[Intro: News Excerpts] The damage here along the gulf coast is catastrophic. There's a frantic effort under way tonight to find survivors. There are an uncounted number of the dead tonight... People are being forced to live like animals... We are desperate... No one says the federal government is doing a good job.. And hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people... No water, I fought my country for years.. We need help, we really need help.. In Baghdad, they they drop, they air drop water, food to people..why cant they do that to their own people? The same idiots that can't get water into a major American city in less than three days are trying to win a war...
[Verse 1 - Jay-Z] People was poor before the hurricane came But the down pour poured is like when Mary J. sang Every day it rains, so every day the pain But ignored them, and showed em the risk was to blame For life is a chain, cause and effected Niggas off the chain because they affected It's a dirty game so whatever is effective From weed to selling kane, gotta put that in effect Wouldn't you loot, if you didn't have the loot? Baby needed food and you stuck on the roof Helicopter swooped down just to get a scoop Through his telescopic lens but he didn't scoop you The next five days, no help ensued They called you a refugee because you seek refuge The commander-in-chief just flew by Did he stop? No, he had a couple seats Just proved jet blue he's not Jet flew by the spot What if he ran out of jet fuel and just dropped hu,That woulda been something to watch Helicopters doing fly-bys to take a couple of shots Couple of portraits then ignored 'em He'd be just another bush surrounded by a couple orchids Poor kids just 'cause they were poor kids Left 'em on they porches same old story in New Orleans Silly rappers, because we got a couple Porches MTV stopped by to film our fortresses We forget the unfortunate Sure I ponied up a mill, 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 them folks abandoned Damn, that money that we gave was just a band-aid Can't say we better off than we was before In synopsis this is my minority report Can't say we better off than we was before In synopsis this is my minority report
[Verse 2 - Ne-Yo] So many times I'm, covering my eyes Peeking 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 lil' money, tell 'em it's alright To be able to sleep at night You will pay that price While some of these folks' lost their whole life (Seems like we don't even care) Now it wasn't on the nightly news no more Suddenly it didn't matter to you no more In the end almost nothing changed What the hell, what was that for? (Seems like we don't even care)
[Outro: News Excerpts] ...Buses are on the way to take those people from New Orleans to Houston ...They lyin' ...People are dying at the convention center ...Their government has failed them ...George Bush doesn't care about black people