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Something In the Way of Things (In Town) - The Roots



     
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Something In the Way of Things (In Town) Lyrics


In town
In town
In townSomething in the way of things
Something that will quit and won't start
Something you know but can't stand
Can't know, get along with like death
Riding on top of the car
Peering through the windshield for his cue
Something entirely fictitious and true
That creeps across your path hallowing your evil ways
Like they were yourself, passing yourself not smilingThe dead guy you saw me talking to is your boss
I tried to put a spell on him but his spirit is illiterate
I know things you know and nothing you don't know
Except I saw something in the way of things
Something grinning at me and I wanted to know, was it funny?
Was it so funny it followed me down the street
Greeting everybody like the good humor man
And they got the taste of good humor but no ice cream

It was like thatMe talking across people into the houses
And not seeing the beings crowding around me
With ice picks, you could see them
But they looked like important Negroes on the way to your funeral
Looked like important jiggaboos on the way to your auction
And let them chant the number
And use an ivory pointer to count your teeth
Remember Steppen Fetchit
Remember Steppen Fetchit how we laughed
An all your Sunday school images giving flesh and giggling
With the ice pick high off his head
Made you laugh anywayI can see something in the way of ourselves
I can see something in the way of ourselves
That's why I say the things I do, you know it
But it's something else to you, like that job
This morning when you got there and it was quiet
And the machines were yearning soft behind you
Yearning for that nigga to come and give up his life
Standin' there bein' dissed and broke and troubledMy mistake is I kept sayin', "That was proof
God didn't exist"
And you told me, "Nah, it was proof that the devil do"
But still it's like I see something, I hear things
I saw words in the white boy's lying rag
Said he was gonna die poor and frustrated
That them dreams walk which you 'cross town
He's gonna die from over workThere's garbage on the street that's tellin' you, you ain't shit
And you almost believe it
Broke and mistaken all the time
You know some of the words but they ain't the right ones
Your cable back on but ain't nothin' you can see
But I see something in the way of things
Something to make us stumble
Something get us drunk from noise and addicted to sadness
I see something and feel something stalking us
Like and ugly thing floating at our back calling us names
You see it and hear it tooBut you say, "It got a right to exist
Just like you and if God made it but then we got to argue"
And the light gon' come down around us
Even though we remember where the mic is
Remember the Negro squinting at us through the cage
You've seen what I see too?
The smile that ain't a smile but teeth flying against our necks
You see something too but can't call it's name"Ain't it too bad" y'all said
Ain't it too bad, such a nice boy always kind to his mother
Always say good morning to everybody on his way to work
But that last time before he got locked up and hurt, real bad
I seen him walkin' toward his house and he wasn't smiling
And he didn't even say hello
But I knew he'd seen something, something in the way of things
That it worked on him like it do in will
And he kept marching faster and faster away from us
And never even muttered a word
Then the next day he was goneYou wanna know, what? You wanna know what I'm talkin' about
Sayin', "I've seen something in the way of things
And how the boys face looked that day"
Just before they took him away
There is in that face and remember now
Remember all them other faces
And all the many places you've seen him
Or the sister with his child wandering up the street
Remember what you've seen in your own mirror
And didn't for a second recognize the face, your own face
Straining to get out from behind the glassOpen your mouth like you was gon' say somethin'
Close your eyes and remember what you saw
And what it made you feel like
Now, don't you see something else
Something cold and ugly
Not invisible but blended with the shadow
Criss-crossing the old man, squatting by the drug store
At the corner with is head resting uneasily on his folded arms
And the boy that smiled and the girl he went withAnd in my eyes too, a waving craziness
Splitting them into the jet stream of a black bird with his ass on fire
Or the solemn notness of where we go to know we gonna be happy
I seen something, I seen something
And you seen it too, you seen it too
You just can't call it's name

Enjoy the lyrics !!!
The Roots, also known as The Legendary Roots Crew, The Square Roots and The Foundation, are an influential, Grammy winning hip hop group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, famed for a heavily jazzy sound and live instrumentation. Inspired by the "hip-hop band" concept pioneered by Stetsasonic, the Roots themselves have garnered critical acclaim and influenced later hip-hop and R&B acts.

