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Who Tells Your StoryThe Roots

Released: December 2, 2016

Featuring: Ingrid Michaelson Common

Songwriter: !llmind Ingrid Michaelson Black Thought Common Lin-Manuel Miranda

Producer: !llmind

[Intro: Common, Hamilton sample, Ingrid Michaelson]
Will they tell your story?
This is the story of a
Who lives who dies who tells your story
(Da-da-da-dum da-da-da-dum da-da-da-dum)
This is the story of a
Who lives who dies who tells your story

[Verse 1: Common, Hamilton sample]
My mind flashes, I see the ashes of the masters
Who touch the masses, I ask if I'll ever be one
When I die, will heaven be done?
What will my legend become?
I will forever be young
Through old tales of breakdancing down at Odell's
Streets named after me is where my soul dwells
Desires of a church choir, Trinity United
I think of good memories that Hennessy provided

Memories divided by perception
Will it be Water for Chocolate or Resurrection?
The path to perfection is rarely achieved
I head in that direction, I dream and believe
An underground dude that overachieve
From the windy city I was blowing they eaves
Somewhere along the way I aired out MCs
(Who lives who dies who tells your story)
But to stand out some days you may freeze
Degrees

[Hook: Ingrid Michaelson, Hamilton sample]
Who lives
And who dies
Who holds on to all our lives?
Time and time and time again
Will they tell your story in the end
(Who lives who dies who tells your story?)

[Verse 2: Black Thought, Hamilton sample]
Yo, the anticipation arose as time froze
The black men in the morgue were John Does
Lynched for whistling at blonde does
I said a prayer with my eyes closed
As I loaded the Roscoe's at the sink, yo
I been a bullet on the brink
But being a young king
Probably different than you think, though
The quills that I dip into the ink go to document
And you'll remember me when I'm extinct

Yo, sing the carol of a young pharaoh
Who slew Leviathan with one arrow
As I revolve through the gun barrel just to watch it unravel
I tell them have heart, must travel
Keep my legacy alive even if I don't survive 'til the curtain call
First of all, realize what we working towards
Fuck around, find what we searching for
(Who lives who dies who tells your story?)
The earth, my name written in cursive form

[Hook: Ingrid Michaelson, Hamilton sample]
Who lives
And who dies
Who holds on to all our lives?
Time and time and time again
Will they tell your story in the end
(Who lives who dies who tells your story?)

[Break: Ingrid Michaelson]
Who lives
And who dies
Who holds on to our lives?
Time and time and time again
Will they tell your story in the end?
(Who lives who dies who tells your story?)

[Verse 3: Common]
Frozen in time, I can't let it go
Nat Cole, Unforgettable
The pedestal I'm on, I'mma end up on the Federal
Reserve note your money with a hip hop quote
I might change legislation with some shit that I wrote
From boats that we came on to lights with our name on
Through hard times, we spark minds to keep the flame on
I write hard rhymes like I'm running out of time
Truthfully, my stopwatch​ is one with the divine
Centuries from now, they'll play my freestyle
And say, this is the brilliance of a Black American child
Endowed by the streets, and the Chi proud
Known to move in silence, but can be loud
The noise of beat girls and boys
Building to destroy the perception of urban aggression
My life is a progression of chords, wrote the oppressors
A chorus, my story is the glory of the Lord

[Hook: Ingrid Michaelson]
Who lives (who lives)
And who dies (who dies)
Who holds on to all our lives?
Time and time and time again
Will they tell your story in the end?
(Who lives who dies who tells your story?)

The Roots

The world’s premiere hip-hop band, The Roots were formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer and bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Since those early days, the band has weathered changes in personnel and record labels while performing hundreds of shows a year and releasing a string of well-regarded (if not always top-selling) albums.

While the musicianship of Thompson and the other band members, as well as their seemingly limitless repertoire, gets most of the attention, real hip-hop fans know that the rapping skills of Black Thought (along with former group member Malik B.) are the group’s hidden weapon. Thought, one of the few MCs brave enough to go toe to toe with Big Pun, handles any groove the band throws at him with aplomb, style, and flash.

Today, The Roots are seen by millions every night as the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a move that has given the group the chance to indulge its not-insignificant comic side.

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