Released: November 26, 2002

Songwriter: Tahir Williams Black Thought

Producer: Grand Wizzards Tahir Kelo Saunders

[Intro: Black Thought]
South Philly, North Side, Oakland, Texas
Georgia, Black people, uh, uh, uh, yo!
Worldwide, it's for my nigga
You know what I'm saying
Dumb and blind...

[Verse 1: Black Thought]
They say a record ain't nothing if it's not touching, gripping
Draw you in closer, make you want to listen to it
And if you real ill at making music
The listener feel like he livin' through it, that's how my nigga do it
I met Slacks back in like, '91, rapping
We went to Millersville to get away from gun clappin'
It ain't last, I be in class dreaming 'bout
50,000 fans up in the stands screaming out
"Encore!" Yo, I'm headed back to Philly
Nigga you rollin' with me? I'm trying to get busy
We walked dogs that was off the chain
Lot of times, at the shows, people hardly came
I just took it in stride as part of the game
But inside people down with me started to change
It was a couple things, lil' syrup, lil' pills
Instead of riding out on the road you'd rather chill
I know the way a pleasure feel, I'm not judging
But still I'm on a mission, yo, I'm not buggin'
I got fam that can't stop druggin', they can't sleep
They can't stick to one subject, they can't eat
It's people steady comin' at me out in the street
Like 'Riq, yo, what up with your peeps? It gets deep, nigga

[Chorus]
Yo, you need to walk straight, master your high
Son you missin' out on was passing you by
I done seen the streets suck a lot of cats dry
But not you and I, my nigga, we got to get
Come on, over, over the water
Come on, over, over the water
Water, water...

[Verse 2: Black Thought]
Yo, we done been through many meals, a couple of deals
We done shared clothes and wheels, killed mics and reels
We done rocked shows abroad and slept on floors
Trying to figure what the fuck we gettin' slept on for
Or what we walking with the weapon for
Weighted by the gravity law, you'd know it if you came up poor, my nigga
Picture the bus up north, you know we made
Of everything outlaws are made of, I'm far from a hater
And I don't say I love you 'cause the way I feel is greater
And M-Ila, you a poet, son, you a born creator
And this'll probably dawn on you later, it's in your nature
Lyrics all on your walls like they made of paper
You got to find out where your talent take you
You might fuck around, finally make it, and that's real but, yo

[Chorus]
Yo, you need to walk straight, master your high
Son you missin' out on was passing you by
I done seen the streets suck a lot of cats dry
But not you and I my nigga, we got to get
Come on, over, over the water
Come on, over, over the water
Water, water...

[Verse 3: Black Thought]
Yo, I want you all to understand I come from South Philly
And when I walk the street it's like a pharmacy
They got all type of shit anybody could get
It goes from H to X to loosie cigarettes
For my ghetto legend known for lil' sheist runnin'
Copped codeine by the quarts and keep comin'
Dumbin, just embracing the dope like it's a woman
You burnin' both sides of the rope and just pullin'
Tuggin', in between Islam and straight thuggin'
Laying everyday around the way and doin' nothin'
See'em looking shaking their head and start shruggin'
If they don't got a man like mine, they got a cousin
Ayo, you better be a true friend to him
Before the shit put an end to 'em, or give a pen to him
Or lock him in the studio with a mic
'Cause on the real, it might save his life
Keep tellin' 'em!

[Chorus (Extended)]
Yo, you need to walk straight, master your high
Son you missin' out on was passing you by
I done seen the streets suck a lot of cats dry
But not you and I my nigga, we got to get
Come on, over, over the water
Come on, over, over the water
Water, water...
Yo, you need to walk straight, master your high
Son you missin' out on was passing you by
I done seen the streets suck a lot of cats dry
But not you and I my nigga, we got to get
Come on, over, over the water
Come on, over, over the water
Water, water...

The Roots

The world’s premiere hip-hop band, The Roots were formed in Philadelphia in 1987 by MC Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter and drummer and bandleader Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. Since those early days, the band has weathered changes in personnel and record labels while performing hundreds of shows a year and releasing a string of well-regarded (if not always top-selling) albums.

While the musicianship of Thompson and the other band members, as well as their seemingly limitless repertoire, gets most of the attention, real hip-hop fans know that the rapping skills of Black Thought (along with former group member Malik B.) are the group’s hidden weapon. Thought, one of the few MCs brave enough to go toe to toe with Big Pun, handles any groove the band throws at him with aplomb, style, and flash.

Today, The Roots are seen by millions every night as the house band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a move that has given the group the chance to indulge its not-insignificant comic side.