Released: September 23, 2003

Songwriter: Big Boi André 3000 Kevin Kendrick Myrna “Peaches” Crenshaw Sleepy Brown

Producer: André 3000

Man, have you ever really wondered
Like why are we here? What the meanin to all of this?

[Hook: Sleepy Brown]
Sometimes life can keep you down, with your face all in the dirt
(HALL-LE-LU-JAH)
Now if you feel that left behind, need to get up and go to church
(HALL-LE-LU-JAH)
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh
(HALL-LE-LU-JAH)
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh..
(HALL-LE, LU-JAH)

[Verse 1: Big Boi]
Big, slide into the mode, time to drop a load
My life is going downhill like some cardboard in the snow
My bank account is frozen, I
Don't think that I can get out this hold
Feel like the figure four leglock
Like the jury went away and then they came back deadlocked
I can't move, I can't eat, I can't even breathe
Can't even buy a decent sack without the stems and the seeds
No trees, no P's to ease the stress of everyday living
But homeless people gotta suck it up wherever they living
The unforgiven or the unwilling, live a life of sinning
And expect to be as pure as an infant in the beginning
But—what about repentance?
What about detention?
What about you eating dinner in the devil's kitchen?
What about repentance?
What about committing the same sin
Over and over again and again and ah..

[Refrain: singers]
Why are we here? Huh? Huh? Huh?
Please tell me - what are we here for?
OW!

[Verse 2: Big Boi]
Life, is nothing but a dream, so peaceful and serene
Unless you're being evil then you on the devil's team
Wide receive what you want to believe
But soon you'll have to sew those bad seeds
Please, any man can ask to get a pass
Or a cleansing of sin to grant another chance
Perhaps another glance of the light at the end of the tunnel
Talk to the coach or break out the huddle
Whatever should you fumble your rebuttal should be subtle
'Cause he who lives in the upper room is never gullible
As you survey the syllables and sentences
The question that I'm merely trying to pose is as simple as me saying
What about repentance?
What about detention?
What about you eating dinner in the devil's kitchen?
What about repentance?
What about committing the same sin
Over and over again and again and ah..

[Hook: Sleepy Brown]
Sometimes life can keep you down, with your face all in the dirt
Now if you feel that left behind, need to get up and go to church
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh
Ooooh, ooooh, ooooh, ooooh..

[Refrain: singers]
Why are we here? Huh? Huh? Huh?
Please tell me - what are we here for?
OW!

[Breakdown]

OutKast

Atlanta, Georgia natives André “André 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton are OutKast, one of the most successful rap groups of all time. Along with the production crew Organized Noize and the Dungeon Family collective, André and Big Boi helped popularize and expand the sound of rap in the “Dirty South.”

The duo connected at Tri-Cities High School and after the names “2 Shades Deep” or “The Misfits” didn’t work out, they went with OutKast as a synonym of “misfit.” They signed to LaFace Records in 1992 prior to finishing high school and their first official appearance came on a remix to TLC’s hit single “What About Your Friends.” This led into their debut single “Player’s Ball” being released in 1993 and their debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik following in 1994. They had a pivotal moment early in their career as they were named New Artist of the Year at the 1995 Source Awards, leading them to be booed by the New York crowd and André responding with his iconic “The South got somethin' to say.”

Their next two albums, ATLiens (1996) and Aquemini (1998), have sparked debates as to which album is superior. ATLiens saw the duo begin to produce their own music and increase their profile while Aquemini received a perfect “5 Mic” rating from The Source magazine. Their next album, Stankonia (2000), further solidified their superstar status with the hit singles “B.O.B.,” “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ms. Jackson,” which won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group while Stankonia won a Grammy in the Best Rap Album category.