The Riff (feat. Chico) - Electric Universe

I met Mr. Death this morning He offered me a ride I said I think I'm not quite ready yet To travel by your side "Practice what you preach" Then said the count of shadowlands "It doesn't hurt to take a peek" He grinned and grabbed my hand I sat in the leather seat of his Chevy van The motor screamed like a pack of rats In a frying pan The headlights where shooting sparks And the tyres spinning flames "Well, allrighty then" He said and opened up his case The grim reaper played guitar His bony fingers cold and stiff The sonic thunder froze my heart As he cranked out the riff Oh yeah, the riff Then his song was over And he asked me not to lie I felt a bit uneasy But I dare to criticize I told him, "Man, the riff is a killer But the rest is a throw-away" His face looked disappointed But he said "Ah, it's ok" I asked him, has he shown The devil what he's got "He's written hits But lately he has not" So the devil's out of touch And he cannot smell a hit "Cuz he has lost his mind With all that hip-hop shit The grim reaper played guitar His bony fingers cold and stiff The sonic thunder froze my heart As he cranked out the riff Oh yeah, the riff I woke up and the van was upside down My body bleeds We must have crashed right off the road And Death could varely speak He said, "Listen you'd gottas take my place I'm leaving office soon" I said, "I'm sorry dude, I'm kinda busy. But tell you what: I'll take the tune" And it goes like this... The grim reaper played guitar His bony fingers cold and stiff The sonic thunder froze my heart As he cranked out the riff The grim reaper played guitar His bony fingers cold and stiff The sonic thunder froze my heart As he cranked out the riff He cranked out the riff He cranked out the riff He cranked out the riff

Oh, I just wanna go to work And get back home, and be something I just wanna fall and lie And do my time, and be something Well, I just wanna prove my worth On the planet Earth, and be something I just wanna fall in love Not fuck it up, and feel something Well lately, don't understand what I am Treated as a fool Not quite a woman or a man Well, I don't know I guess I don't understand the plan Colonized, and hypnotized, be something Sterilized, dehumanized, be something Well, take your pay And stay out the way, be something Ah, do your best But fuck the rest, be something Well lately, it's been mighty hard to see Just searching for my lost humanity I look for you, my friend But do you look for me? Lately I'm not too afraid to die I wanna leave it all behind I think about it sometimes Lately all my time's been movin' slow I don't know where I'm gonna go Just give me time, I'll know Oh, any day now Oh, any day now I will come along Oh, any day now Oh, any day now I will come along I will come along (All died dreaming hating and waiting) (Dead Puerto Ricans who never knew they were Puerto Ricans) (Who never took a coffee break from the 10th commandment) (To kill, kill, kill) (The landlords of their cracked skulls) (And communicate with their Latin souls) (Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Olga, Manuel) (From the nervous breakdown streets) (Where the mice live like millionaires) (And the people do not live at all) From El Barrio to Arecibo, ¡Pa'lante! From Marble Hill to the ghost of Emmett Till, ¡Pa'lante! To Juan, Miguel, Milagros, Manuel, ¡Pa'lante! To all who came before, we say, ¡Pa'lante! To my mother and my father, I say, ¡Pa'lante! To Julia, and Sylvia, ¡Pa'lante! To all who had to hide, I say, ¡Pa'lante! To all who lost their pride, I say, ¡Pa'lante! To all who had to survive, I say, ¡Pa'lante! To my brothers, and my sisters, I say, ¡Pa'lante! ¡Pa'lante! ¡Pa'lante! To all who came before, we say, ¡Pa'lante!