The Roots' original lineup included Black Thought (MC vocals) and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson (drums), who were classmates at the Philadelphia High School for Creative Performing Arts. As they began to play at school and on the streets, they added another MC named Malik B., bassist Leonard Hubbardand keyboardist Scott Storch. Another MC, Dice Raw, frequently made album appearances with the group from 1995 to 1999 before leaving to record a solo album. Scott Storch also left to pursue career as a producer following the Do You Want More?!!!??! album, He produced songs such as Still D.R.E. by Dr Dre. The Roots filled his void with another keyboardist, Kamal who is still a member. A beatboxer named Rahzel also joined the group and contributed from 1995-1999. Alongside Rahzel was vocal turntablist, Scratch who greatly contributed to The Roots' sound, most notably in live concerts. He left the group in 2003. Malik B. left the group in 2000. A guitarist, Ben Kenney, enjoyed a short stint with the group and contributed to their Phrenology album, but left to join Incubus. A percussionist, Knuckles, was added in 2002 and guitarist, Kirk Douglas (a.k.a. "Captain Kirk") repleaced Kenney. A vocalist, Martin Luther toured with The Roots in 2003 and 2004 and contributed to their album The Tipping Point. The current members of The Roots are Black Thought (MC vocals), ?uestlove (drums), Hub (bass), Kamal (keyboard), Knuckles (percussion), and Captain Kirk (guitar).

The Roots' debut album, Organix released in 1993, was actually a live recording from a concert in Germany that the Roots sold at their shows. The album earned enough industry buzz to earn the Roots offers from major record labels, and they signed with DGC records, which at the time was better known for its grunge music releases.

The Roots' first album for DGC, Do You Want More?!!!??! (recorded live without the use of samples), was a moderate hit on alternative radio. Their 1996 release Illadelph Halflife was the group's first album to crack the Top 40 on Billboard's album chart, spurred in part by MTV's airplay of the video for "What They Do", a parody of rap video clichés such as the "beatdown shot," and "Clones" which was their first to single to reach the top five on the rap charts.

In 1999, The Roots released Things Fall Apart (named after a novel by Chinua Achebe), their breakthrough album. The track "You Got Me", duet with R'n'B singer Erykah Badu, earned them a Grammy award for Best rap Performance By A Duo Or Group.

In 2000, Dice Raw left the group to record his solo debut album, Reclaiming the Dead.

The Roots' reputation as a hip-hop live band made Jay-Z call on them for his MTV Unplugged album in 2002. The album featured good recreations of many of his great songs, played by the band with a little help from female vocalist Jaguar Wright.

2002's Phrenology introduced a more mainstream sound for the Roots, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. The album's sales were boosted by radio and TV airplay for two duets on the album, "Break You Off" (featuring Musiq Soulchild) and "The Seed 2.0" (featuring cody chestnutt). The video for "The Seed 2.0" earned a nomination for the MTV2 Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. "The Seed" was also featured on the soundtrack to the Mandy Moore movie Chasing Liberty. Phrenology was certified gold (signifying U.S. sales of at least 500,000 units) in June 2003.

The Roots' 2004 release, The Tipping Point, took its name from a 2000 book by Malcolm Gladwell. The album earned two more Grammy nominations: one for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Star", and another for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for the track "Don't Say Nuthin'". The album was an immediate hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard album chart and selling over 100,000 copies in its first week of release.

On November 15, 2005 The Roots released two compilation albums, Home Grown! The Beginner's Guide To Understanding The Roots, Volumes 1 & 2. These two separately sold discs are a compilation of past hits, live performances, and rare remixes compiled by ?uestlove himself. They also feature 70 pages of liner notes written by ?uestlove. These two albums marked the Roots' last releases on Geffen Records.

The Roots' album, Game Theory, was released on August 29, 2006. The album, which features a track that samples the song "You and Whose Army" by Radiohead, was released on Jay-Z's Def Jam.

The Roots next album 'Rising Down' was released on April 29th 2008. Features tracks with Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Saigon, and other greats.

The Make Me Songfacts reports that The Roots' eleventh album, Undun, is their first concept album. It tells the story of a man called Redford Stephens who died in 1999 at the age of 25. We hear Redford retelling his life post-mortem and attempting to deconstruct what led to his undoing.

The Roots are also the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon airing first on March 2nd, 2009.

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The Roots