1. |
Chapter I & II
03:05
|
|||
Chapter I
Everything is meaningless!
From poverty to greediness
2 Charity to neediness
All of this is meaningless!
3 You can live like an ascetic
Or die chasing the green
4 You’ll turn blue in the face
Tryna figure the grand scheme.
5 Generations before
Have lived and disappeared
6 And we’ve yet to see a thing
That wasn’t already here
7 The sun will still set
The sun will still rise
8 The moon will still pull
On the waters for high-tide.
9 We’ve got better computers,
But our minds don’t advance.
10 We’re just running in place
Doing the same old dance
11 You can sit and read every book in the library
12 Be the wisest man alive
And still land in the cemetery
13 Can’t straighten out the twisted
Can’t count what we lack
14 Try to chase away the wicked
And they’ll be right back.
15 Its like the more that we learn
The thinner our hope gets
16 Its like we already forgot
The ones that ain’t here yet.
Chapter II
Gwan and get your money,
Little duffle-bag boy
2 Gwan and get your jewelry
Gwan and get your toys
3 Gwan and build your mansion
Gwan and chase you passion
4 Gwan and chase the wind
Tryna find something lasting.
5 Gwan and get your women
Embrace hedonism
6 Do it ‘til you’re satisfied
Get it out your system
7 Once you learn the things you have
Can never change your fate
8 The world that you love
Becomes the world you love to hate
9 Because the rich haffi die
And the poor do too
10 And the wise bite the dust
Just like the common fool
11 So give it up to God
For all that He provides
12 Eat your food. Drink you drink.
Squeeze some joy out of your life
13 Cause this could be your last dance
On your very last night
14 And when the last song ends
I hope you’re satisfied
15 I hope you loved wisdom
I hope you hated sin
16 I pray you found God
Don’t die chasing the wind
|
||||
2. |
Chapters III & IV
03:40
|
|||
Chapter III
We got a birth-time, a life-time
A death-time and high-time
2 Your time, my time
Supper-time primetime
3 Work time, merc time
Family time, find time
4 Peace time, war time
Need a little more time.
5 A time to laugh
And a time to weep
6 A time to hold your tongue
And a time to speak
7 Make the most of your time
While you’re on the map
8 Cause once the clock runs down
You can’t push time back
And that’s that
9 While you’re in the world
You gots to do your thing
10 Cause for the righteous and the wicked
The fates all the same
11 Judgment!
And back to the earth with our bones
12 And one day we gon’ reap
Every seed that was sown
13 Live well
Cause only God’s will is everlasting
14 And the lovers of the world
Get the world for their passion
15 The world is passing
Time is fleeting
16 But there’s a portion of eternity
In each human being
Chapter IV
Who’s a friend to the oppressed?
2 People reaching out for comfort
But ain’t felt none yet
3 Make me wonder if we’re better off
Living or dead
4 And even better
If this tragic life and we never met
5 So much evil
That we’d never have to see
6 So blessed indeed
If we never had to be
7 But we break our backs to live
And for things we don’t need
8 This struggle to succeed
Is born of envy and greed
9 And...I’d be a fool
To just throw up my hands
10 Stroll around like a bum
Not being a man
But damn!
11 There’s so many things I don’t understand
12 Like how we’re chasing the wind
For more hundreds and grands
13 Its fool-ish, fruit-less
Finite and quite use-less
14 Money that folds—bars of gold
But live truth-less
15 You’re out for more stones
More paper to own
16 Get to the top just to learn
It’s lonely on the throne
17 One’s the loneliest
You’ll ever do
18 But contrary to the song
You’re twice as strong with two
And...19 even stronger
When the number is three
20 And when we’re all knotted up
We can finally be free
Hey—21 I might be broke
Might not have anything
22 Better a poor, wise-man
Than a foolish old king
23 Cause once the chase is done
And we awake from the dream
24 We’ll all have to come to terms
With what the journey all means
|
||||
3. |
Chapters V & VI
04:11
|
|||
Chapter V
Mind your steps and watch your mouth
In the presence of God
2 Speak less
If you’re listening, you might hear him talk
3 Fulfill all the promises
You make with your heart
4 Please be honest with yourself
That’s where honesty starts
5 Why can’t you hold true
To the vows that you make?
6 Shaking your head at your reflection
Like this vow’s a mistake
7 Running your mouth—babbling
Like you talking in dreams
8 But if God ain’t the topic
Tell me; what does it mean?
Yeah, 9 I hear you talking
Ya’ll be talking bout life
10 People oppressed and deprived
And you shouldn’t be surprised
11 Cause they can take away your freedom
Try to strip you of your pride
12 Just to get a little richer
And they’re never satisfied
13 They got all they need and more
But never all that they want
14 But we all depart this world
The same way that we come
15 If you’ve got it, live humble
Get distracted by joy
16 So when reality start’s hollering
You’ll hardly hear the noise.
