Common

Released: July 10, 2005

Songwriter: Common Yasiin Bey Talib Kweli Hi-Tek

Producer: Hi-Tek

[Intro]
This what they told me to tell you

[Chorus]
So much on my mind, I just can't recline
Blast holes in the night 'til she bled sunshine
Breathe in, inhale vapors from bright stars that shine
Breathe out, green smoke retrace the skyline
Hold up, bass ride out like an ancient mating call
I can't take it, y'all, I can feel the city breathing
Chest heaving, against the flesh of the evening
This is how we ride...

[Verse]
Yo, on The Amen
Corner I stood lookin' at my former hood
Felt the spirit in the wind, knew my friend was gone for good
Threw dirt on the casket, the hurt, I couldn't mask it
Mixin' down emotions, struggle I hadn't mastered
What what, I choreograph seven steps to Heaven
In Hell, waiting to exhale and make the bread leaven
Veteran of a cold war; it's Chica-I-go for
What I know or what's known
Some days I take the bus home, just to touch home
From the crib I spend months gone
Sat by the window with a clutched dom
Listening to shorties cuss long
Young girls with weak minds, but they butt strong
Tried to call, or at least beep the Lord but didn't have a touch-tone
Dog-eat-dog world, you gotta mush on
Some of this land I must own, outta the city, they want us gone
Tearing down the 'jects creating plush homes
My circumstance is between Den Haag and Love Jones
Surrounded by hate, yet I love home
Asked my guy how he thought travelling the world sound
Found it hard to imagine, he hadn't been past downtown
It's deep, I heard the city breathe in its sleep
Of reality I touch, but for me it's hard to keep
Deep, I heard my man breathe in his sleep
Of reality I touch, but for me it's hard to keep

[Chorus]
Come on, so much on my mind, I just can't recline
Blast holes in the night 'til she bled sunshine
Breathe in, inhale vapors from bright stars that shine
Breathe out, weed smoke retrace the skyline
I heard the bass ride out like an ancient mating call
I can't take it, y'all, I can feel the city breathing
Chest heaving, against the flesh of the evening
We kiss the sky goodbye on the last train leaving

[Outro]
Check it, everybody say 'Oh yeah'
Say 'Oh yeah'
Say 'Oh yeah'
Say 'Oh yeah'
Say 'Oh yeah'
Say 'Oh yeah'
Say 'Oh oh yeah'
Now scream

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.

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