Released: August 25, 1998

Songwriter: Johari Newton Lauryn Hill James Poyser

Producer: Lauryn Hill

[Intro]
Yo hip-hop, started out in the heart
Uh-huh, yo
Now everybody tryin' to chart
Say what? Hip-hop, started out in the heart
Yo, now everybody tryin' to chart
C'mon now baby c'mon now baby c'mon now baby c'mon, uhh
C'mon now baby c'mon now baby c'mon now baby c'mon

[Chorus]
C'mon baby light my fire (Come on)
Everything you drop is so tired (Everything)
Music is supposed to inspire (Music is supposed to inspire)
How come we ain't gettin' no higher? (How come, how come)

[Verse 1]
Now tell me your philosophy
On exactly what an artist should be
Should they be someone with prosperity
And no concept of reality?
Now, who you know without any flaws?
That lives above the spiritual laws?
And does anything they feel just because (Just because, just because)
There's always someone there who'll applaud?

[Chorus]
C'mon baby light my fire (Come on)
Everything you drop is so tired (Everything you drop is so tired)
Music is supposed to inspire (What are we here for, what are we here for)
How come we ain't gettin' no higher? (Gettin' no higher)

[Verse 2]
I know you think that you've got it all
And by making other people feel small
Makes you think you're unable to fall
But when you do, who you gonna call?
See what you give is just what you get (What you give is just what you get)
I know it hasn't hit you yet (I know it hasn't hit you yet)
Now I don't mean to get you upset (Get upset, get upset)
But every cause has an effect, uh-huh!

[Chorus]
C'mon baby light my fire
Everything you drop is so tired (Yeah)
Music is supposed to inspire (Music is supposed to inspire)
How come we ain't gettin' no higher? (We ain't no higher, we ain't no higher)

[Verse 3]
I cross sands in distant lands, made plans with the sheiks
Why you beef with freaks as my album sales peak? Uhh
All I wanted was to sell like five hundred
And be a ghetto superstar since my first album, Blunted
I used to work at Foot Locker, they fired me: I fronted
Or I quitted, now I spit it, however do you want it?
Now you get it!
Writing rhymes, in the Range, with the frames lightly tinted
Then send it to your block and have my full name cemented (Lauryn Hill!)
And if your lines sound like mine I'm taking a percentage (ka-ching!)
Unprecedented, and still respected when it's vintage
I'm serious, I'm takin' over areas in Aquarius
Runnin' red lights with my ten thousand chariots
Just as Christ was a Superstar, you stupid, star!
They'll hail you then nail you, no matter who you are
They'll make you now then take you down, and make you face it
If you slit the bag open, put your pinky in it and taste it

[Chorus]
C'mon baby light my fire
Everything you drop is so tired (Everything you drop, everything you drop)
Music is supposed to inspire (Oh yeah)
How come we ain't gettin no higher? (We ain't getting no higher, getting no higher)
C'mon baby light my fire (C'mon baby light my fire)
Everything you drop is so tired (Everything you drop is so tired)
Music is supposed to inspire
How come we ain't gettin no higher? (How come we ain't gettin no higher?)
C'mon baby light my fire (Come on baby)
Everything you drop is so tired (Everything you drop is so tired)
Music is supposed to inspire
How come we ain't gettin no higher? (We ain't no higher)

Lauryn Hill

As one of the founding members of Fugees, Lauryn Hill has spit her truthful lyrics unlike any female rap artist in history. Being as informative as she is inspiring, Lauryn has received monumental success with her solo albums going multi-platinum.

Her classic, critically acclaimed debut album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill went outside of the box for female rappers of her kind, making listeners think about greater causes in their community and how to be a powerful female without selling yourself short. The album also proved to be a huge landmark in rap, as it combined rap, r&b and neo-soul into a unique and beautiful mixture, full of different religious stories and concepts.

Although she retired after the success of her debut, mostly due to her child, Lauryn continued to make appearances at different shows (including at a concert with Drake in 2014). Shortly after announcing her official retirement, Lauryn returned to the scene to release MTV Unplugged 2.0, a live album where she explored with folk, departing from her rap/neo-soul style. Hill is also set to perform tracks from Miseducation in 2018 on its 20th Anniversary.