Released: February 13, 1996
Featuring: Omega (rapper) John Forté
Songwriter: Omega (rapper) John Forté Lauryn Hill Pras Wyclef Jean
Producer: Pras Jerry Duplessis John Forté Lauryn Hill Wyclef Jean
[Verse 1: Omega & Wyclef]
Where I was born, nothing is promised
My life is filled with less hope than the prophecies of Nostradamus
Omega marks the ending of predictability
Birth of agility
Who will it be to test me and expose their futility?
Iron like a lion from Zion, stop tryin' so hard
I think I smell your brain cells fryin'
The family's behind you if you're worthy
Philosophies developed deep in the back streets of dirty Jersey
Troops with skully hats and Timberland boots
No more breakdancing for loot, niggas hustle and shoot
In the Garden State, it grows stink weeds and criminals
Government funds are minimal, oppression's subliminal (Yo)
[Verse 2: Wyclef]
These days it's hard for we to find peace of mind
Between insanity and sanity there lies a thin line
Some dwell in hotels with jezebels
A stone age and fall a victim to the plague
Unclean bad dreams of Wyclef being a fiend
One last kiss from my sweet serpentine
Eliminate, break, navigate
To rejuvenate thoughts of suicide with my nickel plate
Reconcil'ation came from my enemy-friend
Who said, "Family don't bend, we stay solid 'til the end"
Now who would think that your best friend
Would be your worst enemy and your enemy your best friend?
Stare into the air, inspiration from the atmosphere
I think of old ghosts that ain't even here
Like Alex Haley, take notes on his biography
My family tree consists of street refugees
A ghetto land where we talk slang
Stolen cars bang like my chitty bang-bang
Shebang for the head, we ain't sellin' cocaine today
So refrain and let my family reign, okay
[Chorus: Omega & Wyclef]
Just walkin' the streets death can take you away
It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So defend the family, that's the code to obey
But if I fall asleep and death takes me away
Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So the family sticks together and we never betray (Nah, fuck that)
[Verse 3: Wyclef]
Yo, fifty-two pick-ups, no cops around
Fifty-two thousand in cash, I don't want no savings bonds
Have the money ready, I smell something fishy
Your wife's in my custody, one false move, you'll find her body in the sea (Don't move, don't move)
That's the voice of the kid, that's the kidnapper
I do my work and then I catch my ticket to Jamaica
Meet me in the alley, make sure you bring the money
This ain't the seventies, I'm far from a jive turkey
[Verse 4: Lauryn]
My circle, it can't be broken open, cut-throatin', provokin'
Record promotin', tokin', chokin' on they words like smokin'
'Cause we soft spoken doesn't mean that we've forgotten
Your booty smell rotten and one day you will be gotten
See, jokers is scatter-brained, their focus is unrestrained
My army is trained, you never find us beefin' in vain
'Cause I've seen fire and I've seen rain
You claim fame while modest niggas remain
I can judge a character like Ito judge a verdict
And if you bringin' threats, I give you sex if I ain't heard it
See, poppin' shit's about your attitude and how you word it
I seen the biggest niggas on the blocks get murdered, and they deserved it
Or so the beast said when they served it, that shit is nervous
So what's my purpose? Family, we must preserve it
Your number's retired, I hope you like the hell fires
You'll be screamin', "Murder She Wrote" like Chaka Demus and Pliers
[Chorus: Omega, Lauryn]
Just walkin' the streets death can take you away
It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So defend the family, that's the code to obey
If I should fall asleep and death take me away
Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So the family stick together and we never betray, yeah
[Verse 5: John Forte & Wyclef]
We used to jump rope, but now we gun hold
Bustin' shots off of project rooftops
Sending signals with the blunt smoke
Ahk, don't talk a lot if you can't hold it in lock
If you think lips sink ships, imagine full Glock clips
I hold a glass of Remy Martin, gettin' milks by the carton
Extortin' the lightweights for thinkin' they important
The night pays in heavenly ways, ain't nothin' free
I ask knowledge in your family and step into your B.I.
You see I stay on top of shit like a fly
My niggas reach when we got beef then jet down to South Beach
Your mouthpiece is yappin', I hear it in your rappin'
My family is thick so that bullshit could never happen (Yo)
[Chorus: Wyclef & Lauryn]
Just walkin' the streets death can take you away
It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So defend the family, that's the code to obey
But if I should fall asleep and death takes me away
Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So the family stick together and we never betray
[Skit: Shannon Briggs]
Yo, what you say?
Yo, word to mother, yo, I'll punch you and bust your whole head, kid
I swear to God, this is Shannon Briggs, I get paid to knock people out
You know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, Wyclef, chill, don't even hold me
Yo, word to mother, I'll— I'll— word, yo, chill, yo
I'm with the Fugees, what? You know what I'm sayin'? What?
Some come from nowhere
To watch this caravan
[Interlude: Lauryn]
Now this happen to be the one and only [?][4:54] of the [?][4:54] crew
[?][4:57] dancehall session
And we don't play with sound clash
Soundbwoy get ah neck bash and he pussy dusted
Strumming dub plates with our fingers (You heard?)
Eliminate sounds with our song (No)
Killing a sound boy with this sound
Killing a sound boy with this sound (No)
Taking sound boys' lives with this dub
Killing him softly (You heard?) with this sound
Where I was born, nothing is promised
My life is filled with less hope than the prophecies of Nostradamus
Omega marks the ending of predictability
Birth of agility
Who will it be to test me and expose their futility?