Chapter VI
I see the wealthy pass away
2 With no one to remember them
No flowers on their graves
3 I’ve seen poor men
With long lives and plenty kids
4 Die without enough capital
To be buried with
5 And the common phrase
Is rest in peace
6 But a still-born child
Knows more peace than these
And...7 everybody got a mouth to feed
8 But even with a full belly
We want more than we need
9 Who does it benefit?
To be wise and broke?
10 If you can’t afford shoes
It hurts to walk the good road
11 Too much desire
Such an appetite for sin
12 Tryna find the meaning in it
We’re just chasing the wind
13 Human condition
Is as old as mankind
14 They tryna look for something new
But there’s nothing to find
15 What’s good in life
Is up to you to decide
16 But live with it
Cause time slips away and we die
|
||||
4. |
Chapter VII
02:19
|
|||
Chapter VII
I’d rather have a good name than long cash
2 They say in these times of strife, only the strong laughs
3 But got the blissfully ignorant on the wrong path
4 This world is lost. I’d be a fool to ignore that.
5 I mourn this life, because I see it for what it really is
6 It could never be as sweet as you think it is
7 All the singing and dancing is meaningless
8 They get bribed out their minds by who they’re drinking with.
9 Better to end than to start
Patience is better than pride
10 Anger will weaken the heart
In the hearts of fools, it resides
11 Money puts clothes on your back
Wisdom will shelter the soul
12 Hope you inherit some jewels-
Mental, and rubies and gold
Remember this:
13 In this life, not a thing lasts
14 Can’t know the future—be present.
You can’t change the past
15 Can’t change the weather
Be it beautiful or be it bad
16 The only certainty is “this too shall pass”
17 In all your righteousness and wisdom you won’t be saved
18 And the wicked and the foolish see the same fate
19 And since every living being dies one day
20 Avoid extremes; fear God; walk the middle way
21 Cause not a’ one of us on earth here is upright
22 Ignore the slanderers, the hypocrites and parasites
23 Their secret deeds and wicked thoughts keep them up at night
24 Evil that’s done in the dark will always come to light
25 What does it mean to be wise?
Something far off and profound,
26 But just a piece props you up
Stupidity brings you down
27 There’s obstacles on the path—
Plenty of things to distract
28 But if you’re nimble in soul
You won’t get caught in the traps.
|
||||
5. |
Chapters VIII & IX
04:08
|
|||
Chapter VIII
A world full of questions
Serves to furrow the brow
2 People
Forget to smile
Through the why’s and the how’s
3 When ignorance gets replaced
It can brighten the face
4 Take away the hard gaze
Have you shining with grace
5 I say;
Laws of the land
Should be observed and obeyed
6 All our corrupt leaders
Face comeuppance some day
7 Choose your battles
Choose peace
Let serenity reign
8 The time will come
To free ourselves from oppression and pain
9 Still
The populous is filled
With fury and doubt
10 Those in power take away
But they ain’t handing it out
11 And when justice is on pause
And delayed being served
12 We get perturbed
While the wicked thrive
And work on our nerves
13 The poor and righteous get jerked
They’re regarded as herbs
14 The wicked rich never seem
To get the hell they deserve
15 Finding value in material
Ignoring our worth
16 Yet another meaningless truth
I’ve seen on this earth
17 If you’re enjoying life,
Then you’re doing it right
18 We gotta keep our heads high
Through the toil and the strife
19 Stressing--and missing rest
Through the days and the nights
20 Leave the battle weary
With no strength for the fight
21 What God knows
No person can comprehend
22 He holds in both hands
All the secrets of men
23 Regardless of what you’ve seen
Or all the places you’ve been
24 The meaning of all things
No mind can comprehend.
Chapter IX
Be you righteous or wicked
Be you foolish or wise
2 Regardless of if you’re clean
Or all the things you sacrifice
3 If your house is built of straw, wood
Brick, stone or sand
4 If everything in life is working out
Just as you planned
5 You run five miles a day
Or only run two blocks
6 If you ride your bike to work
Or walk to the mail box
7 No matter you endurance
No matter how strong your fight
8 Death creeps in
Like a thief in the night.
