Respect
Can you hear it? Can you touch it?
Can you feel it coming? Can you hear it?
It’s a whisper. It’s a breath on the wind
It’s the silence of the morning a dream just forming
When you’re lying asleep
(and the dawn is in slippers and light begins to sweep)
The question I’m asking …Is why are you here?
Who are you now? Who will you become?
Who are the demons who cause you to run?
What are the visions you chase? Where will your dreams lead you?
What roads will you take?
What sirens beckon, and what is the price that the piper will reckon?
To live in this world, you want to be known.
You can’t stand alone. You’re looking for home.
But to share space on in this building,
Or even on this planet earth,
We need to be aware of the other ones first … RESPECT!
In order to work,
Side by side, day in and day out
Take a moment to listen what this rap’s all about:
You know why we’re here? To talk about rules …
But life by law turns us all into fools
So we need to understand,
(we need to be cool)
There’s reasons behind these demands: they aren’t cruel.
You need an education – knowledge is a gold mine –
It’s YOUR future, your life, that’s stretched on the line
You know where I’m going, you know what comes next.
What I’m talking about here is nothing but RESPECT!
Yes there are laws, “consequences” for this and for that
So there’s things you must know,
The lean and the fat.
When a student gets “kicked out” - the word is “expelled”
The decision is about more, than some kid who rebelled
Its all about being SAFE,
And caring for others,
We’re talkin’ RESPECT, for the sisters and brothers.
You don’t make things safe, using violence or hate
Bring a weapon to school
You seal your own fate
A gun or a knife, you know it ain’t right
We ALL got hostility and problems
- We don’t expect all to be peace and light
But we got conflict mediation
We got the Wellness and more
It’s all about RESPECT. Like I said it before
Alcohol and drugs, Marijuana, Ecstasy
is illegal at school
It will compromise your thinking
when you need that brain as a tool
That’s why the state says “No, you can’t do that!”
Most bosses find you stoned
You collect your coat and your hat
See, for you it’s a job or maybe college
That’s our goal, a target we aim at
Of course we want more for you,
Than just a “job” to pay the bills
We’re hoping you become someone who loves knowledge
and the joy that love fills
A school then needs to be a place
That’s secure and that’s safe
And the way to make it so is to banish fear and hate
Your teachers need to teach
- We owe you that
But to do teaching they need structure
You know what’s coming next
What we’re talking about is respect
So can you hear it coming, need I said it again
Respect! Respect! That’s the thing that will win,
So its way bigger than rules, its nothing so crass
We’re talking about treating each other with class
When we use a slur, a word that attacks another
Whether its about sex or religion or even skin color
Our words can tear down or they can build up,
Its respect we’re talking about, it will smooth out the rough
To live in this world. We NEED to be known.
We can’t stand alone. We’re working for home.
But to share space on in this building
Or even on this planet earth
We need to be aware of the other ones first: RESPECT!
Sure the police and the laws, of the Californian state
Demand punishment for those who would steal or hate
But we want more for Lincoln
And more for our town.
We want more for you
We want more … can you hear the sound?
Is it coming? Is it near?
Or are we living in fear?
Is it coming? Is it close?
Respect! Respect! Respect knows!
This page was last updated on December 3, 2020