Smiling (Quirky Race Doc) - Open Mike Eagle, Paul White

It’s all fine and dandy when the show starts

Before then, avoided like a ghost fart

I get «what up"s and nods but for the most part

Nobody smiles at me cause I’m a black man

Until the show starts

Before then, avoided like a ghost fart

I get «what up"s and nods but for the most part

Nobody smiles at me cause I’m a black man

I know full well every white’s not a racist

But every black man’s not a sex-crazed rapist

I was good in the hood

In college I was ruined

While walking I assumed you acknowledge the other humans

Try to walk big with my chin bone lifted up

Overcompensating like I really don’t give a fuck

Today I saw a lady say hi to a stranger

Then avoid my eyes like I’m a white-person strangler

Walking past voters in a democratic blocks that hit

The windows and the automatic locks if not

Reparations give me free black therapy

And tell people you’re scared of them it makes them act scarily

I don’t want you, your purse or you pocket book

Them dumb yoga pants, boots or fur with the octopus

Trust, I’m not trying to polish your toes

Take your wallet and phone, or follow you home

It’s all fine and dandy when the show starts

Before then, avoided like a ghost fart

I get «what up"s and nods but for the most part

Nobody smiles at me cause I’m a black man

Until the show starts

Before then, avoided like a ghost fart

I get «what up"s and nods but for the most part

Nobody smiles at me cause I’m a black man

And to the guys in the flip-flop squad

Nobody needs your patronizing hip-hop nod

Just be a person

That’s the bottom line be a person

And fuck the rhyme scheme this time just be a person

And I can be a person too

And we can be people

Skip the validation and the need to feel equal

The dominating culture gets to choose from many

Modes of expression and reflection of the path that they done chose

And my perception is froze

Like a caveman lawyer advocating for myself

While trying to seem dumber than I is

Tired of thinking about this biz

I’m just trying to build a bridge for my goddamn kid

So the first time if ever his reputation slid

It could actually be for something that he did

It’s all fine and dandy when the show starts

Before then, avoided like a ghost fart

I get «what up"s and nods but for the most part

Nobody smiles at me cause I’m a black man

Until the show starts

Before then, avoided like a ghost fart

I get «what up"s and nods but for the most part

Nobody smiles at me cause I’m a black man

A hundred police wanna sing one song

But only one gets the key

When a hundred police wanna sing one song

Somebody’s gotta intervene

Now I’m not running for congress

I got no platform or a plan

But when a hundred police wanna sing one song

All the people stop giving a damn