Lyrics: Eddie Haskill. A Beautiful Rhyme. There Goes The Neighborhood.

A perceived notion in a nation of contemplation
Thoughts get expressed through a mental masturbation
Castration of the mind is sought to relieve conditions
But anything short of a lobotomy won't release inhibitions
Dissing a mainstream rapper but my flow branched off
And now my own stream is formed where activists stand off
We were prepared for the floodgates to open
We thought a barge would work but overflow left it broken
Over saturation turned your dreams to fabrication
And they're still asleep to believe they're atop this rap nation
I used to have aspirations for cash, ass and Asians
Now I'm trying to survive against attempts at assassination
So if you're with me throw your fists in the air
Conformers of commercialism better listen with care
I'll drink Crys if it's free but I'll settle for beer (SE)
And next year it's a sure bet that Ed will be here
Still writing magnificent rhymes dropping lines for you to quote them
On of off the internet, whether T3 or modem
Encrypt the script I'll leave it up to you to decode them
The Rumpelstiltskin of rap, everything sowed is golden
Let's not talk about the plaques you holdin son
Cause I'm a hot, smart kid who kicks raps rolled in one
So unload your gun. How dare you take shots at me
Disrespect, of course I'm gonna talk obnoxiously
Constantly, I've been told to act responsibly
So my true feelings get wrote and put on CD
And honestly, I never understood what a battle was
Until I couldn't sleep one night and I had to battle drugs
And drugs had the one up but I'd been testing him for years
So I figured it was best to quit and put to rest all of my fears
I went from half pill to no pills saw coke hills on dope deals
Through the smoke fields but cleaned my act like Bernie Mac
For Fox primetime and I'm still fine with my rhymes
Fine with my Karma, still cool with father and Mama
Make comparisons if you wanna cause I could give a shit
I'm an original kid who had a goal fucker and I'm living it
"Come on Eddie Haskill there's no reason to swear"
I don't even have time to walk the beach and feel the breeze in my hair
I'm just trying to make my mark but too many emcees in here
Want to get that money just to be able to throw G's in the air

[Chorus: repeat 2X]
I wish that I knew what I know now... when I was younger
I wish that I knew what I know now... when I was stronger

I thought my rhymes would be stronger, catch wreck with a curse
Or put a hex on you first, incorporate sex in the verse
Rhyme about a Tec that's on burst
Protect my neck to the hearse, infect you with words
Imagine that. Then I dressed like there was a beauty pageant in rap
Without a video to shoot no stage performance or an audience
Settling for gaudiness I admit to coming with corniness
But it took me till 22 to realize how to story this
And I got to thank the movies that inspired me to write
Jacob's ladder showed me the dangers to hide in the light
In retrospect I shouldn't have used Scarface for a muse
There's a lot of other shit to do with 24 hours to lose
Magnolia opened my eyes through the fog
I found the true meaning of coincidence disguised as a frog
The Usual Suspects helped me see through the mist
The greatest trick the devil pulled was proving he didn't exist
And Shawshank Redemption helped me put fears aside
Cause hope is a good thing and no good thing ever dies
12 Monkeys helped prove that ya'll be missing me
When we get to the point in life when the future is history
Whenever there's a time and I feel I cant handle this
I can throw on any one of the three Wes Anderson flicks
As for American Beauty I'm forever glad they made it
And the reason behind this is explained on "Loved or Hated"