From the recording Nation of Immigrants (Album)
Produced by Tone Jonez, “Breathe” speaks to the ideological and philosophical effects of differences between opposing parties through the chorus section “STOP, BREATHE, RETREAT, RELAX”. With a captivating assist from his 7-year-old son, Seth, Jr., the chorus section seeks to influence the listener to reevaluate day-to-day human-to-human encounters, transactions, and situations that may be life-changing, and through the process of elimination, choose the best choice to sustain your safety in a questionable situation, while conveying respect and preserving human life. Bishop continues to master the art of lyricism through his artful lyrical exercise. Verse 1 discusses Panic & Rebellion through the lens of the lack of regard for human life, the never-ending battle to avenge death, and seeking a higher power to better manage emotions. Verse 2 discusses Sacrifice & Liberation through the lens of taking power back from the oppressor through the lens of education, building better awareness, creating generational wealth, and repatriation, amongst other things.
Lyrics
CHORUS:
STOP, BREATHE, RETREAT, RELAX (Repeat)
Background Ad-Lib: Let the beat Breathe (Repeat)
VERSE 1 (Panic & Rebellion)
I CAN’T BREATHE, is an inequity …
A division amongst us, to get the BEST OF ME, plagued
with leprosy
Somebody decided to be the star,
In the death of me, A blatant disregard for humanity,
but can he see …
Am I so much more than a body in the morgue
My soul left my body lifeless
laying on the floor, it’s just …
Something my family won’t ignore
8 Is it worth causing a war
With no end …
Nobody wins the feud,
When whores want trend
#Apocalypse you reap what you sow
When the Black Hole is sucking you in,
Ducking for cover, while I’m running, getting my second wind
Bloodhounds coming, I’m dumping, because it’s about to end
This a Lyrical exercise, will I be next to die
I’m willing to testify, as long as I’m next God
Sending my checks to the next in line
Trust there’s an Estate to escape the harm
Blood of the Son, covered by the Anointing
Why his dad
wanted mom to abort him?
Could he afford him?
Or did he want an assortment of Porsche’s, extort
women, with cash for abortions
and Live in a fortress with fortunes
while causing distortions
Call to Duty to march with tiki torches
but Not today satan, you better make an appointment
don’t subscribe to them kind of vibes
Total avoidance
I don’t hide from them kind of guys, step on their porches
Gimme a 9, when it’s time to ride
Step to their bosses
Show me a sign, if you wanna die
Picking ya poison
You just wanna be noticed, like a thot, that’s focused
Yo Bro, you hopeless, you not a soldier, you bogus
Perpetrating a fraud, like Pras, snitching is code less
Get em’, while he’s reloading
I live and die by the notion, seek ye first,
to cope and better manage emotions, LIKE …
CHORUS (REPEAT)
VERSE 2 (Sacrifice & Liberation)
I CAN’T BREATHE, is an atrocity …
A war crime against mankind, legally defined genocide
It’s been a vibe, demagogues destroy mosques and synagogues
Send a bomb through a civilian safe zone to kill a child
White Supremacy is wrong, so is the taking of property
Invalidate the findings from the Doctrine of Discovery
And pay a Reparation, to the nation, where the others’ be
Instead of auctioning artifacts to the highest bidder at Sotheby’s
Build better awareness bout’ Auschwitz where them oven’s be
Or the “Point of No Return” in Senegal from slavery
How the Nationality Act oppressed Natives and Blacks
And how abortion laws mirror the Fugitive Slave Act
If we wanted some payback, envision January 6th
Or how the Haitian Revolution overturned that quick
Smoking my dust, in ya blunt,
From my Urn, that’s rich
Like funds, left for my Son, in an account that’s fixed
Or positions sold, from the portfolio account, that’s mixed; and
If we cash out, just consider it a gift
Like a CI, on the stand, who plans to plead the fifth
Or jurors deliberating with a plan to acquit
Yo … their boots cold, their guns are warm
Started as a traffic stop, now my clothes torn
Made in America, under Dred Scott I’m foreign
The Revolution’s televised, now a star is born
WHY I’M ARMED … 2nd Amendment rights affirmed
Not a prohibited possessor, but I’m quite concerned
How many bullets can create a safe space to learn
How many strikes can create a safe place to earn
From fabricated reports to book bans, WOKE foes,
to illegal chokeholds, by po-po, in Brooklyn
Repatriations to nations embracing the fam
Seeking salvation through the preservation of land … Let’s GO
CHORUS (REPEAT)