Released: March 24, 2005

Featuring: Kanye West John Legend

Songwriter: John Legend Kanye West Common

Producer: Kanye West

[Chorus: John Legend]
They say "What's happenin'?"
We say the facts and if, they lie
We comin' back for them
They might say... but they don't know!
(They say, they say...)
They don't know

[Verse 1: Common]
They say a nigga lost his mind
But in the scheme of things I never lost a rhyme
The thin line between love and hatred
I'm the black pill in the Matrix, the saturated life
They say life is what you make it
So I wait quick on a spaceship so I can take it
As high as the stakes get when paper get low
I be tellin' Derick, "Tell Cara get us a show"
Little Com, I make righteous bitches get low
The richest man ain't necessarily the nigga with dough
They say "You ripped" "Wow..." Yea, that's what they say
My niggas couldn't tell it was me, like Jamie in Ray
Paintin' a day, wit focused crime, broads, and good wine
They say "Dope is sour so it's homework and hood crimes"
I stood mine, for forever and a day so goodbye
They never could say - tell 'em, J

[Chorus: John Legend]
They say "What's happenin'?"
We say the facts and if, they lie
We comin' back for them
They might say... but they don't know!
(They say, they say...)
They don't knowwwww

[Verse 2: Kanye West]
Ahh... The sweet taste of victory
Go head and breathe it in like antihistamine
I know they sayin' "Damn, Ye snapped with this beat!"
Fuck you expect? I've got a history
Groupie love now, gotta be them wheels!
Haters back down, gotta be that steel!
I know they can't wait till ya outta ya deal!
Look how they did D'Angelo ask him how do it feel!
My best friends worry bout me
'Cause they know when you famous
And you had made cash
The media aims at us
And you be up so high
If you ever fall off, it feel like a plane crash
But God don't ever give me nothin' I can't handle
So please don't ever give me records I can't sample
So I could vacate where it ain't no channels
But it's quite okay for a gangsta to wear sandals
They say because of the fame and stardom
I'm somewhere in between the church and insane asylum
I guess it's messin' with my health then
And this verse so crazy when I finish
I'm just gon' check myself in - again

[Chorus: John Legend]
They say "What's happenin'?"
We say the facts and if, they lie
We comin' back for them
They might say... but they don't know!
(They say, they say...)
They don't knowwwww

[Verse 3: Common]
They say "Dude think he righteous"
I write just to free minds, from Stony to Rikers
Amongst the lifeless, in a world crazy as Mike is
On my paper, whether its weed or Isis
They say "life is a game," so I play hard
Writin for my life 'cause I'm scared of a day job
They say "Sef kept the hood together"
I tell the young, "We can't play the hood forever"
Play my cards right, they say I went too left
They showed me strange love, like I was Mr. F
Played chess in this game of, pawns and knights
Now I claim "King" like Don, or Frank White
They say my life is comparable to Christ
The way I sacrificed, and resurrected, twice
They say "The crochet pants and the sweater was wack"
Seen the corner, now they say "That nigga's back," uh

[Chorus: John Legend]
They say "What's happenin'?"
We say the facts and if, they lie
We comin' back for them
They might say... but they don't know!
(They say, they say...)
They don't knowwwww

Common

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.