Astronomy (8th light) de Mos Def

against the canvas of the night
appears a curious celestial phenomena
called black star, but what is it?

black people unite and let's all get down
we got to have what? we got to have that love

what is the black star?
is it the cat with the black shades, the black car?
is it shinin from very far, to where you are?
it is commonplace and different
intimate and distant
fresher than an infant

black, my family thick, like they're striped molasses
star, on the rise, in the eyes of the masses
black is the color of my true love's hair
star's are bright, shining, hot balls of air

black like my baby girl's stare
black like the veil that the muslimina wear
black like the planet that they fear, why they scared?
black like the slave ship that later brought us here
black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears
that leave black faces well traveled with years
black like assassin crosshairs
blacker than my granddaddy armchair
he never really got no time to chill there
cause this life is warfare, warfare

deep on the front lines, and blacks is all there
black like the perception of who, on welfare
black like faces at the bottom of the well
i've been there before
to bring the light and heat it up like "la cocina"
make without imagine happen but maybe i'm just a dreamer
i love rockin tracks like john coltrane love naema
like the student love the teacher
like the prophet love khadeja
like i love my baby features
like the creator love all creatures

who acknowledge truth and peace seekers
we on point like heat seekers
targettin the black marketing strategists
run up on em with the heaters
everybody followin with no leaders
feelin like we killin ourselves
because i know they can't defeat us
it don't stop til we complete this, keep this fly
there's so much to life when you just stay black and god

blacker than the nighttime sky of bed-stuy in july
blacker than the seed in the blackberry pie
blacker than the middle of my eye
black like feh-lah man cry
some man wan ask "who am i?"
i simply reply, "the , magnetic"
work to respect the angelic, climb the mountaintop
and tell it til the valley's enveloped
you're full of big chat but you nah know me
i'm dark like the side of the moon you don't see
when the moon shine newly
you know who else is a black star? (who?) me
you know who else is a black star? (who?) me
you know who else is a black star, who we? (and we)
be shinin and shinin, when we rhymin and rhymin
we be shinin and shinin, when we rhymin and rhymin

now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
it's the third eye vision, five side dimension
the 8th light, is gonna shine bright tonight
it's the third eye vision, five side dimension
you know the light
go from the dark
the other way is ass-backwards
it's absurd
make you wanna crow like a blackbird
that's right
you livin from your first day to your last night
sometimes you show your ass like
lint on your clothes
when you froze in
the black light
dead that
before you get your head wrapped
like badu
we see through your voodoo
just like eve's bayou, you dealin with that black magic
try to civilize you
not walk on by you
like civil-(lies do get you black listed) it'll
be unlucky for you like a black cat
a panther
revolution is the answer
that's what we need
greed plague my people like the cancer
true indeed

now black people unite, and let's all get down
now everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
it's the third eye vision, five side dimension
the 8th light, is gonna shine bright tonight
everybody hop on the one, the sounds of the two
it's the third eye vision, five side dimension
the 8th light, is gonna shine bright tonight
it's the third eye vision, five side dimension
equalin up to eight, light shine bright