[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..