[INTRO: D Knowledge]

Another 1000 years of mystery

Unresolved history

And don't blink

Oops, it's 2000 A.D.

That's 'After the Death of us'

But we don't have to die

Or live like ghetto zombies



[VERSE 1: Mac Mall]

In the House of the Lord 

I make relationships with Allah and pray hard

Even though I'm at odds

With what I know and what you call 'God'

Holy Bible to the Holy Quran

Everybody seekin salvation

Some try to get it by smokin dum-dums

Some only feel it when they get sexed up

Victims of their own lust

Others find it with a poke in their veins

Some try to get it with material gain

Anything to kill the pain

The people from Heaven Gate

Took they own life, they tried to get away

Rather be in outer space

And the cold thing about it: what if they was right?

And we was too blind to see the light?

Huh, I doubt it, but that just goes to show

How far people'll take it just to feel hope

Some fools can't even find they soul, let alone save it

That's why we got these cross-burnin racists

Evil hawks in the most holiest places

'll try to steer you wrong with temptation

Don't matter if you're black, white, latin or asian

We all must have communication

With the Man Upstairs



[DJ Yon cuts up]

[L.L. Cool J] (See, I fought with the devil, made a promise to God)



[VERSE 2: Mac Mall]

May the Father, the Son and the Holiest Ghost

Give me some guidance on these streets so cold

Shed some light down on me and my folks, you know?

Cause the Pope never toured the ghetto

But anyway I pray for you to understand that it's hard out here

So I fear no man and keep a semi-auto near

Is it in your plan to let live plus kill?

Is it true when you destroyed you must build?

I wonder 'bout a lot of thangs, like when I go

Will I be judged for what I did, or what I lived fo'

It's all in your hands, yeah, I suppose

The thought of never bein alone

Keep believers' hearts strong

On the news they say we years from the clone

You know the words, mayn, "2000 triple zero, party over, we gone"

As the choir sings songs of redemption

In the U.S. we dyin for religion

Out in Europe they dyin for religion

I say this and hope the Holy Father's listenin

Livin in this New Age Babylon, preachers havin telethons

Justice playin war games, waitin on the red don

And then they wonder why the kids do drugs

Cause Uncle Sam don't show no love

We need the Man Upstairs



[DJ Yon cuts up]

[L.L. Cool J] (See, I fought with the devil, made a promise to God)



[VERSE 3: Mac Mall]

Now I release myself to these streets

Pray to God to keep me strong in the world of the weak

And if I should die before a million I make

Bless my kinfolk with big dough and keep em all safe

I can hear my grandmother singin gospel songs

Sayin to me "Jesus love ya if you don't live wrong"

Also said it was the devil that made us act wild

Didn't listen back then, but I'm feelin her now

Heaven or hell, I'm livin through em day to day

And God shall return, that's what the preacher say

Partner, if he is, I wish he hurry up

Cause the government tryin to bury us

Know what I mean?

In Afghanistan Muslims dyin over holy land

In Tibet it's the same madness

On my block you can die for lookin the next man in his eye

Mama's child grown way before his time

It's a cold world, but still it's God will

But why we gotta die tryin to chase the dollar bill

Man Upstairs?



[OUTRO: D Knowledge]

We don't have to die or live like ghetto zombies

And we don't need a 'New Millennium' to change

Cause we got today, right now, to wake up

Rise up, shine up and climb, upstairs

Rise up, climb up, leap up, clean up, be up

And go, upstairs, high, upstairs

Rise up..