[Verse 1] They say “freedom” Like a brand new car On the big screen In a strip mall bar Kids doing lockdown drills At nine years old While the men on the payroll Count their gold [Chorus] Ain’t no good When the money talks louder than the crying Ain’t no good When the truth gets buried with the dying You can wrap it in a flag Like you always do But it ain’t no good If it ain’t good for all of you [Verse 2] Black boy pulled For a busted light Hands on the hood On a Friday night Judge needs bodies For the county jail So the courthouse hums Like a clearance sale [Chorus] Ain’t no good When the badge feels bigger than the living Ain’t no good When the law’s just lines they keep on shifting You can preach about peace From a guarded pew But it ain’t no good If it ain’t good for all of you [Bridge] They closed the plant Built a stadium instead Gave ‘em fireworks Took away their bread Tell me Who’s this “we” You keep talking about? ‘Cause we’re out in the street And you’re locking us out (hey!) [Chorus] Ain’t no good When a vote feels smaller than a dollar Ain’t no good When the sirens drown a mother’s holler You can sing “land of the free” ’til your lips turn blue But it ain’t no good If it ain’t good for all of you [Outro] You can sing “land of the free” ’til your lips turn blue But it ain’t no good ’til it’s good for the least of you
