[Mos Def] 
History 
Shoutin' it every day y'all (right now) 
Everyday (right now) 
Right now (good mornin', Vietnam!) 
Listen 
Brooklyn wins again 
It's the Stuy, it's the Bush, dem niggaz again 
Ta' Kweli, Mighty Def, and that's 'sta on the guest lock 
Kanye, you're the dope man in hip hop, now let's rock 
Now roll out niggaz, my hometown niggaz 
I get it good in your hood so slow down niggaz 
Watch the speed though, man, you better let ease off 
A street talk into a collision course with these walls - bam! 
They don't move, don't pray, don't lose, don't sleep 
Light passin', light fashion, light pappers that pass part a gun 
Black hands up ?? 
Black guns up ?? 
Dyin' wish is to touch the air 
Seekin' heaven that wasn't here 
Eyes will not see another year 
It's another day 
It's the same fight 
Dip around, sound the bell 
Mix it up and ?? where you live it up the beat 
And get risen up you're knocked down get it back and get it up 
Get off of queer street and get with us 
And get clear where we did it 
From the heart, from the people 
From the top, from the jeep 
From the gut, from the street 
From my soul to the mic to the essence 
Say in my absence you feel the presence, exactly 
I make contact with shorter emcee 
Me and mine we don't just get by 
We get free and that's ready [Mos -- nigga] 

[Jay-Z] 
Just to get by 
Nigga I sold coke, nigga I pushed lah 
Carried a fo'five 
Claimed I was ready to die 
Promised never to cry 
Held it all inside 
Reality was too much to take so I 
Kept my mind fry 
Slimmed for most of mine 
Soon as I closed my eyes 
Then I woke up behind 
Nigga either I load up these nines 
Or blow up with rhymes 
cause this flow of mine is like blow up but lines of coca 
And your folks think Hov' just wrote stuff to rhyme 
Nah, I'm a poster for what happened seein your moms 
Doin five dollars worth to work just to get a dime 
So pardon my disposition 
Why should I listen to a system that never listened to me? 
Picture me working McDonald's 
I'd rather pull a mac on you 
Sorry Ms. Jackson but I'm packin 

[Kanye West] 
It's on I'm packin weight like nina simone 
Piano flow 
It's like a Michaelangelo paintin' a portrait of Maya Angelou 
And gave it to a sick poet for they antidote 
If music get's you choked up this is the treat anaerobe 
This is shy nigga I mista all of that 
Fuck a mattress, put this bitch on the almanac 
Dice what they hittin' for, 'lax what you sittin' on 
Tracks who you spittin on, rap till we get it on 
And don't let nobody with the power to sign 
Ever tell you you ain't got the power to rhyme 
They used to tell me toughen up 
Put some bass in your voice 
They used to tell me lighten up 
Put some mase in your voice 
Lord willin' I ain't kill nobody 
But I have a feelin' this album 
That I'm gonna make a killin' 
Well now that's chillin' 
This is love it or hate it music 
But, at least we made it music 
And we didn't make it industry 
This is gon' be interesting 
This'll be the end of me or I'm ??? on be an entity 
Kanye, Jay-Z, Mos Def, and Kweli 
We are not makin' songs no more 
We're makin' history 

[background singers] 
This morning I woke up 
Feelin brand new, I jumped up 
Feelin my highs and my lows 
In my soul, and my goals 
Just to stop smoking and stop drinkin 
But I been thinkin I got my reasons 
Just to get (by), just to get (by) 
Just to get (by), just to get (by) 

[background singers repeat in the background] 
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah 
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah 

[Talib Kweli] 
Just to get by, just to get by 
Just to get by, just to get by 

[background singers] 
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah 
Bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah 

[Talib Kweli] 
Just to get by, just to get by 
Just to get by 

We keep it gangsta, stay 'fo shizzle', 'fo sheezy' 
To set the tide to the violence on the TV during the war 
Killin each other is easy, there's war and liquor for fallen niggaz Believe 
me, it's ghetto love, I bet you seen it all befo' 
Just to get by, my people we get fly 
My people we get high, fillin cigars with the lah 
Nigga come on, even Jesus was stoned before receivin' the throne 
I said to rest in peace to Nina Simone 

[Busta Rhymes] 
Back in the days we was used to doin the shit 
I can't call it all in the streets 
We was hustlin fiends that asked for it 
I guess I was used to just standin on corners 
Waitin for paper bags with bundles of crack 
Hopin the week was good so I could get money back 
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by 
When I was stressed I possessed a side of my strength 
That made me angry and bleed 
With the frustration havin me smokin Newports and weed 
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by 
Those be the times when I try to rely 
On my niggaz and street motherfuckers 
And reach out to wifey and then I place a call on my mother 
To get by, just to get by, just to get by, just to get by 
(Hey yo mom pick up the phone, I g- I gotta to talk to you ma) 
If you was five percent instead of actin stupid and guessin 
You had to go and study your lessons 
And know your math in the building recession to get by 

[Hook: Talib Kweli + background singers] 
This morning I woke up 
Feelin brand new, I jumped up 
Feelin my highs and my lows 
In my soul, and my goals 
Just to stop smoking and stop drinkin 
But I been thinkin I got my reasons 
Just to get (by), just to get (by) 
Just to get (by), just to get (get buh buh buh bye bye) 

[background singers repeat in the background] 
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah dah 
bah dah bah dah, bah dah bah daaah 

[Talib Kweli] 
Some people try 
Some people try just to get by 
For my piece of the pie 
You love to eat and be high 
We deceive and we lie 
And we keepin' it fly - yo yo yo yo yo 
People ??? 
Keeper of the skies 
Can't see your eyes 
See the evil inside 
The best people you find 
Stronger people in mind 
I stay readin' the signs 
yo-yo-yo-yo yo 
[repeat]