North by Northwest

(verse)

Live from occupied Duwamish territory

Where Carlos Bulosan once lived to tell the story

Of the brain, sweat, and glory of mic checks and men

Who fight the destination we were destined to end

Left the writing on the walls in the halls of the Nippon Kan

Others transform, majority Decepticons

But my conception of the Walkman's rotation,

Is you live in the upper left you've got to have patience

Cause ain't no urban radio stations about to play us

Unless you sign the dotted and make your songs brainless

While you waitin' for the mention in the pages of "The Stranger"

You can find me in the basement makin' heaters for later

And yes, we all need a little paper to strive

But the monsters in your town will put a limp in your stride

I exhibit all the time like I'm pimpin' your ride

And we've been living in conditions we're tired of

Come on and rise up

(chorus)

Two Scholars rock fresh, North by Northwest

And it's still no rest 'cause we're not finished yet

We're broke, but not broken

Cold, but not frozen

Lost but not forgotten, we're kickin' the doors open

Two Scholars rock fresh, North by Northwest

And it's still no rest 'cause we're not finished yet

We're broke, but not broken

Cold, but not frozen

Movin' in slow motion, it's that Northwest classic

(verse)

Nine eight double-one eight, the alphabetically 2nd to last state [changed in live version to 4th]

Never finished in last place

Like the Mariners for 3 years straight

From prescriptions we administer the medicine

For people still afflicted with acute two-oh-sickness

We exist between the gold and the green

I paint the soul of the scene

Under towers of power, dodging the over Over-fiend daily

Causing bones to decay, they say is so far away

Couldn't possibly make it, I seen modesty fade

And awful lot of hate, but none of which was said to my face

I confide inside, my son, but with a fire made of purple

I'm a writer for the art, I keep it sharpened with rehearsal

The worst is when they mark us to target a market that we're not even a part of

If your CD's in Target it means you got distribution, but we still pushin' units

With our own two homegrown since youth

Thought you knew

(chorus)

(verse)

And they say desegregation was a big step forward

But integration only covered up a rotten core

The surface might've changed but the cauldron is still hot

Now we more politically correct with less real talk

They say we liberal but literally not

When the cops bend us over while upholding the law

Despite the sight of coffee shops on every single block

Nearby its supply and demand for the rock

It's two types of crack, one legal, one felonious

The lumpenprole push keys like Thelonious

The corporation pushing blood with the beans

I heard people moving up here for the love of the green

New homes, new stores, still a hood underneath

No good how we chilling in the gut of the beast

A national question, with no answer in the least

It's no resting ‘til the cancer meets defeat

(chorus)