Brother Ali - Own Light (What Hearts Are For)

You’re not using your heart for
What hearts are for
They’ve been trying to shut us down our whole life
I thank God for healing
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
Thank God for listening
Listen you’ve been trying to build me up my whole life
I thank God for building
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
I thank God I’m living

Sometime I feel like a stranger
Maybe I ain’t from here
World going crazy
How could that be unclear
Know that I’m a soldier
Hearts are my battle ground
Sword in the holster
Had to come back around
I ain’t tryna hide away
I just had to meditate
I ain’t got a lot to say
But the ancestors may
Speaking to the whole globe
Numbers don’t occur to me
You can listen solo
Cause you’re the whole world to me
I jump in with both feet
Nothing low key
You can find me where I’m supposed be
Where my folks be
If you listen very closely
You know who chose me
Nothing that I own owns me
And so I’m so free
I remember being hungry
Needing groceries
Night time getting no sleep
Till my nose bleed
Got a message to the police…

You’re not using your heart for
What hearts are for
They’ve been trying to shut us down our whole life
I thank God for healing
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
Thank God for listening
Listen you’ve been trying to build me up my whole life
I thank God for building
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
I thank God I’m living

Not for one second I believe
What you’re telling me
I know you invent the disease
And sell the remedy
Universe is sending me
Centuries of memories
So the very breath that I breathe
Is all I’ll ever need
I got that Muhammad Ali
Up in my pedigree
Yes I’ll be speaking my peace
Up in my seventies
Ain’t worried about you threatening me
I’m just being honest
I ain’t buying fear
Just because that’s all you got left
We just wanna make love
Till we wake up
I believe whoever made us
Envisioned greatness
And you know they wanna paint us
With the same brush
Wanna entertain us
Till we fill our grave up
Alright OK but
When it’s all said and it’s all done
And I look back at the trophies I’ve won
I will only count one…

I’m using my heart for
What hearts are for
They’ve been trying to shut us down our whole life
I thank God for healing
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
Thank God for listening
Listen you’ve been trying to build me up my whole life
I thank God for building
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
I thank God I’m living

And I know who I am
I know whose I am
On your wings I fly
In your shoes I stand
I’m animated by love
I don’t move by chance
Any stage I touch
Or any place I stand
There y’all land
Living in the world as it is
Cracked vessel I am
No more and no less than a man
Any possessions that I have are just in my hand
I balance them the best that I can
I’m not making no claims but…

I’m using my heart for
What hearts are for
All the beauty in this whole life
I thank God for healing
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
I thank God for listening
Listen you’ve been trying to build me up my whole life
I thank God for building
You ain’t got to get me lit I got my own light
I thank God I’m living
Just reflecting all the beauty in this whole life