Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony Album Lyrics

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The Overwhelming Event

I don't wanna waste any time
I ask the question who are the real children of Israel?
And I'd like to answer it right away
Like any good lawyer in a courtroom
He tells you what he's gonna do
And then he goes ahead and proves it and let the jury make the decision
The honorable Elijah Muhammed has said that almighty God Allah revealed to him
That the black people of America are the real children of Israel
And they, we, are the choice of God
And that unto us, he will deliver his promise

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Ghost of Soulja Slim

So, are you scared to death, negro?
Just sit down
Don't you come out to defend our enemy
You sit down and you shut up and tell your
Master to come on out and deal with this

Next time they bring up the Gods, you gon' respect us
That lil' vest ain't gonna do you, a truth from Mecca
I ain't even tryna hold you Magnolia Slim
I'm a soldier from that mode, I'm the ghost of him
From the era of police stretcher, no cameras catch him
Drop you off in a rival hood, you rather be arrested
If you didn't have no straps you couldn't wear your necklace
Niggas hand around your throat, that's a choker reference
My ancestors took old food made soul food
Jim Crowe's a trope too, he stole his own music
That's the blood that goes through me, so you assumin'
I could never sell my soul, they sold they soul to me
Peaceful teachings of Rumi, but don't confuse me
You mouth off for the cameras I'll make a silent movie
Now here's some jury
No civilization has conquered from the outside until they destroy themselves from within
Pen, put a pin in that, will come back when I fled
You can't talk like I talk 'cause you ain't been where I been, young

If it come from me and Hov, consider it Quran
If it come from any of those, consider it Harām
The minaret that Jigga built beyond the dome of the Roc
Was crafted, so beautifully, consider this Saddam
From a hard place and a rock to the Roc Nation of Islam
I emerged on the wave that Tidal made to drop bombs
I came to bang with the scholars
And I bet you a Rothschild I get a bang for my dollar
The synagogue of Satan want me to hang by my collar
But all praise due to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala
I put on for my nation like I'm King T'Challa
Crushing the oyinbo that try to bring wahala
You want it, I got it
Don't make me have to blast this rocket, uh
Jay Electricity
The thing you need like a hole in his head is publicity
Go shine like a Christmas tree
Verily, verily, I tread through like merrily
Giving all thanks to God for this universal therapy

Think of things I said that you hated then
Empirical facts that can't be debated now
Things you say today, I was sayin' then
Tell us who your favorite now

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The Blinding

This shit make you wanna talk crazy, crazy, crazy, I'm tryin' to
Kayfa hal-uk? Kayfa hal-uk, habibi?

Once upon a time there was a likkle yout, the cub of a lion
Stored away captive a long way home from Zion
The dove Prince sang about in "Purple Rain" cryin'
'Til the midget you heard tell of on his shoulders of the giant

Listen, I named my son, sir, so you gotta call my son, "Sir"
That boy already knighted, he ain't even out his romper
You speakin' on the kingdom, you better watch your tongue, sir
I send you where you never been, you forget where I'm from, sir
That gossip bout some bald heads, who got shit out the gun, sir
I'm brazy, I'm so brazen, I'm "Raisin in the Sun" sir
You can catch this broad daylight, you know the kingdom come, sir
That wheel inside the wheel a half a mile in circumference
It's the return of the Mahdi, it's the return of the Akhis
It's the return of lost and found tribe of Shabazz the Annunakis
It's the return of Mr Shakur spittin' out phlegm at paparazzi

That's my new style

Blinding (Hit-Boy!)
Blinding by the light
See the stars and our sun

The gift that keeps givin' like Babushka
Kush crushed up in the studio, rollin' K push up

Extra, extra, it's mister headlines
Who signed every contract and missed the deadlines
40 days, 40 nights, tryna live up to the hype
It's the road less traveled, it's the one who missed the flights
Hov hit me up like, "What, you scared of heights?
Know you sister tired of workin', gotta do her something nice"
I'm like, "Don't he know I stay up for Fallon late nights?"
She need bread, she need rice, she need threads, she need ice
Either tell it to my bank account or say it to the dice
When I lay down in my bed it's like my head in the vice
When I look inside the mirror all I see is flaws
When I look inside the mirror all I see is Mars
And the wee hours of night, tryna squeeze out bars
Bismillah, just so y'all could pick me apart?

