Brown Out - Ruby Ibarra

They teach me to erase that brown, subconsciously I lose my crown

‘Til I don’t even recognize the person that’s inside me now

We came from the slums once, now livin' the humdrum

In search for the green funds, we never can keep one

My mama on 9−5, then switch to an 8−1

An immigrant family losin' our names, and our face, and the place that we came

from

These institutions working, the devil prove he lurkin'

They shoot us down but first when, we play the part and curtains

Open up til we prefer them, ‘til we don’t know we hurtin'

‘Til we become a version: a self that’s lost it’s worth

So how can I breathe in this land of the free?

My people ain’t free when the freedom ain’t free

I look in the mirror then all that I see

Is a version of me that they want me to be

Plus all of these lies I adopted see

I’ll never be what they want me to be

The devil’s at work and he lookin' like me

Can you tell me my worth?

and I’ll pay you the fee

‘Til I fall on my knees and I’m feelin' defeat

And so give me a reason, the image they feed

To the flows that I breathe ‘cause we parted the sea

Can you pardon my speech?

And the accent I speak?

I whiten my skin ‘cause it’s all that I see

No image of me represented to be

Myself so I’m looking for ways I could be

Exactly like people they teach me to be!