Our One Thing
By Cire Wilson
Cire: Everybody got that one thing
DESTN: That one thing they hold close, well mine is mumbo sauce and chicken wings
Backyard
CCB
THEM COOKOUTS WITH THE COLLARD GREENS
CIRE: Hold on… Don’t you give me crabs without that old bay seasoning
This is just the life when you got DC in your skin and bones
DESTN: Nike boots
And autobahn
CIRE: Sunflower seeds and Arizonas
DESTN: Big Mommas
Pickled eggs
CIRE: DC you know we love it here
Due to DC’s culture we need Duke to be established here
GOGO is our skin and bones
Embedded in the soul we own
DESTN: Roll calling the streets of you and me even when young or grown
CIRE: Duke built a legacy through art and happily we made it known
DESTN: We worked for success why are you tryna make it all your own?
CIRE: Yea this is DC
But what is Duke without the instruments
Hearing violins on the 3rd floor while writing sentences
Learn Lmc critique so you can voice what your opinion is
DESTN: And Museum Studies…They can show what your perspective gives…
Now I’m tryna figure out perspective
Now I’m tryna see how the culture of Barry Farms is an elective ?
Now I wanna hear all your perspective on that
Gentry’s definition is the people coming in are truly better
What’s that sposed to mean? Is gentrification nothing but a racist market scheme?
Somehow Chocolate City
Turned to half and half coffee cream
If grandpa Benjamin was gentrified would this be happening ?
Would this happen if your uncle Oliver was Chuck Brown or Kenny barnes and would it be the same if all your cousins lived in Barry Farms
Would 20,000 people of your color have to leave in harm or leave their happy home and memories who made them who they are ?
I just had to let that sit so maybe it can benefit the system with degenerates
Don’t blame it on a deficit Don’t pessimist my culture cuz yo feet cant/don’t beat to my backyard of heritage
My blood of DC excellence I’m here to show I cherish it
My CCB
My mumbo sauce and chicken wings
My overnight scenario
My party time
My E.U. Freeze
My Bustin fr Loose
My Solbiato track suit
My 990s
Get that plastic bag, pickled eggs and my sunflower seeds
Chocolate City Ian talking Willy Wonka’s factory
But nothing’s sweet out here, our soul is deeper than you factor me
You pushed us up and down but you can’t hold in your factory
Reset our memories of times that you’d rather us not to see
When Strangers would check you like they closely knew your family
And we would eat together cuz the doors were never closed on me
And granny came home and we’d walk barefoot to get groceries
When everyone was family through blood or being close to me
CIRE: Ok I think I get it
Maybe DCPS feels the need to take our excellence because they have back in our history
No mystery that
We soar by ourselves and when they notice, try to take our wings
Don’t put it on the shelf of that long wall of you tryna take our things
Look,
Chocolate City has indeed turned to half and half coffee cream
we got mixed around
now we’re lost in dreams
false hopes
And market schemes
Everybody
Repping project dreams
Cuz they feel that their dreams are out of reach
You feeling me?
But
They say don’t mute DC
So how you gon mute Duke?
We got Voices for a reason
We’ll continue to push through
This the kind of poetry that will get the message through
Cuz everybody got that one thing and for me it's Duke
CIRE and DESTN: Mannnn
Everybody got that one thing
That one thing they hold close
DESTN: Well mines is…
Nah ours is mumbo sauce and chicken wings
Backyard
CCB
THEM COOKOUTS WITH THE COLLARD GREENS
CIRE: Hold on….Don’t you give me crabs without that old bay seasoning
This is just the life when you got dc in your skin and bones
DESTN: Nike boots
And autobahn
CIRE: Sunflower seeds and Arizonas
DESTN: Big Mommas
Pickled eggs
CIRE AND DESTN: DC you know we love it here
Due to DC’s culture we need Duke to be established here
Save Duke