Iron like a lion from Zion, stop tryin' so hard
I think I smell your brain cells fryin'
The family's behind you if you're worthy
Philosophies developed deep in the back streets of dirty Jersey
Troops with skully hats and Timberland boots
No more breakdancing for loot, niggas hustle and shoot
In the Garden State, it grows stink weeds and criminals
Government funds are minimal, oppression's subliminal (Yo)
[Verse 2: Wyclef]
These days it's hard for we to find peace of mind
Between insanity and sanity there lies a thin line
Some dwell in hotels with jezebels
A stone age and fall a victim to the plague
Unclean bad dreams of Wyclef being a fiend
One last kiss from my sweet serpentine
Eliminate, break, navigate
To rejuvenate thoughts of suicide with my nickel plate
Reconcil'ation came from my enemy-friend
Who said, "Family don't bend, we stay solid 'til the end"
Now who would think that your best friend
Would be your worst enemy and your enemy your best friend?
Stare into the air, inspiration from the atmosphere
I think of old ghosts that ain't even here
Like Alex Haley, take notes on his biography
My family tree consists of street refugees
A ghetto land where we talk slang
Stolen cars bang like my chitty bang-bang
Shebang for the head, we ain't sellin' cocaine today
So refrain and let my family reign, okay
[Chorus: Omega & Wyclef]
Just walkin' the streets death can take you away
It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So defend the family, that's the code to obey
But if I fall asleep and death takes me away
Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So the family sticks together and we never betray (Nah, fuck that)
[Verse 3: Wyclef]
Yo, fifty-two pick-ups, no cops around
Fifty-two thousand in cash, I don't want no savings bonds
Have the money ready, I smell something fishy
Your wife's in my custody, one false move, you'll find her body in the sea (Don't move, don't move)
That's the voice of the kid, that's the kidnapper
I do my work and then I catch my ticket to Jamaica
Meet me in the alley, make sure you bring the money
This ain't the seventies, I'm far from a jive turkey
[Verse 4: Lauryn]
My circle, it can't be broken open, cut-throatin', provokin'
Record promotin', tokin', chokin' on they words like smokin'
'Cause we soft spoken doesn't mean that we've forgotten
Your booty smell rotten and one day you will be gotten
See, jokers is scatter-brained, their focus is unrestrained
My army is trained, you never find us beefin' in vain
'Cause I've seen fire and I've seen rain
You claim fame while modest niggas remain
I can judge a character like Ito judge a verdict
And if you bringin' threats, I give you sex if I ain't heard it
See, poppin' shit's about your attitude and how you word it
I seen the biggest niggas on the blocks get murdered, and they deserved it
Or so the beast said when they served it, that shit is nervous
So what's my purpose? Family, we must preserve it
Your number's retired, I hope you like the hell fires
You'll be screamin', "Murder She Wrote" like Chaka Demus and Pliers
[Chorus: Omega, Lauryn]
Just walkin' the streets death can take you away
It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So defend the family, that's the code to obey
If I should fall asleep and death take me away
Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So the family stick together and we never betray, yeah
[Verse 5: John Forte & Wyclef]
We used to jump rope, but now we gun hold
Bustin' shots off of project rooftops
Sending signals with the blunt smoke
Ahk, don't talk a lot if you can't hold it in lock
If you think lips sink ships, imagine full Glock clips
I hold a glass of Remy Martin, gettin' milks by the carton
Extortin' the lightweights for thinkin' they important
The night pays in heavenly ways, ain't nothin' free
I ask knowledge in your family and step into your B.I.
You see I stay on top of shit like a fly
My niggas reach when we got beef then jet down to South Beach
Your mouthpiece is yappin', I hear it in your rappin'
My family is thick so that bullshit could never happen (Yo)
[Chorus: Wyclef & Lauryn]
Just walkin' the streets death can take you away
It's never guaranteed that you'll see the next day
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So defend the family, that's the code to obey
But if I should fall asleep and death takes me away
Don't be surprised, son, I wasn't put here to stay
At night the evil armies of Shaton don't play
So the family stick together and we never betray
[Skit: Shannon Briggs]
Yo, what you say?
Yo, word to mother, yo, I'll punch you and bust your whole head, kid
I swear to God, this is Shannon Briggs, I get paid to knock people out
You know what I'm sayin'?
Yo, Wyclef, chill, don't even hold me
Yo, word to mother, I'll— I'll— word, yo, chill, yo
I'm with the Fugees, what? You know what I'm sayin'? What?
Some come from nowhere
To watch this caravan
[Interlude: Lauryn]
Now this happen to be the one and only [?][4:54] of the [?][4:54] crew
[?][4:57] dancehall session
And we don't play with sound clash
Soundbwoy get ah neck bash and he pussy dusted
Strumming dub plates with our fingers (You heard?)
Eliminate sounds with our song (No)
Killing a sound boy with this sound
Killing a sound boy with this sound (No)
Taking sound boys' lives with this dub
Killing him softly (You heard?) with this sound
- The Score (1996)
- Killing Me Softly With His Song
- Ready or Not
- Fu-Gee-La
- How Many Mics
- Zealots
- Family Business
- The Beast
- The Score
- Nappy Heads (Remix)
- The Mask
- Cowboys
- Rumble In The Jungle
- No Woman, No Cry
- Manifest/Outro
- Vocab (Refugee Hip-Hop Remix)
- Fu-Gee-La (Sly & Robbie Mix)
- Fu-Gee-La (Refugee Camp Remix)
- Fu-Gee-La (Refugee Camp Global Mix)
- Mista Mista
- Nappy Heads
- Ready or Not (Salaam’s Ready for the Show Remix)
- A Change Is Gonna Come (UK Bonus Track)
- Da Kid From Haiti Interlude
- Vocab