Blinding
Blinding by the light
See the stars and our sun

(Hit-Boy!)

---

The Neverending Story

Have you ever heard the tale of
The noblest of gentlemen rose up from squalor
Tall, dark, and decked out in custom-made regalia
Smellin' like paraphernalia
Hailin' from the home of Mahalia
His uptown smile was gold like of Frankie Beverly Day
His favorite song from Prince was not "Raspberry Beret"
It was "Sometimes It Snows In April"
He was brought up by the faithful
In the cage of every unclean bird, ungrateful and hateful
The legend of the clandestine reverend from the Bricks
With the master's grip to pull the sleeping giant out the ditch
And I ain't even have to wiggle my nose like Bewitched
I just upshift the 6, convert the V4 to a broomstick
Though I tarry through the valley of death, my Lord give me pasture
If you want to be a master in life, you must submit to a master
I was born to lock arms with the devil at the brink of the hereafter
Me, the socket, the plug and universal adapter
The prodigal son who when from his own vomit
To the top of the mountain with 5 pillars and a sonnet
The autobiography read Quranic
Spread love like Kermit the Frog that permeate the fog
I'm at war like the Dukes of Hazard against the Bosses of the Hogs
Gi-gi-giggity, Alchemist put the icing on the soliloquy
Let it be forever known that I niced up to pen something considerably
Jay Elec told the flow mainly is support mainly
The fatwa he issued on al-Shaytan was delivered plainly
It's the day of Qiyamah
To the believers I bring you tidings of joy
But if you want beef I'll fillet mignon ya
You could catch me bummy as f*ck or decked out in designer
On I-10 West to the desert on a Diavel like a recliner
Listen to everything from Electra
From the honorable minister Louis Farrakhan
To Serge Gainsbourg or Madonna or a podcast on Piranhas
What a time we livin' in, just like the scripture says
Earthquakes, fires and plagues, the resurrection of the dead

I'm a miracle born with imperial features
I'm a page turner, sage burner, santeria
Shango, December baby, my Orishas
Saint Hov, story takes place in ancient Egypt
They'll cut off the nose to spite the face, they'll steal ya Jesus
I can't Tahiti White that blued-eyed virgin is make believe stuff
She throw me out the house, say ye deliver us from this heathen
I say that to Ms. Tina she'll sneeze at sun, her photic reflex
They both have straightening combs, little did they know
I hold the heat next
Neither tool, can be used to fix our defects
P.S. We born perfect, f*ck all the B.S
Everybody wanna be us for real, we just gotta see us
Insha'allah

I tried to turn a page, over a zillion times

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Shiny Suit Theory

One two, one two, yeah, uh huh, yeah!

I'm sailing on a cloud, they trailing below
My shrink told me, "It's a feeling they'll ever know"
I pack up all my sins and I wear 'em to the show
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go
I'm sailing on a cloud, they trailing below
My shrink told me, "It's a feeling they'll ever know"
I pack up all my sins in every L that I blow
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go

In the land before time
A land before altar boys, synagogues and shrines
Man was in his prime
Look how far I go in time just to start a rhyme
The method is sublime, you get blessed with every line
I'm in touch with every shrine from Japan to Oaxaca
The melanated carbon-dated phantom of the chakras
Me and Puff, we was chilling in Miami
He said, "Nigga f*ck the underground, you need to win a Grammy
For your mama and your family, they need to see you shined up
You built a mighty high ladder, let me see you climb up
Nigga what you scared of?
Terrorize these artificial rap niggas and spread love
Pollinate they ear buds
Like you supposed to, spit it for the culture
Pay no attention to the critics and the vultures
They rather have a shot of Belvy just to spite you
They casting judgments 'cause they feel they got the right to
F*ck 'em, I let the dice roll like The Father did
I gotta shine, it's in my blood, I'm a Harlem kid
I treat my babies right, treat my ladies ladylike
Hit them with a remix to make sure that they play me twice
I thought you said it's the return of the black kings
Luxurious homes, fur coats and fat chains

