I met my camera guy without a plan in mind
had him paid for the night so I had to take a ride
and the only mic in sight was beyond the L line
so if I had to do it might as well be that night
I’d waited for a call because Ohene said before
he might meet me early on and get me through the door
but he couldn't come so I had to make a call
down a flight of steps buy a ticket L tour

Josh wasn’t cool without someone to assure
we wouldn’t get jumped in the suburbs of the poor
and it felt like dice just to look him in the eyes
and tell him that it’s cool and sell him on that lie
cause I couldn’t come on back without footage of some rap
I had to get on tracks, or face facts
I’m a white bellied, mic relic, tight throat, night dweller
I've got balls but I’m really just a nice fella

I’ve spent a minute in the madness of the village
it’s sad I fit the image and tragic I’m a cynic
so stick it to myself I kept on riding on the L
train getting lighter every time I'm hear the bell
checkin at the station, to see who’s out their waiting
but it’s just imagination, you could read it on our faces
and every way we face it, the situation now basically
going from bad to worse though no way I’d escape it

we arrive, eleven at night
and stepping off the train, I’m making up my mind
know, back at home, it’s no, walk in the park
but in the U. S. of A. it struck a chord in my heart
safe? fine? I really can’t decide
but I do know this and you can check this up online
Canarsie rates not a safe place
and we’re only a few blocks from making some mistakes

and it turns out that, those mistakes are on the map
the L line stops a little early in it’s tracks
we walk eleven blocks I’m trying to settle josh
by calling up a cab and not a single one picks up
josh to be fair was really walking on thin air
camera round his neck and wasn’t born around here
isn’t well versed in what it’s all about
so he doesn’t have a clue as to how it’s going down

we get to the corner at almost twelve in the morning
and we walk toward the noise like we’re falling out of orbit
there’s a group right out front that tell us to move on
and really what they mean is they want us to fuck off
I step to the left to a group smoking a blunt
the guy toking it stops and then just looks up
I offer with a smile I’m here for freestyles
and I’ve come a long way “mate”, over ten thousand miles

he laughs, ‘no doubt’ (and) points beyond the house
says the party’s out back and it’s only getting louder
there’s a table with a kid, he's telling me it’s five
and I raise both hands and they check me for a nine
round these rappers, hamburgers and nutcrackers
somehow on our own we’d found the words that really mattered
I’ve never felt alive as how I did that night
when I punched two tickets to beyond the L line

we pack into a room, snapping on some tunes
I’d brought my own crew, perth beats to rap to
started off with Boost, it’s hard to stop his grooves
and thirty plus dudes have all got something to prove
each wanted time to be heard doing their thing
and each on their own had something unique to bring
from me to that crowd, thanks for the moment
and if you ever make it down, the door’s always open