see an old black man, A triple og
He school me to the game, Tell me keep it low key
I see an old black man, A triple og
He call me young blood, Seen a million like me
(2x)

[Verse 2- Duane]
I see an old black man and I wonder/ How much pain has he endured, how much thunder/ and lightning / has struck him/ dealing with these right wings/ fuck em/ how many times he seen "Do The Right Thing"/ I see a black man and I think/ Would he and my dad sit and enjoy the same drink/ in his stomach does it float/ rum n coke/ do they both/ enjoy Cadillacs with 100 spokes/ I see an old black man and ask myself/ how much cash does he have left/ will his kids become kings on his last breath/ or will their only asset be the heart behind their dad's chest/ I see an old black man and my mind races/ how many times he been sighted by a blind racist/ who only sees darkness/ instead of how big his heart is/ and sentences the color regardless

[Hook]

[Verse 3]
I see an old black man and consider what his dreams were/ did he lose hope when they went up in smoke, and how much reefer/ why were his dreams defered/ then which road did he prefer/ feed the family dinner, or desert (dessert)/ I see an old black man everyday in the reflection/ giving his younger version his version of direction/ look at your complexion/ you think they gon' give a damn when you mention u need a hand/ and looking for exemption/ nah, pay attention/ 'cause they paying attention/ holding conventions/ on how to slow ya progression/ while they building these/ facilities/ that boast of correction/ they slow roasting depression/ so you can't toast to succession/ MESSAGE! so now it's on to perfection/ ever since a black man won the election/ work harder, young soldier/ lend a loving shoulder/ and never ever let them say 'I told you'/ over!

[Hook]

[Outro]
'Hey, young blood. Sit a spell while I learn ya a bit. What you doing' done been done. Ain't nothin' new under the sun. It ain't what you win, it's how it's won.'