Sekou Sundiata, blink your eyes

I was on my way to see my woman
but the Law said I was on my way
thru a red light red light red light
and if you saw my woman you could understand,
I was just being a man.
It wasn’t about no light it was about my ride
and if you saw my ride you could dig that too, you dig?
Sunroof stereo radio black leather bucket seats
sit low you know, the body's cool, but the tires are worn.
Ride when the hard time come, ride when they're gone,
in other words the light was green.
I could wake up in the morning without a warning
and my world could change: blink your eyes.
All depends, all depends on the skin, all depends
on the skin you're living in
Up to the window comes the Law
with his hand on his gun what’s up? what's happening?
I said I guess that’s when I really broke the law.
He said a routine, step out the car a routine,
assume the position.
Put your hands up in the air you know the routine,
like you just don't care.
License and registration. Deep was the night and the light
from the North Star on the car door,
deja vu we’ve been through this before,
why did you stop me?
Somebody had to stop you.
I watch the news, you always lose.
You’re unreliable, that's undeniable.
This is serious, you could be dangerous.
I could wake up in the morning without a warning
and my world could change: blink your eyes.
All depends, all depends on the skin,
all depends on the skin you're living in New York City,
they got laws can’t no bruthas drive outdoors,
in certain neighborhoods, on particular streets
near and around certain types of people.
They got laws.
All depends, all depends on the skin,
all depends on the skin you're living in.

“Blink Your Eyes” by Sekou Sundiata as published in The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets by Bill Moyers. Doubleday. 1995.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H18mBu9LI2Y