Not a Tourist 1

NOT A TOURIST [Intro — spoken, low] You can drive through it. You can talk about it. You can wear the story if you want. But you didn’t earn the struggle. [Verse 1] I am old school, Generation X, Still walkin’ down those blocks. Learned lessons, earned scars, Obvious I’m tickin’ when it tocks. Street education, you on vacation, One wrong stop can change your day. These aren’t your blocks, they don’t belong to you— Didn’t earn what made me this way. You see the pavement, I see the names, The ones that left and the ones that stayed. You see a story you can borrow for a minute, I see the price that was already paid. [Pre-Chorus] You want the edge without the nights, Want the truth without the cost. Want the map without getting turned around, Want the road without getting lost. [Chorus] It’s all over you— I created my life, you take what you like, We know just what you do. I think we are through. We don’t think alike, we’re day and night, We know just what you do. You don’t know me— You think that you do. Never had the hand-me-downs, hand-me-downs, Or the holes in your shoes. [Verse 2] Hungry nights and the drug-fueled fights, People comin’ after you. Learned when to talk, learned when to walk, Learned what silence had to do. There were eviction notes and busted coats, Cold food split four ways. Mama tried, but hard times bite, And they don’t care what your teacher says. So don’t show up with a borrowed voice, Talkin’ like you knew my pain. You never had to watch the people you love Get swallowed up by the rain. [Pre-Chorus] You want the edge without the nights, Want the truth without the cost. Want the map without getting turned around, Want the road without getting lost. [Chorus] It’s all over you— I created my life, you take what you like, We know just what you do. I think we are through. We don’t think alike, we’re day and night, We know just what you do. You don’t know me— You think that you do. Never had the hand-me-downs, hand-me-downs, Or the holes in your shoes. [Verse 3 — drums shift to military cadence] I went away, stood in the prints, Lifted my hand, swore an oath That applies to this day. I’m here to stay. They shaved my head, took my name away, Taught me to kill and praise the AR-EMMMMM-MAY. I earned that pride, I earned my place, Not a tourist in my commm-une-ahhh-tay. I carried the blocks to another world, Then brought that strength back home with me. [Bridge — half-time, raw] You can’t rent these scars. You can’t cosplay hard. You can’t wear my history Like a jacket from a yard sale. I don’t need your sympathy. I don’t need you to agree. Just don’t stand in my doorway And tell me who I’m supposed to be. [Final Chorus — bigger, shouted doubles] It’s all over you— I created my life, you take what you like, We know just what you do. I think we are through. We don’t think alike, we’re day and night, We know just what you do. You don’t know me— You think that you do. Never had the hand-me-downs, hand-me-downs, Or the holes in your shoes. These aren’t your blocks— They don’t belong to you. Didn’t EARNNNN THA STRUGGLE. [Outro — spoken] I went away. I came back. Still standing. Not a tourist.