Politic Live - Travels With Akeem [tekst, tłumaczenie i interpretacja piosenki]

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
They say everything happens for a reason
Be it, missing a cab or born not seeing
After a long week of studio I hit the club
No intentions of dancing I just wanna unplug
But in the process of tryn'a go unnoticed
Zak sees my vibe and instructs the hostess
To bring a couple Heinekens, a couple shots
Can't refuse, playas offering shit they don't got
Drink after drink, sip after sip
Stress diminishes, but I know my limits kid
I'm too tipsy to drive back west
And I ain't try'na swerve like Kanye West
I hail a couple cabs but they all got fares
Maybe it's smarter if I try elsewhere
Despite all those drinks my mind still races
The pressure of a sophomore is quite outrageous
The Matinee, Block-O, maybe Stoosh
Ought to be enough to keep radio hooked
While Video Light and Droppin' Gems
If they make the final cut, will serve the heads
Damn, it's getting chilly, but the peace I admire
That's when I seen a cabby, told me he was for hire
As I stepped in the cab he asked

[JJ Heaven]
Where you off to

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
Westend 98, 182
As he started the meter I take a breath
Done walked 6 blocks my feet need a rest
That's when I asked him how long he'd been a cabby for
After a quick memory jog, he held up four
Said he came over here, quite some time ago
In '85 from the Republic of Congo
I let him know my fam is from Jamaica
He smiled and said

[JJ Heaven]
Rasta you must love ganja

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
I laughed it off even though I do
I felt shame knowin' he was right to assume

[JJ Heaven]
Are You a Student?

[Young Mav]
Yes and No, you see
I got two years left to complete my degree
I got my marketing diploma, but had to wait
Cause I can't go back till I get my money straight
So right now I temp, climb the scale
It's either entry level or work in sales
You got kids?

[JJ Heaven]
Yeah I got three
Two in high school, one in University
Studying to be a doctor, with five to go
He works part time to pay off his loan

[Young Mav]
I worked a year after school to fray the cost
Momma couldn't help she had been laid off
How's he the find the balance with school and work

[JJ Heaven]
By telling himself he's a temporary clerk
Unlike me, he's got a chance to make it
I have my degree but the country wouldn't take it
Said my schooling didn't meet their standards
Excuse my manners, but fuck them bastards
How can a country reject an immigrant's degree
But grant sports scholarships to kids who can't read
Where I'm from kids go to school to learn
Kids here skip class to go smoke hash
They show up late and leave when they wish
And the only time they study is to cram for tests
I love this country, but things could be different
Like immigrants getting tested for citizenship
What are Canada's 3 main industries?
College diploma and I bet you couldn't tell me
Things that the average Canadian ignores
I have to pay money to be tested for

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
Kind of unpatriotic, but I see why he mad
An educated man forced to drive a cab
I started wondering, why he ain't swallow his pride?
But with 2 and 2, put myself in his shoes
He's prolly early 50's, so when he came here
He was prolly 30 some, or close to there
Now he could A, spend money he don't have
To get the education, that he already had
Or B, get 9 to 5 where he can save
And send his kids off to college one day
I asked him

[Young Mav]
Do you regret leaving home?

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
Pausing for a second, his thoughts postponed
He then responded with a candor tone

[JJ Heaven]
What is to be must be, so to answer no
Many see African countries on TV
And offer empathy cause they say we don't eat
But the food Canada throws away in one year
Contradicts its plea to send money down there
As I drive these streets, seeing people who don't sleep
Zombies to vices that make them sheep
Panhandlers beg for money to eat
But buy that man food, and watch him not eat
Give a man change, he'll buy an O-E
And drink it as if it was full of protein

[Young Mav]
Can you blame them, with no place to live
It's not like they can put a loaf of bread in the fridge

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
Playing devil's advocate I could see his aim
Voice of community, mouthpiece for change

[JJ Heaven]
Charge me with treason, but gimme a reason
We'll fly in a Queen with first class treatment
When first class citizens pay so many taxes
Debt after debt till their heart collapses

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
Dude knew the science, and spoke his mind
Although denying his degrees they ain't broke his mind
Before I knew it we were at my spot
My brain was overwhelmed from this African's thoughts

[Young Mav]
Pardon my manners, rude it may seem
What's your name?

[JJ Heaven]
They call me Akeem

[Young Mav - As Narrator]
As I paid my fair and offered a tip
He refused, insisting I had school to finish
As he drove away, I walked to my house
And wondered, what if I never went out
In a 25 ride from Whyte to 182
I feel like as my understanding grew
This whole night I stressed our release
But it seemed so petty like an old man's hairpiece
So petty, when you consider his travels
Education was not the battle
Cause no one goes to school to drive a cab
But you can go to school and wind up driving a cab
They say everything happens for a reason
Just took me missing five cabs to eventually see things