I'm sailing on a cloud, they trailing below
My shrink told me, "It's a feeling they'll ever know"
I pack up all my sins and I wear 'em to the show
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go
I'm sailing on a cloud, they trailing below
My shrink told me, "It's a feeling they'll ever know"
I pack up all my sins in every L that I blow
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go

In this manila envelope, the results of my insanity
Quack said I crossed the line 'tween real life and fantasy
Can it be the same one on covers with Warren Buffett?
Was ducking the undercovers, was warring with muh'f*ckers
Went from warring to Warren, undercovers to covers
If you believe in that sort of luck your screws need adjusting
In the world of no justice and black ladies on the back of buses
I'm the immaculate conception of rappers-slash-hustlers
My God, it's so hard to conceive
But it all falls perfect, I'm like autumn is to trees
Aw, the doc interrupted, he scribbled a prescription for some Prozac
He said, "Take that for your mustard
Boy, you must be off your rocker
If you think you'll make it off the strip before they 'Pac ya
Nigga, you gotta be psychotic or
Mixing something potent with your vodka
It takes a lot to shock us, but you being so prosperous is preposterous
How could this nappy headed boy from out the projects
Be the apple of America's obsession?
You totally disconnected with reality, don't believe in dreams
Since when did black men become kings?"

You have no idea, yeah
The meaning to what I say
And you have no idea
Of how I got this way
Now hear my dreams
And by the time you wake
I'll look down from the clouds
See I'm on my way

I'm sailing on a cloud, they trailing below
My shrink told me, "It's a feeling they'll ever know"
I pack up all my sins and I wear 'em to the show
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go
I'm sailing on a cloud, they trailing below
My shrink told me, "It's a feeling they'll ever know"
I pack up all my sins in every L that I blow
And let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go, let 'em go

---

Universal Soldier

This is the gallant crew that rolled the big super fort
Which carried the first atomic bomb to Japan
Piloted by Colonel Paul Tibbets Jr. of Miami
Carrying Navy Captain William Parsons of Chicago
Who helped design the bomb, as observer
And Major Thomas Ferebee of Mocksville, North Carolina
Who pulled the plug on Hiroshima
The B-29 dropped its load of atomic death
Which exploded with a force equal to 20,000 tons of TNT

Bismillah (Bismillah)
Bismillah (Bismillah)
(A'oodhu Billaahi) A'oodhu Billaahi min al-Shaytaan ir-rajeem
Bismillah (Bismillah)
Ashadu an lâ ilâha illa-llâhWa
Ashadu ana Muhammad rasûl allâh

The son of slaves, true, I started out as peasant (uh uh)
That's why I build my temple like Solomon in the desert (Uh-uh)
The Lord is my rock, I speed dial through salah
My trials in the fire, the crucible made me hot
I glow like embers of cold born with a touch of gold
My mathematical theology of rhymin'll touch the soul
I spent many nights bent off woods
Clutchin' the bowl, stuffin' my nose
Some of the cons, I suffer from prose
My poetry's livin' like the God that I fall back on
And all praises due to Allah for such illustrious platform
The teachers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad's my backbone
When I spit the children on the mother ship bow on a platform
The true history of Jesus comin' to age
I wore a ski mask and glove to the masquerade
Uh, I got the Roc on my shoulder (it's the Roc)
Somebody should've told you, I'm a motherf*ckin' universal soldier

