Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics
2Pac may not have realized it, but he was describing some of the precursors to the collapse of civilization in many of his songs. Then again, considering that his "last" album was called "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory," he probably knew exactly what he was talking about.
Most Mormons will probably steer clear of 2Pac's music, but I love it because I can see such clear ties to issues I've learned about while studying the gospel. In the interest of time and space, I'll just include the first verse and the chorus.
Lyrics:
And lovin' the way I came up--big money clutchin'
Buzzin' while evadin' cocaine busts
My pulse rushin'
Semi-clutchin' into insanity
They shot at my cousin, now we bustin' at they whole family
Cowards wanna see me buried
I ain't worried
I got a line on the DA 'cuz I'm [buds with] his secretary
I black out and start cussin'
Bust 'em and touch 'em all
They panickin', [people] duckin'; I rush 'em and [bust] 'em all
Probably be an old man before I understand
Why I had to live my life with pistols closed in hand
Kidnapped my homie's sister--cut her face up bad
They even raped her; so we blazed they pad
Automatic shots rang out on every block
They puttin' hits out on politicians, even cops
I ain't lyin'! They got me sleepin' with my infrared beams
And in my dreams
I hear [all these people] screamin',
'WHAT IS THE MEANIN'!?!?'
When thugz cry
Battle scars and closed caskets are multiplied
[All these people] die
Don't ask why
When thugz cry
We don't shed tears; we shed blood
Do you still wanna be a thug?"
Commentary:
I love this song so much because, to me, it captures the feel of what it's like to watch your society crumble. Meanwhile, you're continually hoping the situation will improve, but you don't know how to fix it. All you know is where everything went wrong--at home.
Each time I hear this song, I am reminded of the conditions of society that preceded collapses of entire civilizations documented within The Book of Mormon aka The BOM. I hope our society doesn't fall apart so drastically and I hope to be part of the solution rather than the problem.
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