Forgive Them Father
Written by Lauryn Hill sampling “Concrete Jungle” by Bob Marley
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
[* verses by Shelley Thunder]
Em
[Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against
Although them again we will never, never, never trust
Dem noh know weh dem do, dig out yuh hei while dem sticking like glue
Fing, skin, grin while dem plotting fah you. True, Ah Who? ]
Am C Bm
Forgive them father, for they know not what they do
Em Am
Beware the false motives of others
C Bm Em
Be careful of those who pretend to be Brothers
Am C Bm
And you never suppose it’s those who are closest to you (to you)
C Em C
They say all the right things to gain their position
Em G
Then use your kindness as their ammunition to shoot you down
D
in the name of ambition, they do oh
Em Am C Bm
Forgive them father, for they know not what they do
Em Am C Bm
Forgive them father, for they know not what they do
[Lauryn Hill rap verse]
Why every Indian wanna be the chief?
Feed a man 'til he's full and he still want beef
Give me grief, try to tief off my piece
Why for you to increase, I must decrease?
If I treat you kindly does it mean that I'm weak?
You hear me speak and think I won't take it to the streets
I know enough cats that don't turn the other cheek
But I try to keep it civilized like Menelik
And other African czars observing stars with war scars
Get yours in this capitalistic system
So many caught or got bought you can't list them
How you gonna idolize the missing?
To survive is to stay alive in the face of opposition
Even when they comin' gunnin’ I stand position
L's known the mission since conception
Let's free the people from deception
If you looking for the answers
Then you gotta ask the questions
And when I let go, my voice echoes through the ghetto
Sick of men trying to pull strings like Geppetto
Why black people always be the ones to settle
March through these streets like Soweto
G D D
Like Cain and Abel, Caesar and Brutus, Jesus and Judas,
Em
Back stabbers do this
Am C Bm
Forgive them father, for they know not what they do
Em Am C Bm
Forgive them father, for they know not what they do
Em Am
It took me a little while to discover
C Bm Em
Wolves in sheep coats who pretend to be lovers
Am C Bm
Men who lack conscience will even lie to themselves, to themselves
C Em C
A friend once said, and I found to be true
Em G
That everyday people, they lie to God too
D D
So what makes you think, that they won't lie to you
[Gwan like dem love while dem rip yuh to shreds,
Trample pon yuh heart and lef yuh fi dead,
Dem a yuh fren who yuh depen pon from way back when,
But if yuh gi dem yuh back den yuh mus meet yuh end,
Dem noh know wey dem do,
Dem no know, dem no know, dem no know,
Dem no know, dem no know wey dem do]
G D
Who's gonna be the one, gonna be the one to say