Back when Emory Jones was catchin' the fed charge
I knew less about who Chesimard
Although I'm Pablo Escobar
Thinkin' I was the last one Allah would lay his blessings on
I was tryna not to end up like Tony in the restaurant
Now I'm the general of the ginchy army
What don't kill us make us stronger, that's Nietzsche on me
Hot boy like I'm BG, that Fidji on me
We done ducked them fed charges, now we eatin' comfy
Le freak, c'est Chic
That guilt trip ain't gon' work, don't put your luggage on we
You ain't keep the same energy for the du Pont's and Carnegie's
We was in your cotton fields, now we sippin' on these, on me

Save my soul, save me from myself, through my song

---

Flux Capacitor

Tell my uptown posse, yeah
Tell my uptown posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell my BK posse, yeah
Tell my BK posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell my Third Ward posse, yeah
Tell my Third Ward posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)

Yeah, you know I'm full time trippin'
The crib look like Zaha Hadid did it, nah, he different
Hov here to deliver you like Moses
So it's
In this beautiful fact, we the chosen
Throwin' Roc Nation brunches, that's a feast for
Non-believers, I created my own Easter
Evidence for your reverence
Why would I not have a watch like a Saudi prince?
It unfoils
The slave that shook hands and humbled the duke of oil
The spook that spoke sterling silver and pearls twirl, tumbled out of my nappy coils
Visions of sugar plums for all the boys and girls
Why would I sell-out, I'm already rich, don't make no sense
Got more money than Goodell, a whole NFL bench
Did it one-handed like Odell
Handcuffed to a jail
I would've stayed in the sideline
If they gonna tackle, they cheat themselves
You backstabbers gon' turn me back to the old Jay
He's not who you wanna see, he's not as sweet as the old Ye
When I die please don't tweet about my death (death)
Tryna get mentions, bringin' attention to yourself
Please don't post some pic from in the club
With some quote you stole like we was tighter than what we was
Tryna get likes from my love
If you can't go by the crib then give my momma a hug

Tell my uptown posse, yeah
Tell my uptown posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell my BK posse, yeah
Tell my BK posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell my Third Ward posse, yeah
Tell my Third Ward posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell that magnolia posse, yeah
Tell that magnolia posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat, ya heard

I said
Duaa's up from the belly of the Dunya (Subhanallah)
Duaa's up for my umi in the ummah (Subhanallah)
Duaa's up for the honorable Louis Farrakhan
Who pulled me out the grave and pointed me towards the Sunnah (Mash'Allah)
I've been Rappin Duke, Duh-ha duh-ha
You never thought we'd make it to Lā 'ilāha 'illā llāha
It's the day of the judgment, fulfillment of the covenant
These universal truths remains self-evident
R-O-C stands strong like Sphinx do (uh)
Now who gwan come test the champion sound?
Limb by limb, we all gon' cut dem down
Send for the hacksaw, take out the tongue
Tell the Parkway posse
Tell the Parkway posse
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat
From the Mag to the Melf to the Caliope
Where they at? Where they at? Where they at?

Tell my uptown posse, yeah
Tell my uptown posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell my BK posse, yeah
Tell my BK posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell my Third Ward posse, yeah
Tell my Third Ward posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat (gat)
Tell that magnolia posse, yeah
Tell that magnolia posse, yeah
Get the gat, get the gat, get the gat, ya heard

I wanna go back to the-
I wanna go back to the old way
But I'm drunk instead with a full- (old way)
But I'm drunk instead with a full ashtray (you're too late)
(Ashtray) you're too late
Too late, late
Too late (late)
I wanna go back to the-
I wanna go back to the old way
But I'm drunk instead with a full- (old way)
But I'm drunk instead with a full ashtray (you're too late)
(Ashtray) you're too late
Too late, late

