M.I.A.

Released: March 7, 2015

[Verse 1]
Checking on cracked phones, staying up together 'till dawn
Does it make a difference if we all become the same pawn?
Looking back at history, yeah, all the things that it's shown
Some things are just do, and some things are just don't

[Chorus]
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you

[Bridge]
There's only a few things that I really really get
Yeah, you know, I'm sure about that
There's only a few things that can knock me off my track
Yeah, cause I'm sure about that
There's only a few things that I really, really get
Yeah, you know, I'm sure about that
There's only a few things that can knock me off my track
Yeah, cause I'm sure about that

[Verse 2]
I keep it going like it's never enough
Chasing the masses and the things above
Some people see planes, some people see drones
Some people see a doom, some people see domes

[Chorus]
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you

[Verse 3]
I keep my shoulders up, my head all wrapped up
Circumstances, it makes my mind fucked up
I keep it cool when things are hot, act up
I stay on it, on point, they can't catch up

[Chorus]
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you

[Post-Chorus]
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)

[Verse 4]
Bring loads, I got two roads—one: privacy, two: piracy
Stay on the DL, don't wanna get caught, in 'n' out at the VS
P.S., do you wanna drink beers? Heineken Black, Sonnen, that's what we do, yes
Brought what? Side to side, but nothing spill, ust a bit on my shoelace

[Chorus]
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you
Can see, can do, can see, can do, can you?
Can we get past history? Wanna make a future with you

[Post-Chorus]
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)
(Na-na-na-nana-nanana)

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.

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