Suzanne Vega – Tom’s Diner
I am sitting in the morning at the diner on the corner
I am waiting at the counter for the man to pour the coffee
And he fills it only halfway and before I even argue
He is looking out the window at somebody coming in
A new photo and hip-hop lyric, everyday. All photos taken by Karlyle. Enjoy!
I am sitting in the morning at the diner on the corner
I am waiting at the counter for the man to pour the coffee
And he fills it only halfway and before I even argue
He is looking out the window at somebody coming in
American girls and American guys
We’ll always stand up and salute
We’ll always recognize
When we see Old Glory flying
There’s a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night when we lay down our head
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh, uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh)
Why don’t you? Why don’t you? (uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh, uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh)
Why don’t you? Why don’t you? (uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh, uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh)
Why don’t you? Why don’t you? (uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh, uh)
Why don’t you love me, daddy? (uh)
Why don’t you? Why don’t you? (uh, heh, yeah)
Press, press, press, press, press
Cardi don’t need more press
I am one in a billion (yes, I am)
You are one in a billion (yes, you are)
I was soul searching for the sole purpose
That we ain’t perfect but our whole purpose is to keep breathing
If I lose 1, I bounce back like 2, 3 did with 4, 5
Friends – how many of us have them?
Friends – ones we can depend on
Friends – how many of us have them?
Friends – before we go any further, let’s be
Friends
‘Cause I can’t make you love me
If you don’t
You can’t make your heart feel
Something it won’t
Here in the dark
These final hours
I will lay down my heart
I feel the power but you don’t
No, you don’t
‘Cause I can’t make you love me, if you don’t
If you don’t
No, you won’t
Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh, heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We’ll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh, heaven is a place on earth
I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory
When’s it gonna get me?
In my sleep? Seven feet ahead of me?
If I see it comin’, do I run or do I let it be?
Is it like a beat without a melody?
See, I never thought I’d live past twenty
Where I come from some get half as many
Ask anybody why we livin’ fast and we laugh, reach for a flask
We have to make this moment last, that’s plenty
Scratch that
This is not a moment, it’s the movement
Where all the hungriest brothers with
Something to prove went?
Foes oppose us, we take an honest stand
We roll like Moses, claimin’ our promised land
And? If we win our independence?
Is that a guarantee of freedom for our descendants?
Or will the blood we shed begin an endless
Cycle of vengeance and death with no defendants?
I know the action in the street is excitin’
But Jesus, between all the bleedin’ ‘n fightin’
I’ve been readin’ ‘n writin’
We need to handle our financial situation
Are we a nation of states? What’s the state of our nation?
I’m past patiently waitin’
I’m passionately smashin’ every expectation
Every action’s an act of creation!
I’m laughin’ in the face of casualties and sorrow
For the first time, I’m thinkin’ past tomorrow
And I am not throwing away my shot
I am not throwing away my shot
Hey yo, I’m just like my country
I’m young, scrappy and hungry
And I’m not throwing away my shot
Cruise at maximum altitudes
You don’t gotta go to work, work, work, work
Work, work, work
But you gotta put in work, work, work, work
Work, work, work
You don’t gotta go to work, work, work, work
Work, work, work
Let my body do the work, work, work, work
Work, work, work
We can work from home, oh, oh, oh-oh
We can work from home, oh, oh, oh-oh
Nice to meet you, where you been?
I could show you incredible things
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there, and I thought
“Oh my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
Love’s a game, wanna play?”
Ayy
Ooh, I’m startin’ over
Stackin’ in it, it was the top, now are you alright?
I’m quite alright, damn, my money’s right
Yeah, ayy, yeah, it’s quite alright
These cars may look alike
But yours is much slower, this the big dog motor
Should have saved up for it, but fools be in a rush
To touch something quick
I just got a mansion out in Turks and it’s a beachfront (Okay)
I only roll with originators
(You started with a mere hello)
When the time’s right (Yeah)
When the time’s right, baby
When the time’s right (A boy is a gun)
(Look)
No, don’t shoot me down
You know I got the sauce (saucy)
You know I’m saucy
Realistically expect my gross is twenty times your checks
Triple that diamond around your neck, besides I hate cars
You feel the turbulence, fasten seatbelts, close your vents
Rugged horsepower, M-20-F, executive manifestin you a lesson
False representation’ll leave y’all sweatin in the train station
They say boys don’t cry
But your dad has shed a lot of tears
They say I should be a strong man
But baby, I’m still filled with fear
I remember when I first told my father who I was dealin’ with
I’m like, I told him I was dealin’ with Benny
He was like, “Benny from Montana?”
He was like, “Be careful with him”
He was like, “That boy crazy, that’s the H block”
What would you think if I sang out of tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Yeah, we could be superstars
We been rather wreckin’ cars (Ayy bro, is that Jambo?)
What is at stake for us?
Kickin’ off power mirrors
Yeah, we could be superstars
But I’m pretty sure our time is up
And so we fell off the spinning tops
Don’t know, maybe for trial
But way more error (ATL Jacob, ATL Jacob)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no, you can’t disguise
(You can’t disguise, no, you can’t disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
Well I’ve been out walking
I don’t do that much talking these days
These days
These days I seem to think a lot
About the things that I forgot to do
For you
And all the times I had the chance to
Jukebox on a blacktop
That’s that West Coast love
After school, hookin’ up in your drop top
West Coast love
Shootin’ fireworks in the sky
Oh, how the time goes by
Boy, how you never left my mind
That’s that West Coast love
West Coast love
Never left my mind
West Coast love
Never left my mind
See, I’ve got heart like John Starks
Hitting mad sparks
Pass me the mic and I’ll be rockin’ the whole park
First of all, I wanna thank my connect
The most important person, with all due respect
Thanks to the duffle bag, the brown paper bag
The Nike shoe box for holding all this cash (Okay!)
Boys in blue who put greed before the badge (Okay!)
The first pusher who ever made the stash (Okay!)
The Roc Boys in the building tonight (Hey!)
Oh, what a feeling, I’m feeling life (Hey!)
Thanks to the lames, n….. with bad aim
Thanks to a little change, I tore you out the game
Bullet wounds will stop your buffoonery
Thanks to the pastor, rapping at your eulogy
To Lil’ Kim and them, you know the women-friend who
Carry the work cross state for a gentlemen
Yeah, thanks to all the hustlers
And most importantly you: the customer
I can’t stop and look the other way
‘Cause I know what could be, babe
And you never feel the same
You’d be thinkin’ ’bout it every day
Don’t believe in fairytales
But we got our fantasies
What’s news to you, it ain’t news to me
What’s news to you
What’s news to you, it ain’t news to me
And what’s blue to you, it ain’t blue to me
It ain’t blue to me, it ain’t new to me (Oh)
She said she feel it now, I don’t even feel at all
They won’t take me out my element
Nah, take me out my element
Tonight might be the night
You might mess around and fall in love
And then I might be the guy
That’ll make you want to fall in love again
Girl, what’s your name? Happy that you came
I’m the man in this, stick with me, you can’t lose
Looking everywhere around the world, don’t you know, girl that
I’ll be looking for you