You should’ve been downtown (Yeah)The people are risin’ (Yeah)We thought it was a lockdown (What?)They opened the fire (Damn)Them bullets was flyin’ (Ooh)Who said it was a lockdown? Goddamn lieOh myTime heals all, but you out of time now (Now)Judge gotta watch us from the clock tower (True)Lil’ tear gas cleared the whole place outI’ll be back with the hazmat for the next roundWe was tryna protest, then the fires broke outLook out for the secret agents, they be planted in the crowdSaid, “It’s civil unrest,” but you sleep so soundLike you don’t hear the screams when we catchin’ beatdowns?Stayin’ quiet when they killin’ niggas, but you speak loudWhen we riot, got opinions comin’ from a place of privilegeSicker than the COVID how they did him on the groundSpeakin’ of the COVID, is it still goin’ around?And won’t you tell me ’bout the lootin’? What’s that really all about?‘Cause they throw away black lives like paper towelsPlus unemployment rate, what, forty million now?Killed a man in broad day, might never see a trialWe just wanna break chains like slaves in the SouthStarted in the North End but we in the downtownRiot cops tried to block, now we gotta show down(Citizens of Los Angeles) Down(I hereby declare this to be an unlawful assembly)(And in the name of the people of the State of California)You should’ve been downtown (Command all those assembled)The people are risin’ (Right here)We thought it was a lockdownThey opened the fire (Ooh)Them bullets was flyin’
(Lockdown, we ain’t gotta stop because they tell us to)Who said it was a lockdown? Goddamn lieAnd downtown, where I got popped with the rubber bulletTre pound, got it in my name now, I’ma shoot itUh, okayNever understand why they do itSomeone cut the channel off the news ‘fore I lose it (Nah)I ain’t even trippin’, if you wit’ it, then we lootin’ (Nah)Help me put this Louis in the back of Suzuki (Ooh), o-heHad to break it down so smoothly (Smooth)They gon’ say, “It’s not about race,” but we movin’ (Fuckin’) ho, powerCopped the tre pound, had to put that in my nameWish a nigga play now (Yeah)Any given day, I’ll be headed to the pulpits (Yeah)Say a lil’ prayer, matter fact, I need two of ’em, oohWon’t he do it? Won’t he do it?Ooh, this ain’t ’92 so we into new rulesNiggas got hip, so we don’t loot the projects‘Bout to hit Rodeo with my lil’ cousin MarcusSomeone threw a whole brick in the Neiman Marcus (Ah)Help me put the whole mannequin in the ChargerYou should’ve been downtown (Down)The people are risin’ (Look around)We thought it was a lockdown (Lockdown)They opened the fire (Had to get low, fire)Them bullets was flyin’ (Down, down)Who said it was a lockdown? Goddamn lie (Ooh-wee)Lockdown, we ain’t gotta stop ’cause they tell us toDowntown, where I got popped with the rubber bulletTre pound (Uh), got it in my name now, I’ma shoot itLockdown, we ain’t gotta stop ’cause they tell us toDowntown