| Artist/Band: 
De La Soul Lyrics for Song: Held Down
 Lyrics for Album: The Best Of De La Soul [2003]
 
 
 
 19440>[Cee-Lo]
 
 Allow me.. to break it down.. ah yea yea yea yea yeahh..
 
 Life.. {*humming*}
 
 
 
 [Pos]
 
 This is dedicated to all my folks
 
 Diagnosed with a bad case of that proper upbringin
 
 And never took the time to fall in line or follow
 
 or swallow the thoughts
 
 Of the recognized committees who lurk throughout ya cities
 
 Ya hood, ya town, no matter which type
 
 You from the same type of people try to hold you down
 
 Just because you tailor made for bigger and better things
 
 Never missed a chance to move ahead of things
 
 And what does it bring? I tell you for me
 
 it brought jealousy in back wounds from all the stabbin
 
 Cats posin as my fan just to get grabbin what's mine
 
 I'm livin in times where my daughters are found around
 
 kids who can't afford thinkin caps
 
 But always found drinkin raps and eatin off beats
 
 Claimin laws of the streets - but who made the laws?
 
 Everybody playin +Rebel+ with no sign of a +Cause+
 
 
 
 [Chorus: Cee-Lo]
 
 Well I, feel the world around me
 
 I've found, that others, will bring you down, just to be down
 
 You've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be
 
 Where you wanna go with your life
 
 With your life..
 
 
 
 [Pos]
 
 Yo, I'm never singin the blues but findin the clues to maintain
 
 And I been blessed to reign supreme over nearly every dream
 
 I had, and I made it come true
 
 I'm an imperfect man and I'm holdin the clue
 
 to perfection, it doesn't seem to matter what direction I look
 
 I find people settin traps
 
 Tryin to find the goal - without havin any maps
 
 Even friends of mine, jumped on line, just to become my adversary
 
 They felt they were entitled to the dairy I made
 
 They don't come to chill or behave
 
 And they got, toast ready to burn
 
 Not learnin to live, but they yearnin to take what you earn
 
 
 
 [Chorus: Cee-Lo]
 
 Well I, feel the world around me
 
 I've found, that others, will bring you down, just to be down
 
 You see - you've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be
 
 And where you wanna go with your life
 
 With your life..
 
 
 
 [Pos]
 
 So quick to place blame.. and deny the shame we bring upon ourselves
 
 So many names held accountable for my own account
 
 When a large amount was weight - that I made and shaped
 
 When I climbed I found
 
 It was hard to find others around to point my fingers at
 
 Which made me realize the truth
 
 The biggest supressor could be your own ego lookin for an excuse
 
 to plant roots, in a field of self-sorrow
 
 to sprout and follow the first thing you feel
 
 Nourishes your hunger to be respected, it gets hectic
 
 And when I'm watchin the news, and my daughter walks in
 
 and choose to ask, "Why were all those people on the floor
 
 sleepin, covered in red?" I told her
 
 that they were lookin for God, but found religion instead
 
 
 
 [Chorus: Cee-Lo]
 
 Well I, feel the world around me
 
 I've found, that others, will bring you down; just to be down
 
 You see, you've got to make up yo' mind, where you wanna be
 
 And where you wanna go with yo' life
 
 With your life, with your life..
 
 
 
 {*Cee-Lo harmonizes and ad libs with choir*}
 
 
 
 [Cee-Lo]
 
 I need my SPAAAACE, to live..
 
 
 
 Well I, feel the world around me
 
 I've found, that others, will bring you down; just to be down
 
 You see, you've got to make up yo' mind, where you wanna be
 
 And where you wanna go with yo' life
 
 With your life, with your life..
 
 19440>
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