Coming to America

Yeah, it's K'naan
This one's goin' out to anybody that's ever had to leave they home
This my story

I came out of a killer neighborhood called River
Where life expectancy is shorter than a caterpillar
I was once a gorilla, Mogadishu was my cage
My trainer was the gauge, AK was my baby sitter
When we be out and lootin', the whole city was shooting
I know it's fucked up, but somehow the sound became soothin'
Niggas heard African rapper and thought about Umfufu
You Superman till the real soldier boy come to shoot you
Sexual intercourse with your ear, nigga
Fuck what ya heard, yeah, nigga
Come walk in the dark, no fear nigga
There's a drought in my eyes, no tear, nigga
Word to malaria, your hood can't really compare here
Got cheese, they really love dairy, yeah
Come near here, I'm daring ya
I shit you not, ain't afraid, life gave me a rotten lemonade
Blew up my school in the 8th grade while playing catch with a hand grenade
Yup, that's a true story, this ain't Hollywood glory
I ain't the prince of Zamunda dog, my life is too gory

I'm tired of always going to burials
I just wanna live a good life
So I'm comin', comin' to America
I hope we gonna have a good time
Baby, thanks for lettin' me marry ya
The green card sure looks fine
So I'm comin', comin' to America
I hope we gonna have a good time

Now, my second home city, what can I say?
It took my fuckin' heart from me
I played the judge, pardon it from larceny
Oh, yeah, that mean it never got no bars from me
T-dot O to the motherfucking dot B
In the Rexdale project lobby
Puck Puck but it ain't no hockey
When the cops came, they knocked me, they got me
I had to flee, they said to bargain, I had to plea
So I crossed the border while they put a warrant out for me

I'm tired of always going to burials
I just wanna live a good life
So I'm comin', comin' to America
I hope we gonna have a good time
Baby, thanks for lettin' me marry ya
The green card sure looks fine
So I'm comin', comin' to America
I hope we gonna have a good time

Now, I know everywhere in the world got its problems
Everybody got a dream of the green, it's the dollars
But some of us are dying in the streets, can you figure out?
Even in America, the hoods need a ticket out
I know everywhere in the world got its problems
Everybody got a dream of the green, it's the dollars
But some of us are dying in the streets, can you figure out?
Even in America, the hoods need a ticket out

I'm tired of always going to burials
I just wanna live a good life
So I'm comin', comin' to America
I hope we gonna have a good time
Baby, thanks for lettin' me marry ya
The green card sure looks fine
So I'm comin', comin' to America
I hope we gonna have a good time

I hope we gonna have a good time
I hope we gonna have a good time