Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Common
Canonical path: /common/black-maybe
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
Black Maybe
Read Black Maybe lyrics by Common on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Black Maybe
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
[Hook]
Can't come around
They gon' wanna bring you down
No one knows just what's inside
Doing dope and doing time
Why they messing with your mind
Black maybe...
[Common]
I heard a white man's yes
Is a black maybe
I was delivered in this world
As a crack baby
Hard for me to pay attention
And I act crazy
Gotta get over from the tip
I watch the fat lady sing a song
On how we guerillas in warfare
And I'm the kingest kong
They say we dreamin wrong
Them same strips that them older cats lingered on
Now the walgreens is gone
Hope is killed fiends are born
We leanin on a wall that ain't that ain't stable
Its hard to turn on the hood that made you
To leave We afraid to the same streets that raised you
Can aid you. What other black births came suit
the rage up in harlem and the southside
Brothers is starving with there mouth wide open
Floating across state got the workout plans so they can move weight
The fate of the black man, woman, and child maybe
[Hook] - 2X
Can't come around
They gon' wanna bring you down
No one knows just what's inside
Doing dope and doing time
Why they messing with your mind
Black maybe...
[Common]
He had game since he used to hoop at chattum
Neither the ghetto nor defenders could trap him
The stones had his back and they'd pat him
He was living a life they couldn't fathom
Colleges getting at him with all type of scholarships
Even if he went they knew he'd leave college quick
For the pros the one from the hood that was chose
The black rose that grew in the jungle
But humble stud still had rumble in his blood
Women all around giving him trouble love
You know the love when you up they down
Cause you wrap a ball they round
Your win is their crown
Dudes in the circle he known for years
Shared beers and cheers but chose different careers
when paper and fame came they ain't know how to react
Them same studs shot him in the back
Now that's black...maybe
[Hook] - 2X
Can't come around
They gon' wanna bring you down
No one knows just what's inside
Doing dope and doing time
Why they messing with your mind
Black maybe...
[Common - talking]
When we talk about black maybe
We talk about situations
Of people of color and because you are that color
You endure obstacles and opposition
And not all the time from...from other nationalities
Sometimes it come from your own kind
Or maybe even your own mind
You get judged..you get laughed at..you get looked at wrong
You get sighted for not being strong
The struggle of just being you
The struggle of just being us..black maybe
Black maybe...
[Hook]
Can't come around
They gon' wanna bring you down
No one knows just what's inside
Doing dope and doing time
Why they messing with your mind
Black maybe...
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Black Maybe"?
Common performs "Black Maybe", and this lyric page sits inside the Common catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Black Maybe"?
Yes. The related section below points to Punch Drunk Love (feat. Kanye West) and Star *69 (PS With Love) with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Common?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Common's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Black Maybe yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.