Released: April 23, 2010

Songwriter: Alan Vega DJ Switch John Hill Martin Rev M.I.A.

Producer: Switch M.I.A.

[Verse 1]
Yeah, man made powers
Stood like a tower, higher and hi ya, hello
And the higher you go, you feel lower, oh
I was close to the ant
Staying undercover, staying undercover
With a nose to the ground, I found my sound
Got myself an interview tomorrow
I got myself a jacket for a dollar
And my nails are chipped but I'm eager
And the car doesn't work, so I'm stuck here

[Hook 1]
Yeah, I don't wanna live for tomorrow, I push my life today
I throw this in your face when I see ya, I got something to say
I throw this shit in your face when I see ya
Cause I got something to say

[Hook 2]
I was born free, born free
I was born free, born free
Born free, born free
Born free, born free

[Verse 2]
You could try to find ways to be happier
You might end up somewhere in Ethiopia
You can think big with your idea
You ain't never gonna find Utopia
Take a bite out of life, make it snappier, yeah
Ordinary gone super trippier
So I check shit cause I'm lippier
And split a Czech like Slovakia

[Hook 1]
Yeah, I don't wanna live for tomorrow, I push my life today
I throw this in your face when I see ya
Cause I got something to say
I throw this shit in your face when I see ya
Cause I got something to say

[Hook 2]
I was born free, born free
I was born free, born free
Born free, born free
Born free, born free

[Verse 3]
I don't wanna talk about money cause I got it
And I don't wanna talk about hoochies cause I been it
And I don't wanna be that fake but you can do it
And imitators, yeah, speak it
Oh lord, whoever you are
Yeah, come out wherever you are
Oh lord, whoever you are
Yeah, come out wherever you are
And tell 'em

[Hook 2]
I was born free, born free
I was born free, born free
Born free, born free
Born free, born free

M.I.A.

One of the most musically-diverse and perplexing artists of the 2000s, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam is arguably the decade’s best representation of Hip-Hop in its truest form and artistry in its broadest, most diverse format. Her lyrics are as political as Public Enemy, her sound is more eclectic than Stankonia-era Outkast, and she is as aesthetically-driven as Kanye West.

The road that M.I.A. was forced to travel to international stardom was not an easy one. Born on July 18th, 1975 in Hounslow, West London to Sri-Lankan Tamil immigrants, she moved to her parents' homeland when she was only six months old. However, it was the Sri Lankan Civil War which came to shape her childhood. During her formative years, she witnessed many her father was hunted as an enemy of the state, her schools were bombarded, and her impoverished family was constantly in hiding. In 1986, her family moved back to London to find stability and a sense of relative peace.

In England, she discovered her artistic talents and completed several years of secondary education in fine art – eventually gaining attention as a visual artist, painter, and musician. In the early-2000s, Maya began to seriously explore her musical talents and used the internet and underground radio as the means to build her reputation as a unique and talented firebrand. Amidst her no-nonsense politics, however, critics from around the world heard a talent in the making.