Overstand - Dead Prez

Are we addicted to the struggle or committed to success?

Are we focused on the positive or holdin' onto stress?

Not sayin' thing’s perfect but in many ways I’m blessed

Learnin' how to take the negative and flip for the best

Everyday bring challenge, every challenge is a chance to advance

The power is right in our own hands

From a youth full of rage, to a wise grown man

Here I am, life is beautiful now, I overstand

I’m lookin' forward through my rear view mirror in hindsight

Gotta be more than just a G if you keepin' your mind right

Better be ready for the battle or focused on my fight

I ain’t sittin' on no sidelines watchin' them highlights

I’ma be in the game playin' to win but learnin' from setbacks

Strengthen my weaknesses and masterin' what I’m best at

Power of refinement until you get right and exact

It’s all in your mind, but that depends on where your head’s at

Life is a chess match and lessons come from your mistakes

Try not to end up in checkmate no matter whatever it takes

Long as you’re breathin' then you can be problem solvin'

Stayin' involved, evolved, world keeps revolvin'

For the cause be all you can from the mornin' to the sunset

You never have no regrets

Took the journey to the edge of your fate and then lept

Not just understandin' but overstandin' is the objective

Just let me be what I am

Take my destiny in my hands

By my actions you can judge where I stand

And I hope one day you’ll overstand

Change come from the inside out

No fear, live free, let the truth ride out

I’m steady, shakin' off the shackles of the old me

Wakin' up daily, meditation, feelin' so free

They hate to see you change

But they don’t understand

Unless you see for yourself, then you won’t comprehend

The caterpillar don’t care what you think about him

He was born to be fly, his nature gonna bring it outta him

By the struggle I was never broken, I was broken open

I tapped into a source that was omnipotent

Had to shift my focus to my higher purpose

Ain’t nothing weak about broke, it takes a fighter’s courage

People say they want a revolution

But steady holdin' on the slave ideas, afraid of evolution

In life we live and learn, it’s practice, theory, practice

Wisdom is organically grown, its not pre-packaged

We think we found the absolute truth

But only to discover it’s a labyrinth, we go from one maze into another

So many chambers and angles, peelin' the onion layers

Within it all I see the same gang, just different players

So I rebel from the prison cell of the pigeon hole

And dare to be myself, original

A man lives on principles --I don’t posture to be popular

Born to be a leader not just a blind follower

It’s family before the dollar, your priorities in order

And like Bruce Lee say: «Be the water, be the earth, be the wind and the fire.»

Elevate, take it higher

It’s instinct, fulfill your needs and your desires

But we go to be compassionate, considerate, the people’s advocate

Eradicatin' ignorance through experience

The more you live, the more you learn and you grow

It has a positive effect on all the people you know

I hope that you will overstand

{look at things without any opinion

Otherwise you’ll never look at reality

Look at things without any philosophy, without any prejudice, without any dogma,

creed or scripture

Just look, without arrogance

And see the cause of ignorance, and overstand}

{Change is necessary to evolution

The universe contains incredible diversity

And you cannot experience it all within the confines of one comfortable

lifestyle

Look ahead to what you will think of your life at it’s end

You will probably not want to look back and say it was cozy and dull

Thus, react positively to what seems to be disaster

Remember that what seems now to be disaster may be an important step toward

evolution

And may even be identifiable as such at some point in the future

Every great loss takes you out of a rut and starts life anew

Be grateful for the time you had and your former happy state

And look forward eagerly to the new phase

Information age.}