Last night the word came down:
ten dead in Chinatown.
Innocent, their only crime was
being in the wrong place,
at the wrong time.
"Too bad", people say.
"what's wrong with the kids today?"
Tell you right now:
they've got nothing to lose.
They're building EMPIRE!
Johnny used to work after school
at the cinema show.
Gotta hustle if he wants an education
he's got a long way to go.
Now he's out on the street all day
selling crack to the people who pay.
Got an AK-47 for his best friend:
business the American way.
Eastside meets Westside downtown.
No time, the walls fall down.
Can't you feel it coming?
EMPIRE!
Can't you hear it calling?
Black man, trapped again,
holds his chain in his hand.
Brother killing brother for the profit of another.
Game point, nobody wins.
Decline, right on time.
What happened to the dream sublime?
Tear it all down, we'll put it up again.
Another empire?
Eastside meets Westside downtown.
No time, no line, the walls fall down.
Can't you feel it coming?
Empire!
Can't you hear it coming?
Empire!
Can't someone here stop it?!