---

Fruits of the Spirit

Uh, I snap on the track like the fingers of Thanos
Como también nosotros perdonamos
A los que nos ofenden
It's all love, all Wimbledon with the pendant
All I have in this world is my flag and my sword
I'm on a battlefield with the flag of my Lord
My shahāda is my katara
My heart chakra light up when I'm excited, that's fajr
Padre nuestro que estás en el cielo
Our heavenly father
Like Vince Staples said, we just wadin' in the water
My people out in Flint still bathin' in the slaughter
ICE out here rippin' families apart at the border
Satan struck Palestine, we at another mortar
Lies from the reporters
Ass shots and stripper poles for the eyes of my daughter, hmm
Swing low sweet chariot and my train is on schedule
But I had to take the Underground Railroad like Harriet
Weave the whole industry, every jab I've parried it
My cross I carried it
My crown of thorns to cavalry from Nazareth
The orbal was too wide to calculate the azimuth
The journey was technically unexplainable, hazardous
Rise young gods, all paths lead to Lazarus
The dry bones are lifted up from the valley of dust
The prayers of the slaves are the wings that carry us
A field full of dreams is where they tried to bury us

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Ezekiel's Wheel

Interrupt this record to bring you a special bulletin
Rumors of a flying saucer hovering over the city have been confirmed
Switching now to our on the spot reporter, downtown
And this is downtown (downtown)
Er, pardon me madam but would you tell our audience
What would you do if the saucer were to land?

We gon' see (we gon' see)
When the sun goes down
We gon' see (we gon' see)
Talk that f*ck shit now
We gon' see

For sure
Feelin' on me, right now (right now)
Feelin' on me, right now (right now), uh
They talkin' to me right
Hahahaha
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You in your feelings, pipe down (pipe down)
Billin' on me, right now (right now)
She feelin' on me
We gon' see (hmm, hmm, what?)
My time is, right now (right now)
I'm in the, light now (light now)
Talk to me, nice

They say it was never gon' happen
But I survived neverland like the Jacksons
You never swallow slanderous lies for the devil's satisfaction
I still got my glitter gloves
I still got my glitter socks
Now I'm moonwalkin' on your couch, with many zippers on my jacket (on my jacket)
Jay cirque du soleil-ica
I started on Tatooine but now I'm way out in Dagobah
Mastered the force, made my saber I'm in the light now (light now)
It's the hour chaos, the black steelers on me right now (right now)
(Kill 'em with that bullshit)
Some ask me "Jay man
Why come for so many years you been exempt?"
'Cause familiarity don't bring gratitude just contempt
And the price of sanity is too damn high just like the rent
Hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm, uh, uh
Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my pen (pen)
Sometimes I was held down by the gravity of my sin (sin)
Sometimes like Santiago, at crucial points of my novel
My only logical option was to transform into the wind

We gon' see (we gon' see)
When the sun goes down
We gon' see (we gon' see)
Talk that f*ck shit now
We gon' see

For sure
Feelin' on me, right now (right now)
Feelin' on me, right now (right now), uh
They talkin' to me right
Hahahaha
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You in your feelings, pipe down (pipe down)
Billin' on me, right now (right now)
She feelin' on me
We gon' see (hmm, hmm, what?)

Uh, look
I ain't the type to let it slide or just ignore it
Whatever you want get into, my nigga I'm here for it
I had a shot of D'usse, now the ace of spade is pourin'
My vision's 20/20, and the feelin' is euphoric
If I'm not on my harley then I'm on that Panigali
I'm smellin' like a Marley, doin' ninety on an on-ramp
And my destiny is callin'
I represent new orleans
My mama and my grandma and my hero uncle Charlie
I'm tryna catch a body
No this is not a maybe
It is definitely probably
I'm gon' get you that wasabi
Look, it could be the dance floor
Or right in your building lobby
It could be in Lagos
Or Seattle or Chicagui
Hotel lobby Grammy afterparty, it's what-obvi
I'm down to catch a body
I drop a gear, I disappear, then re-appear
Then dump the clutch and wheelie down the highway
My debut album featurin' Hov, man this is highway robbery
It's like I hit the lottery
I busted up the piñati
Now I'm hot like a tamale
It's just like I caught a body
It will be pandemonium if I show up to the party
May all my haters hit they knees and throw up in the toilet
In the twinkle of a nod, I went from legend to historic
Catchin' bodies after bodies
You say my name like Candyman
I pop out of your closet and withdraw me a deposit
I'm loyal to Elijah just like Eric was to Godric
I'm tryna catch a body, no no I just caught a body
I will give you that wasabi and peel off on my Duccatis (skrrr)

