Held Down

[Cee-Lo]

Allow me.. to break it down.. ah yea yea yea yea yeahh..

Life.. {*humming*}

[Pos]

This is dedicated to all my folks

Diagnosed with a bad case of that proper upbringin

And never took the time to fall in line or follow

or swallow the thoughts

Of the recognized committees who lurk throughout ya cities

Ya hood, ya town, no matter which type

You from the same type of people try to hold you down

Just because you tailor made for bigger and better things

Never missed a chance to move ahead of things

And what does it bring? I tell you for me

it brought jealousy in backrooms from all the stabbin

Cats posin as my fan just to get grabbin what's mine

I'm livin in times where my daughters are found around

kids who can't afford thinkin caps

But always found drinkin raps and eatin off beats

Claimin laws of the streets - but who made the laws?

Everybody playin +Rebel+ with no sign of a +Cause+

[Chorus: Cee-Lo]

Well I, feel the world around me

I've found, that others, will bring you down, just to be down

You've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be

Where you wanna go with your life

With your life..

[Pos]

Yo, I'm never singin the blues but findin the clues to maintain

And I been blessed to reign supreme over nearly every dream

I had, and I made it come true

I'm an imperfect man and I'm holdin the clue

to perfection, it doesn't seem to matter what direction I look

I find people settin traps

Tryin to find the goal - without havin any maps

Even friends of mine, jumped on line, just to become my adversary

They felt they were entitled to the dairy I made

They don't come to chill or behave

And they got, toast ready to burn

Not learnin to live, but they yearnin to take what you earn

[Chorus: Cee-Lo]

Well I, feel the world around me

I've found, that others, will bring you down, just to be down

You see - you've got to make up your mind, where you wanna be

And where you wanna go with your life

With your life..

[Pos]

So quick to place blame.. and deny the shame we bring upon ourselves

So many names held accountable for my own account

When a large amount was weight - that I made and shaped

When I climbed I found

It was hard to find others around to point my fingers at

Which made me realize the truth

The biggest supressor could be your own ego lookin for an excuse

to plant roots, in a field of self-sorrow

to sprout and follow the first thing you feel

Nourishes your hunger to be respected, it gets hectic

And when I'm watchin the news, and my daughter walks in

and choose to ask, 'Why were all those people on the floor

sleepin, covered in red?' I told her

that they were lookin for God, but found religion instead

[Chorus: Cee-Lo]

Well I, feel the world around me

I've found, that others, will bring you down; just to be down

You see, you've got to make up yo' mind, where you wanna be

And where you wanna go with yo' life

With your life, with your life..

{*Cee-Lo harmonizes and ad libs with choir*}

[Cee-Lo]

I need my SPAAAACE, to live..

Well I, feel the world around me

I've found, that others, will bring you down; just to be down

You see, you've got to make up yo' mind, where you wanna be

And where you wanna go with yo' life

With your life, with your life..