White Privilege Ii Lyrics - This Unruly Mess I've Made - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Pulled into the parking lot, parked it 

Zipped up my parka, joined the procession of marchers 

In my head like, "Is this awkward? 

Should I even be here marching?" 

Thinking if they can't, how can I breathe? 

Thinking that they chant, what do I sing? 

I want to take a stance cause we are not free 

And then I thought about it, we are not we 

Am I in the outside looking in, 

or am I in the inside looking out? 

Is it my place to give my two cents? 

Or should I stand on the side and shut my mouth? 

No justice, no peace, okay, I'm saying that 

They're chanting out, Black Lives Matter, 

but I don't say it back 

Is it okay for me to say? 

I don't know, so I watch and stand 

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In front of a line of police that look the same as me 

Only separated by a badge, 

a baton, a can of Mace, a mask 

A shield, a gun with gloves and hands that gives an alibi 

In case somebody dies behind a bullet that flies out of the 9 

Takes another child's life on sight 

Blood in the streets, no justice, no peace 

No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free 

There's blood in the streets, no justice, no peace 

No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free 

Blood in the streets, no justice, no peace 

No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free 

There's blood in the streets, no justice, no peace 

No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free 

Blood in the streets, no justice, no peace 

No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free 

There's blood in the streets, no justice, no peace 

No racist beliefs, no rest 'til we're free 

Photos 

Oh, what are you doing Ben? What are you doing here? 

"Probably shouldn't be here, you have white supremacy, don't fuckin' come here. — You don't give a shit about us. — 'Black Lives Matter,' say it. — Wow. — 'Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.' — You should not have done that. Why the fuck would you do that? — You always react. Just let it go, man. — White racist. — It's the Grammys!" 

Ben, think about it. 

You've exploited and stolen the music, the moment 

The magic, the passion, the fashion, you toy with 

The culture was never yours to make better 

You're Miley, you're Elvis, you're Iggy Azalea 

Fake and so plastic, you've heisted the magic 

You've taken the drums and the accent you rapped in 

Your brand of hip-hop, it's so fascist and backwards 

That Grandmaster Flash'd go slap it, you bastard 

All the money that you made 

All the watered down pop-bullshit version of the culture, pal 

Go buy a big-ass lawn, go with your big-ass house 

Get a big-ass fence, keep people out 

It's all stolen, anyway, can't you see that now? 

There's no way for you to even that out 

You can join the march, protest, scream and shout 

But they see through it all, people believe you now? 

You said publicly, "Rest in peace, Mike Brown" 

You speak about equality, but do you really mean it? 

Are you marching for freedom, or when it's convenient? 

Want people to like you, want to be accepted 

That's probably why you are out here protesting 

Don't think for a second you don't have incentive 

Is this about you, well, then what's your intention? 

What's the intention? What's the intention? 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Hands up? Don't shoot! 

Pssst, I totally get it, you're by yourself 

And the last thing you want to do is take a picture 

But seriously, my little girl loves you 

She's always singing, 'I'm gonna pop some tags' 

I'm not kidding, my oldest, you even got him to go thrifting 

And 'One Love,' oh my God, that song, brilliant 

Their aunt is gay, when that song came out 

My son told his whole class he was actually proud 

That's so cool, look what you're accomplishing 

Even the old mom like me likes it, cause it's positive 

You're the only hip-hop that I let my kids listen to 

Cause you get it, all that negative stuff it isn't cool 

Yeah? 

Yeah, like, all the guns and the drugs 

The bitches and the hoes and the gangs and the thugs 

Even the protest outside, so sad, and so dumb 

If a cop pulls you over, it's your fault if you run 

Huh? 

So, they feel that the police are discriminating against the... the black people? — I have an advantage? Why? Cause I'm white? (laughs) What? (laughs) No. — See, more people nowadays are just pussies. Like, this is the generation to be offended by everything. — 'Black Lives Matter' thing is a reason to take arms up over perceived slights. — I'm not prejudiced, I just... — 99% of the time, across this country, the police are doing their job properly. 

Damn, a lot of opinions, a lot of confusion, a lot of resentment 

Some of us scared, some of us defensive 

And most of us aren't even paying attention 

It seems like we're more concerned with being called racist 

Than we actually are with racism 

I've heard that silences are action and God knows that I've been passive 

What if I actually read a article, actually had a dialogue 

Actually looked at myself, actually got involved? 

If I'm aware of my privilege and do nothing at all, I don't know 

Hip-hop has always been political, yes 

It's the reason why this music connects 

So what the fuck has happened to my voice if I stay silent when black people are dying 

Then I'm trying to be politically correct? 

I can book a whole tour, sell out the tickets 

Rap entrepreneur, built his own business 

If I'm only in this for my own self-interest, not the culture that gave me a voice to begin with 

Then this isn't authentic, it is just a gimmick 

The DIY underdog, so independent 

But the one thing the American dream fails to mention 

Is I was many steps ahead to begin with 

My skin matches the hero, likeness, the image 

America feels safe with my music in their systems 

And it's suited me perfect, the role, I've fulfilled it 

And if I'm the hero, you know who gets cast as the villain 

White supremacy isn't just a white dude in Idaho 

White supremacy protects the privilege I hold 

White supremacy is the soil, the foundation, the cement and the flag that flies outside of my home 

White supremacy is our country's lineage, designed for us to be indifferent 

My success is the product of the same system that let off Darren Wilson - guilty 

We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we just stand by 

We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives? 

We want to dress like, walk like, talk like, dance like, yet we just stand by 

We take all we want from black culture, but will we show up for black lives? 

Black Lives Matter, to use an analogy, is like if... if there was a subdivision and a house was on fire. The fire department wouldn't show up and start putting water on all the houses because all houses matter. They would show up and they would turn their water on the house that was burning because that's the house that needs the help the most. — My generation's taken on the torch of a very age-old fight for black liberation, but also liberation for everyone. Injustice anywhere is still injustice everywhere. — The best thing white people can do is talk to each other, having those very difficult, very painful conversations with your parents, with your family members. — I think one of the critical questions for white people in this society is, 'What are you willing to risk? What are you willing to sacrifice to create a more just society?' 

Your silence is a luxury, hip-hop is not a luxury 

Your silence is a luxury, hip-hop is not a luxury 

Your silence is a luxury, hip-hop is not a luxury 

Your silence is a luxury, hip-hop is not a luxury 

What I got for me, it is for me 

What we made, we made to set us free 

What I got for me, it is for me 

What we made, we made to set us free 

What I got for me, it is for me 

What we made, we made to set us free