Astronomy Lyrics - Singles - Mos Def

Against the canvas of the night 

Appears a curious celestial phenomena 

Called Black Star, but what is it? 

Black people unite and let's all get down 

We got to have what? We got to have that love 

What is the Black Star? 

Is it the cat with the black shades, the black car? 

Is it shining from very far, to where you are? 

It is commonplace and different 

Intimate and distant 

Fresher than an infant 

Black, my family thick, like they're striped molasses 

Star, on the rise, in the eyes of the masses 

Black is the color of my true love's hair 

Star's are bright, shining, hot balls of air 

Black like my baby girl's stare 

Black like the veil that the muslimina wear 

Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared? 

Black like the slave ship that later brought us here 

Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears 

That leave black faces well traveled with years 

Black like assassin cross hairs 

Blacker than my granddaddy armchair 

He never really got no time to chill there 

Cause this life is warfare, warfare 

Deep on the front lines, and blacks is all there 

Black like the perception of who, on welfare 

Black like faces at the bottom of the well 

I've been there before 

To bring the light and heat it up like "la cocina" 

Make without imagine happen but maybe I'm just a dreamer 

I love rockin tracks like John Coltrane love Naema 

Like the student love the teacher 

Like the prophet love Khadeja 

Like I love my baby features 

Like the creator love all creatures 

Who acknowledge truth and peace seekers 

We on point like heat seekers 

Targeting the black marketing strategists 

Run up on em with the heaters 

Everybody following with no leaders 

Feeling like we killing ourselves 

Because I know they can't defeat us 

It don't stop til we complete this, keep this fly 

There's so much to life when you just stay Black and God 

Blacker than the nighttime sky of Bed-Stuy in July 

Blacker than the seed in the blackberry pie 

Blacker than the middle of my eye 

Black like feh-lah man cry 

Some man wan ask "Who am I?" 

I simply reply, "The U.N.I., V.E.R.S.A.L. Magnetic" 

Work to respect the angelic, climb the mountaintop 

And tell it til the valley's enveloped 

You're full of big chat but you nah know me 

I'm dark like the side of the moon you don't see 

When the moon shine newly 

You know who else is a Black Star? (Who?) Me 

You know who else is a Black Star? (Who?) Me 

You know who else is a Black Star, who we? (And we) 

Be shining and shining, when we rhyming and rhyming 

We be shining and shining, when we rhyming and rhyming 

Now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two 

It's the third eye vision, five side dimension 

The 8th Light, is gonna shine bright tonight 

It's the third eye vision, five side dimension 

You know the light 

Go from the dark 

The other way is ass-backwards 

It's absurd 

Make you want to crow like a blackbird 

That's right 

You living from your first day to your last night 

Sometimes you show your ass like 

Lint on your clothes 

When you froze in 

The black light 

Dead that 

Before you get your head wrapped 

Like Badu 

We see through your voodoo 

Just like Eve's Bayou, you dealing with that black magic 

Try to civilize you 

Not walk on by you 

Like civil-(lies do get you black listed) it'll 

Be unlucky for you like a black cat 

A panther 

Revolution is the answer 

That's what we need 

Greed plague my people like the cancer 

True indeed 

Now black people unite, and let's all get down 

Now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two 

It's the third eye vision, five side dimension 

The 8th Light, is gonna shine bright tonight 

Everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two 

It's the third eye vision, five side dimension 

The 8th Light, is gonna shine bright tonight 

It's the third eye vision, five side dimension 

Equaling up to eight, light shine bright