[Intro: excerpts from news reports] "The damage here along the Gulf coast is catastrophic There's a frantic effort underway tonight to find survivors There are an uncounted number of the dead tonight."
"People are being forced to live like animals."
"Please... send stuff here. We are desperate."
"No one says the federal government is doing a good job."
"...and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people ..."
"No water... yeah, and I fought for my country for years."
"We need help. We really need help."
"In Baghdad, they-they drop, they airdrop - water, food to people Why can't they do that for their own people?"
"...the same idiots can't get a bottle of water into a Major American city in three days are trying to win a war"
[Jay-Z] People was poor before the hurricane came When the downpour poured, it was like when Mary J. sang Everyday it rained, so everyday the pain But ignored 'em, and showed 'em the risk was to blame But life is a chain, cause and effected Niggas off the chain, because they affected It's a dirty game, it's whatever is effective From weed to sellin' 'caine, gotta put that in effect, shit Wouldn't you loot? If you didn't have the loot Baby needed food and you was stuck on the roof And helicopters swoop down just to get a scoop Through his telescopic lens, but he didn't scoop you For the next five days, no help ensued They called you a refugee because you seek refuge And the Commander-in-Chief, just flew by Didn't stop, 'though he had a couple seats Just proved Jet blue, he's not, jet flew by the spot But if he ran outta jet fuel and just dropped Huh, that'd've been somethin' to watch Helicopters doin' fly-bys to take a couple shots Couple portraits, then ignored 'em He'd be just another Bush surrounded by a couple orchards Poor kids, just cause they was poor kids Left them on they porches, same old story in New Orleans Silly rappers, cause we got a couple Porsches MTV stopped by to film our fortresses We forget the unfortunate Sure, I ponied up a mil' but I didn't give my time So in reality I didn't give a dime Or a damn, I just put my monies in the hands Of the same people that left my people stranded Nothin' but a bandit, left my folks abandoned Damn, money we gave just a band-aid Can't say we better on than we was before In synopsis, this is my Minority Report Can't say we better on than we was before In synopsis, this is my Minority Report
[Ne-Yo] So many times I'm, coverin' my eyes Peekin' through my fingers, tryin' to hide my Frustration, at the way, that we treat (Seems like we don't even care)
Turn on the TV, seein' the pain Sayin' such a shame, then tryin' to go on with my life Of that, I too am guilty (Seems like we don't even care)
So we send a little money, tell 'em it's alright 'Til we able to sleep at night You will pay that price, but some of these folks Has lost they whole life (Seems like we don't even care)
And then it wasn't on the nightly news no mo' Suddenly it didn't matter to you no mo' It went on and almost nothin' changed What the hell were they there for? (Seems like we don't even care)
[Outro - more news excerpts (Ne-Yo)]
Bush: "Buses are on the way to take those People from New Orleans, to Houston" (Seems like we don't even care)
"They lie"
"People are dying, at the Convention Center" (ohh)
"Their government has failed them" (ohh)
Kanye West: "George Bush doesn't care about black people"