9 And that’s the end to everything
Every mind has ever known
10 Love and hate vanishes
Once the spirit has flown
11 Once the eyes are closed
Once the living is done
12 We have no part of anything
That happens under the sun
13 So eat your food with a smile
Have some wine with your friends
14 Live it up. Laugh it up.
Get it in ‘til the end
15 Find the good in your life
Enjoy your time with your wife
16 Anything you do to earn
Do it with all of you might
17 Cause where we’re headed, not a day that we’ve lived
Will mean a thing
18 So row your boat merrily
This life is but a dream
19 Like a fish in a net
Like a bird in a snare
20 The finish line will snatch you up
Right when you’re unaware
21 People drift through the dark
Like they don’t have a care
22 Like the curtain won’t close
They expect to be spared
23 Heed the words of the wise
Don’t pay attention to fools
24 Wisdom’s the best weapon
Uprightness the best tool
|
||||
6. |
Chapters X & XI
03:28
|
|||
Chapter X
Just a little foolishness
Will make your light dim
2 Head opposite the fool
Be nothing like him
3 Cause the wise go right
But he decides to go left
4 So even as he walks along
You see how stupid he gets
5 Too many people walk the path
Of the previous fools
6 So good road is traveled
By the precious few
7 Now, the wicked rule
And the righteous live low
8 See the fools drive by-the wise-
Taking it slow
9 The hole you dig
Could be the hole you get buried in
10 You’re afraid to get bit
So why you playing round the snake pit?
11 With enough skill
And the right amount of strength
12 Even a dull blade
Will make the log split
13 There’s no profit for the charmer
If the charmer gets bit
14 Fools get consumed by their words
Always talking some shit
15 Not an ounce of sense
Bounce out of their lips
16 Mouth running non-stop
No pause or off switch
17 And we pray that our leaders
Ain’t like them
18 Headlights on bright
But the light’s dim
19 Wheels spinning in the sand
They’re just kicking up dust
20 Tryna pull us out the desert
But they’re weaker than us
21 I say we pray that our leaders
Ain’t like them
22 Headlights on bright
But the lights dim
23 They’re the designated drivers
Got the keys to the bus
24 But a little bird told me
That they’re drunker than us
Chapter XI
You’ve heard it said
That it’s better to give than to receive
2 So don’t hoard your good fortune
Cast your bread on the seas
3 Most remember kind deeds
Though sometimes we forget
4 What goes around comes around
You’ll never know what you’ll get
5 Fill the clouds up with water
And you’re bound to get wet
6 How you expect to reap well
If you ain’t planted yet
7 Tryna know the unknown
And how it all connects
8 Like tryna know gods plans. Man
Nobody can guess
9 So give away what you can
And don’t sit on your hands
10 Cause you know
We all need some help now and then
11 And when it happens, you’ll be happy
You were good to your friends
12 Who gave the extra little push
To find success in the end
13 We all recall the good days
And time we spend in the light
14 Sun all up in your eyes
You had the time of your life
15 But when the day turns to night
And darkness limits your sight
16 Remember what it means to dream
Nightmares and delights
17 Enjoy your youth, live life
Do your thing, do right
18 Follow your heart, see the world
See yourself take flight
19 But don’t forget; what god demands
Simply won’t be denied
20 And when judgment time arrives
You’ll have to swallow your pride
21 We all head the same way
So what you worried for?
22 You’re in a race you can’t win
So what you hurried for?
23 You need to sit down and chill
Stop the ego trips
24 Cause all your strength ain’t real, man
Its meaningless.
|
||||
7. |
Reflect
01:23
|
|||
-Instrumental-
|
||||
8. |
Chapter XII
02:21
|
|||
Chapter XII
You won’t always be young
You won’t always be strong
2 Sometimes the game runs quick
Sometimes the fight seems long
3 While the sun is still up
Before the lights come on
4 Before your body gets weary
And your energy’s gone
5 While the future’s far off
And the present is sweet
6 While there’s fewer days behind
Than the days left to be
7 While the party’s still live
And the record’s still spinning
8 And the clocks still running
but it feels like the beginning
9 Remember: everything is meaningless!
From poverty to greediness
10 Charity to neediness
All of this is meaningless!
11 It won’t always be sweet
Remember god while you’re strong
12 So at the times when your weak
He’ll help you carry on
13 And the man who said that never lied
14 He only speaks true things
Upright and wise
15 Demonstrates the right way
Picks out the right words
16 His wisdom is always welcome,
Well-written, and well-deserved
17 And at the end of the day
The only thing left to say
18 Is fear god
Cause everything you’ve ever seen will pass away
19 There’s not a good or bad deed
To be considered exempt
20 Cause each and every human being
Meets judgment.
|
The Brothers Cosmos Phoenix, Arizona
We're a band from Phoenix, AZ that blends elements of Soul. Electronic, Funk, Fusion and Hip Hop into an unprecedentedly engaging instrumental music experience. Collaborative projects are always welcome.
Streaming and Download help
If you like The Emcee's Ecclesiastes, you may also like:
Bandcamp Daily your guide to the world of Bandcamp