Somithng In The Way Of Things (in Town) Lyrics - The Roots

In town {*repeat 3X*} 

Something 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 smiling 

The dead guy you saw me talking to is your boss 

I tried to put a spell on him but his spirit is illiterate 

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I know things you know and nothing you don't know 

'cept 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 

But an they got the taste of good humor but no ice cream 

It was like dat 

Me 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 ya laugh anyway 

Photos 

I can see something in the way of our selves 

I can see something in the way of our selves 

That's why I say the things I do, you know it 

But its 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 troubled 

My mistake is I kept sayin' "that was proof that God didn't exist" 

And you told me, "nah, it was proof that the devil do" 

But still, its 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 

S'gonna die from over work 

There'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 too 

But 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 (light or mic) is 

Remember the Negro squinting at us through the cage 

You 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 its name 

Ain't it too bad y'all said 

Ain't it too bad, such a nice boy always kind to his motha 

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 gone 

You wanna know what 

You wanna know what I'm talkin' about 

Sayin' "I seen something in the way of things" 

And how the boys face looked that day just before they took him away 

The 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 seen in your own mirror and didn't for a second recognize 

The face, your own face 

Straining to get out from behind the glass 

Open 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 with 

And in my eyes too 

A waving craziness splitting them into the jet stream of a black bird 

Wit his ass on fire 

Or the solomNOTness 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 name name name name name name