Released: November 12, 1991

Songwriter: Shock G 2Pac

Producer: Shock G

[Intro]
Killing us one by one
In one way or another
America will find a way to eliminate the problem, one by one
The problem is the troublesome Black youth of the ghettos
And, one by one, we are being wiped off the face of this Earth
At an extremly alarming rate
And even more alarming is the fact that we are not fighting back
Brothers, sisters, niggas
When I say "nigga" it is not the nigga we have grown to fear
It is not the nigga we say as if it has no meaning
But, to me
It means "Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished", nigga
Niggas, what are we going to do?
Walk blind into a line or fight?
Fight and die if we must
Die, like niggas

[Verse 1]
This is for the masses, the lower classes
The ones you left out, jobs were giving, better living
But we were kept out
Made to feel inferior, but we're superior
Break the chains in our brains that made us fear ya
Pledge allegiance to a flag that neglects us
Honour a man that that refuses to respect us
Emancipation Proclamation? Please!
Lincoln just said that to save the nation
These are lies that we all accepted
Say no to drugs but the governments' kept it
Running through our community, killing the unity
The war on drugs is a war on you and me
And yet, they say this is the Home of The Free
But if you ask me, it's all about hypocrisy
The constitution, yo, it don't apply to me
And Lady Liberty? Stupid bitch lied to me
This made me strong, and no one's gonna like what I'm pumpin'
But its wrong to keep someone from learning something
So get up, its time to start nation building
I'm fed up, we gotta start teaching children
That they can be all that they wanna to be
There's much more to life than just poverty

[Interlude]
This is definitely uh... words of wisdom
America! America! AmeriKa-Ka-Ka
I charge you with the crime of rape, murder, and assault
For suppressing and punishing my people
I charge you with robbery for robbing me of my history
I charge you with false imprisonment for keeping me
Trapped in the projects
And the jury finds you guilty on all accounts
And you are to serve the consequences of your evil schemes
Prosecutor, do you have any more evidence?

[Verse 2]
Words of Wisdom
Based upon the strength of a nation
Conquer the enemy armed with education
Protect yourself, reach for what you want to do
Know thyself, teach by what we've been through
Armed with the knowledge of the place we've been
No one will ever oppress this race again
No Malcolm X in my history text, why's that?
’Cause he tried to educate and liberate all blacks
Why is Martin Luther King in my book each week?
He told blacks, if they get smacked, turn the other cheek
I don't get it, so many questions went through my mind
I get sweated, they act like asking questions is a crime
But forget it, cause one day I'm gonna prove them wrong
Not every brother had his mother on the welfare line
The American Dream, though it seems like it's attainable
They're pulling your sleeve, don't believe
’Cause it will strangle ya
Pulling the life of your brain, I can't explain
Beg as you can obtain from which you came
You swear to your mother that you living in equality
Forgetting your brother that's living here in poverty
Thought they had us beaten when they took out King
But the battle ain't over till the black man sings
Words of Wisdom
The battle ain't over 'till the black man sings
Words of Wisdom

[Outro]
NIGHTMARE! That's what I am
America's Nightmare
I am what you made me
The hate and the evil that you gave me
I shine as a reminder of what you've done to my people
For four hundred plus years
You should be scared
You should be running
You should be trying to silence me
Ha, but you can not escape fate
For it is my turn to come
Just as you rose you will fall
By my hands
America, you reap what you sow
2Pacalypse, America's Nightmare
Ice Cube and Da Lynch Mob, America's Nightmare
Above The Law, America's Nightmare
Paris, America's Nightmare
Public Enemy, America's Nightmare
KRS-One, America's Nightmare
New Afrikan Panthers, America's nightmare
Mutulu Shakur, America's Nightmare
Geronimo Pratt, America's Nightmare
Assata Shakur, America's Nightmare

2Pac

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an actor and a highly influential rapper who is considered by many to be the greatest of all-time due to the revolutionary spirit and thug passion he mixed into his music. During his music career, he made appearances in movies such as his acclaimed debut in Juice (1992), Poetic Justice (1993), and Above the Rim (1994).

Born in Harlem, New York City to Black Panther Party members Billy Garland and Afeni Shakur, Tupac would later move to Baltimore before settling in the Bay Area cities of Oakland and Marin City in the late 1980s. There, he joined his first rap group Strictly Dope with Ray Luv before connecting with Shock G and Digital Underground. He was a roadie and backup dancer for the group before his breakthrough performance on their 1991 song “Same Song.”

2Pac released his debut album 2Pacalypse Now in 1991, which featured intense storytelling on singles such as “Trapped” and “Brenda’s Got a Baby.” His sophomore album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z featured one of his signature songs, the Digital Underground-assisted “I Get Around.” After working on the Thug Life group album in 1994, 2Pac released Me Against the World the following year, which is considered by many to be his best album, peaking at #1 on the Billboard 200 and receiving a Grammy nomination—all while he sat in prison.