Know Thy Self - KRS-One

You ready to go?

I’m ready to go What about y’all, y’all ready to go?

(yeah aight yeah) I’m ready to go Look

Know thy self, and thou shalt know

The universe and God (whoa-ohh-ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend

Know ye not that ye must be born again?

What does it mean to be in the world but not of it It means you want the cars the cash the jewels the house but you don't love it It means to taxes regulation state law you live above it It means you a FREE hip-

hopper, you ain't nobody's puppet

You don’t see no money on me, you see it up in the cupboard

You see me up in Toys’R’Us, with my seeds cause they love it You see insurance flash out, if my kids pass out

You see seven acres of land where we can all spaz out

To all my fathers that fathered, hold your head up for starters

Teach your toddlers, not to be thieves and robbers

This that other kind of rap, that leads to true hip-hop

There’s other kinds of raps, but they lead you to get shot

The choice is yours, you gettin older now

You got a kid comin, how you gonna hold it down?

It’s one thing to be iced out and rocked up What’s the point if you’re gettin locked up?

Know thy self, and thou shalt know

The universe and God (whoa-ohh-ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend

Know ye not that ye must be born again?

It’s really time we seperate the young men from the big men

The young girls from the women, whatever the title that fit them

My style designed to open a child’s mind when I spit them

I only got a little bit of time to really rhyme and uplift them

You see them brothers talkin about that crime?

Forgive them

It won’t be long before they words manifest and they live them

Sometimes you gotta go back to the beginnin to learn

After fifteen years I’m just BEGINNIN to burn

To all my true hip-hoppers, that pay bills and live proper

Never allow a negative thought to stop ya Correct ya posture, stand upright not uptight

Don’t be scared of the light, just prepare for the fight

We say «Criminal Minded», cause our thoughts are illegal

We represent the very thinkin of, inner-city people

Real people, people that take care of theyself

They need health, love, awareness and wealth

Not to mention, knowledge of God

Not college, the job then dead — if you agree nod your head

It’s one thing to be iced out and rocked up But what’s the point if you’re gettin locked up?

Know thy self, and thou shalt know

The universe and God (whoa-ohh-ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend

Know ye not that ye must be born again?

C’mon c’mon yo, tonight is it We gonna steal away together, through these rhymes I spit

When the student is ready, the teacher, shall appear

So I’m here, but are you really ready to face your fears?

Mo' money, mo' money, is that your credo?

You’ve been livin in a dream world Neo, power to the people!

Nobody’s equal, everybody’s diversed and different

My lyric’ll never cheat you, my verse is gifted

So manifest what you believe is God almighty

It could be Allah Jesus Krishna Buddha Aphrodite

It could be Nefretire come hear me and never fear me It’s like at some point in your life you gonna have to hear me I represent them teachers preachers comin through your speaker

Manifestin another lesson to them true believers

Instead of pickin up our women ready to mistreat 'em

You better get yourself a wife and kid and never leave 'em

You better teach 'em you better read 'em you better feed 'em

The system will defeat 'em if you don’t teach 'em the cops’ll beat 'em

The style that I be kickin quick is «Edutainment»

Hip-Hop culture needed a teacher quick so I became it Instead of rhymin about my history and what I been through

I’d rather rhyme about awakening the God within you

Yo, it’s one thing to be iced out and rocked up But what’s the point if you’re gettin locked up?

Know thy self, and thou shalt know

The universe and God (whoa-ohh-ohh)

God is the mother, the father, the friend

Know ye not that ye must be born again?

Yeah.

yeah.

FRESH, for two-thousand and two

My sisters and BROTHERS, my sisters and BROTHERS.