Released: December 10, 2002

Featuring: Jill Scott

Songwriter: Dawn Thompson Common Jill Scott J Dilla ?uestlove James Poyser Jeff Lee Johnson Pino Palladino

Producer: Jeff Lee Johnson Pino Palladino James Poyser ?uestlove J Dilla

[Hook: Jill Scott]
Candy sweet, your words of bedtime
I was just saying to myself the other day
Most don't believe in the magician, but you're bewitching
Because of this I must say
I (I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah
(I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah

[Verse 1: Common]
People say I got soul, look at all the records I hold
The lives I've affected, connect and control
With me in your basement your mama got blowed
I provide the vibe to keep the strippers on poles
Through me the black experience is glorious told
From a school that's old, bold, so I rock gold
And platinum, some cats I hold notes and cash for them
On streets I rap with them, in ghettos I blast for them
Mash with them, at the party and all
Be the universal language that's embodying all
Put the Billie Holiday, Bob Marley in y'all
Y'all feel most high, when I be in y'all
System, with the rhythm I up jump the boogie
Shame I rely on record labels to push me
Since the bush, I been y'all way to escape
Through eight-tracks, wax, CD's and tapes
I am music

[Hook: Jill Scott]
Candy sweet, your words of bedtime
I was just saying to myself the other day
Most don't believe in the magician, but you're bewitching
Because of this I must say
I (I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah
(I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah

[Verse 2: Common]
You can feel me all over alive, I help culture survive
I opened the eyes of many
Styles y'all wrote in the skies with your lows and highs
Open your mind to hear me
In the streets I beat cops and obsolete
On every station that's hot, you can't stop my heat
I taught Jay and Dre how to rock the beat
On what's going on today, yo, I gots to speak
I take the stand, yo, you could feel me bam
Whether in Larry Graham or Steely Dan
Live I be killing it man
For how long I survived, yo I'm realer than man
Got a soft side but I'm still a man
For me, women cry, and children dance
I'm tryna eat, I coulda got a meal and ran
But like Sly for the fam, still I stand
I am music

[Hook: Jill Scott]
Candy sweet, your words of bedtime
I was just saying to myself the other day
Most don't believe in the magician, but you're bewitching
Because of this I must say
I (I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah
(I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah

[Verse 3: Common]
I been here since the beginning
Beginning of time, yo, beginning of time
Deep in the mind of the ancient ones
Everybody love me like they do the sun
I shine at times, yo, at times I'm dark
You can't categorize me, my mind's a art
Inside my heart, it ain't about climbing charts
I'm the one you roll with when you're riding smart
The change that came, the change that comes
I change with chords and I kick it with drums
Get blown with horns and did it on the one
Riffed for guitars, for the Lord I sung
Spun around the world at parties and weddings
Wherever I go, I create the setting
You know me from lessons or your pop's collection
Whether whole or half stepping, I'm a blessing
Yo, I am music

[Hook: Jill Scott]
Candy sweet, your words of bedtime
I was just saying to myself the other day
Most don't believe in the magician, but you're bewitching
Because of this I must say
I (I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah
(I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah

[Outro: Jill Scott]
(I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah
(I) I (oh I)
I, appreciate what you give to me, yeah

Common

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (born March 13, 1972), better known by his stage name Common (previously Common Sense), is a Grammy and Oscar-winning rapper and actor from Chicago, Illinois. Common’s inspired mix of poetic flow and hip-hop soul has helped him earn his status as one of the most respected rappers in the game.

After being a ball boy for his hometown Chicago Bulls as a teen and attending Florida A&M University for business administration, Common Sense kicked in and he left school to become a rapper. He gained national attention after being featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source magazine in 1991. He released his debut album Can I Borrow a Dollar? through Relativity Records in 1992, followed by his breakthrough second album Resurrection in 1994, which features his hip-hop classic single “I Used To Love H.E.R.”

As his career began to take off, he was sued by the music group Common Sense over the name, leading Common to drop the “Sense” and allude to the change in the title of his third album, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997). He has released several critically acclaimed albums, including Like Water For Chocolate (2000), which features his J Dilla-produced hit single “The Light”, and Be (2005), which was released under fellow Chicago musician Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music imprint. He also joined musicians Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper to form the group August Greene, and the trio released their self-titled album in 2018.