[Intro - heavy 808 + hard West Coast drums + vinyl crackle + chalk tap + pitched-down voice] yeah... PROFESSOR 24K Class is in session, you little shits. Today's topic. Socrates said it: "know yourself" (know yourself... know your bitch-ass self) But you motherfuckers spend your whole life watching everybody else Write this down... drop it [Verse 1 - hard boom bap + staccato flow + extreme percussion + walking bass + voice doubling] Yo, you blaming somebody again? When shit don't work, it's the world's fault Boss's fault, parents' fault, the times, bad luck, your horoscope (your horoscope, lol) Never once looked in the mirror, that's where the real enemy sits Switch the flow up fast — who the fuck wrecked your life? Here's a hint: the punk who flinched when he heard this line (that punk right there) Socrates gave the answer 2400 years ago: "know yourself" But you don't know shit about yourself, just memorize other people's resumes Damn, never Google yourself, just dig up dirt on everybody else Try to write your own list of flaws — you can't, 'cause you've never seen 'em Time you spend hating on others, look in the mirror once, you dumb fuck That's your real enemy you've been running from your whole life SOCRATES SAID, know yourself, before you blame somebody, know your own ass first Time you spend talking behind backs, check your own back, write this down, PROFESSOR 24K [Verse 2 - jittery hi-hats + bass-heavy + staccato flow + extreme percussion + multiple voices] (yo, but he started it —) Shut up. Here we go again: "he started it" The second that sentence leaves your mouth, you already lost A punk who starts with somebody else has no life of his own (no life of his own) Three hours in group chat talking shit about someone, zero seconds on self-improvement All the gossip that came out your mouth could fill a whole book But you can't write one line of a journal, 'cause you got no story of your own Switch the flow back slow — listen close, you little shit Your eye for other people's flaws is like a hawk, but your mirror is blind Socrates said: "the unexamined life is not worth living" But you only examine everybody else's life and ignore your own, that's your sin Homework from today — before you bring somebody up, ask yourself "But what about me?" Those three words will save your whole life, write it down SOCRATES SAID, know yourself, before you blame somebody, know your own ass first Time you spend talking behind backs, check your own back, write this down, PROFESSOR 24K [Verse 3 - beat builds + frantic double-time + staccato flow + sudden stop-time + extreme percussion peak] Five types of punks who don't know themselves, watch closely One, when things go well it's all me, when shit goes wrong it's everybody else (blame) Two, can't take a single word about himself but loves to feast on others' dirt (feasts) Three, hears advice as an attack and flattery as the honest truth (clown) Four, perfect on the feed but hollow in front of the mirror (hollow) Five, spends his whole life screaming "because of him" and dies old and bitter (dies) If even one of those five stings you — that's you, admit it (you won't admit it, you'll blame that on somebody else too) Double-time — not knowing yourself is the root of every misery You can analyze a hundred people, but if you don't know yourself, you get zero What old Socrates said while drinking the poison cup "I know that I know nothing" — you don't even know that much (beat stops) ...Let me ask quietly. When's the last time you actually saw your own self? Hold up. I'll stop cursing for a second. One real thing. I'm not ripping on you because I hate you. Nobody else tells you this. They all talk behind your back and smile to your face. I'm the only one saying it straight to your ugly mug. Look at yourself. Blaming is easy. Gossip is sweet. But neither one changes you. The only thing that changes you is the moment you look in the mirror. I know it's scary. The real you that you've been avoiding is standing right there. But if you don't make peace with that motherfucker, you'll run your whole life. The homework Socrates gave you. Do it tonight. Know yourself. Socrates said you must know yourself, know yourself You know everything but yourself, that's fucked up, blame is your hobby, gossip is your talent You don't even know what your own damn name means, pathetic Know yourself, know your bitch-ass self The world didn't do it to you — you did it to yourself Don't break the mirror. Break the punk inside it. PROFESSOR 24K, class dismissed, write this down Know yourself, that's the first lesson and the last Pass it all and that day you become human, class dismissed Yeah... know yourself. Stop blaming. Stop gossiping. Look in the mirror once today. Just once. That's where it all starts, you little shit. PROFESSOR 24K... see you next lecture. 24K... out. (chalk drops, one beat hit, silence)
