New National Anthem

[Intro: T.I.]
I know radio prolly ain't gonna play this
But chopper goin' off in the hood, man
Like Afghanistan or the Gaza strip somewhere, man, yeah
We hear it so much, we probably numb to it by now
After all, it's the American way, right?

[Chorus: Skylar Grey & T.I.]
Home of the brave and free (It's America)
Free just to murder me (Land of the handgun)
Land of the beautiful (Home of the shotgun)
Cursed by the hate we throw (You're dead if you ain't got one)
Is this the new national anthem? (It was like this 'fore I got here, baby, I ain't do it)
Is this the new national anthem? (I ain't start it, I'm just a part of it, turn it)

[Verse 1: T.I.]
You say this the home of the brave, I guess
I say this the home of the K's and the vets
All alone with the J's smokin' yay 'cause he stressed
On chrome with a Tek taught to spray for respect
I learned from the best, used to stay in the "jects"
Bought work from the vets, burnin' rubber in the 'Vettes
This as good as it gets, used to play with the rats
Then I got older and learned stay away from the rats
God blessed this nigga, to hustle up and make eight figures
Turned from a goon to a great young nigga
No complainin', just doin' what it take, young nigga
I was raised in a decade of hate, young nigga
Always dodgin' polices because they hate young niggas
And we hate them too, 38 in him shoe
All the changes the system will take him through
He ain't a killer, but he will if you make him do it
Homicide, he'll ride, they'll put him on trial
Let him have a life sentence, then do it with a smile
And he only nineteen, he ain't even had a child
As a child, told his mama he'll be gone for a while
And she cried, still they just put him inside
Now she all on her own 'cause her other son died
Listen to the politician as he lied and he lied
He a snake in a suit, tryin' to hide in disguise

[Chorus: Skylar Grey & T.I.]
Home of the brave and free (Well, damn, officer, what I do?)
Free just to murder me (Naw, hold up, man, don't shoot, I live over there)
Land of the beautiful (Hey, hey, man, what you doin', man?)
Cursed by the hate we throw (You trippin', dawg)
Is this the new national anthem? (How many times has that ever happened to you? What the fuck do you know about bein' a black man in America?)
Is this the new national anthem? (And you wonder why we walk around with straps? Fuck is you sayin'?)

[Verse 2: T.I.]
For the stars and the stripes, prison bars and the pipe
Young nigga rollin' weed in a cigar he can light
Bang red either blue, sellin' hard and the white
Live by the gun, never run from a fight
Trayvon in a hoodie, walkin' through the neighborhood
He didn't do shit to buddy, he didn't have to die, did he?
I guess it's 'cause his dad was a judge in the city
They didn't want him in the pen with the thugs that could get him
A jury of his peers said all was forgiven
But touch one of mine, right or wrong, I'ma kill them
Fill them with the lead like they put in Martin Luther King's head
Like they killed Malcolm X, Edgar Hoover did that
You can catch me in the hood where they shootin' niggas at
They don't know if Neighborhood or the Hoovers did that
Whether Piru or VL's or GDs wit me
We down to uprise from the OG's to peewees

[Chorus: Skylar Grey & T.I.]
Home of the brave and free (Don't get it fucked up)
Free just to murder me (If you ain't found somethin' you're willin' to die for, you ain't fit to live)
Land of the beautiful (To get somethin' you've never had, you must be willin' to do somethin' you've never done)
Cursed by the hate we throw (I'ma die by mine)
Is this the new national anthem? (Hey, America, you have created a monster that refuses to be ignored, the gig is up)
Is this the new national anthem? (Yeah, I'm with the revolution, I just ain't into that stupid shit, hell is you changin', dawg? What is you doin'?)

[Verse 3: T.I.]
Let me ask you somethin'
If the kids are the future, tell me why you can get more for bein' a C.O. than you can for bein' a teacher?
Tell me why it means more to the government to pay the people who got to watch over the prisoners
More than the people who got to keep the children from becomin' prisoners?
That make sense?
Tell me why nine ounces of crack will get you more time than a rape right now?
Tell me why them crazy white boys can tote a gun, but I can't right now?
Yeah, I had felonies, I done did dirt in the streets, but I ain't ever gave it to anybody that didn't deserve it
You know what I mean?
I ain't ever ran in no public place with no pistol shootin' no innocent people, I ain't never ran in no school killin' no kids
Man, this is the result of you refusin' to deal with the issues at hand
We are a product of the environment you placed us in
We ain't do it, we just lived through it

[Chorus: Skylar Grey & T.I.]
Home of the brave and free (And a message to my people)
Free just to murder me (Stop waitin' on folk to help you, help yourself, it starts with you)
Land of the beautiful (Get yourself out, reach back, get somebody else out)
Cursed by the hate we throw
Is this the new national anthem? (And that's the way we're goin' to get ahead, man, sittin' around, waitin' on government to do somethin' for us, ain't never gonna happen, partner, they don't give a fuck about us)
Is this the new national anthem? (But don't play into their hand partner, you makin' it easy for 'em, hell is you doin'?)