We gon' see (we gon' see)
When the sun goes down
We gon' see (we gon' see)
Talk that f*ck shit now
We gon' see

For sure
Feelin' on me, right now (right now)
Feelin' on me, right now (right now), uh
They talkin' to me right
Hahahaha
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You in your feelings, pipe down (pipe down)
Billin' on me, right now (right now)
She feelin' on me
We gon' see (hmm, hmm, what?)
My time is, right now (right now)
I'm in the, light now (light now)
Talk to me, nice (nice)

---

A.P.I.D.T.A.

This type beat might be for the shit, though
They doin' all kind of shit
Uh

Uh, I got numbers on my phone that'll never ring again
'Cause Allah done sent them home, and they'll never, uh
I got, I got numbers on my phone that'll never ring again
'Cause Allah done called them home, so until we sing again
I got texts on my phone that'll never ping again
I screenshot 'em so I got 'em, I don't want this thing to
I got numbers in my phone that'll never ring again
I got, I got, I got
I got numbers in my phone that'll never ring again
'Cause Allah done called them home so until we sing again
I got texts on my phone that'll never ping again
I screenshot 'em so I got 'em, I don't want this thing to end
I got numbers on my phone that'll never ring again
'Cause Allah done called them home, so we never sing again
I got texts on my phone that'll never ping again
I screenshot 'em so I got 'em, I don't want this thing to

Sleep well, sleep well
Lately I haven't been sleeping well, sleeping well
Sleep well, sleep well
Lately I haven't been sleeping well, sleeping well
Sleep well, sleep well
Lately I haven't been sleeping well, I been, uh

I'm just vibing out right now like, "Yo you hear me"?
'Cause it's, it's so good right?
'Cause it's like, man, it's needed, you know what I mean?
Gotta finish them scriptures mane
It's needed mane, it's needed

Eyes firey, cry tears to my diary
Sometimes a Xanny bar can't help you fight back the anxiety
I go to my "love" quietly, teardrops on our faces
Teardrops on my face like teardrops become waterfalls by the time they reach my laces
My eyelids is like levees but my tear ducts is like glaciers
'Cause I contemplate creation, the salt that heals my wounds
Pour out my eyes it's it's like libations
I can't stop my mind from racing, I got numbers on my phone
Pictures on my phone
The day my momma died, I scrolled her texts all day long
The physical returns but the connection still stay strong
Now I understand why you used to cry sometimes we ride down Claybourne
"You just missed your, you just missed your mama"
Now I just miss my mommas
The clothes we wear to bed, at night to sleep is just pajamas
The flesh we roam this earth in is a blessing a blessing, not a promise
I bow with those who bow to the creator and pay homage

Sleep well
Lately, I haven't been sleepin' well
I even hit the beach to soak my feet and skip some seashells
Sleep well
The lump inside my throat sometimes it towers like the Eiffel
Sometimes I wonder do the trees get sad when they see leaves fell
Sleep well
The last time that I kissed you, you felt cold but you looked peaceful
I read our message thread when I get low and need a refill
Sleep well
Sleep well, sleep well
Lately, I haven't been sleeping well, sleeping well

I got numbers on my phone that'll never ring again
'Cause Allah done called them home, so until we sing again
I got texts on my phone that'll never ping again
I screenshot 'em so I got 'em, I don't want this thing to end
I got numbers on my phone that'll never ring again
'Cause Allah done called them home, so we never sing again
I got texts on my phone that'll never ping again
I screenshot 'em so I got 'em, I don't want this thing to