A day to God is a thousand years,
Men walk around with a thousand fears.
The true joy of love brings a thousand tears,
In the world of desire, there’s a thousand snares.
RZA, “A Day to God is 1000 Years,” Birth of a Prince, 2003
Posts Tagged With: love
When I get involved, I give it my heart,
I mean my mind, my soul, my body: I mean every part.
But if it doesn’t work out, yo, it just doesn’t.
It wasn’t meant to be, you know, it just wasn’t.
MC Lyte, “Paper Thin,” Lyte as a Rock, 1988
My momma did her part,
But it ain’t her fault that I was born without a heart.
In other words: I’m heartless dude.
I don’t love me…how the fuck I’mma love you?
Scarface, “Born Killer,” Mr. Scarface is Back, 1991
They say that love is powerful as cough syrup and Styrofoam.
All I know is I fell asleep and woke up in that Monte Carlo
With the ugly Kardashian…
Lamar, oh, sorry. Yo, we done both set the bar low.
Eminem, “Berzerk,” The Marshall Mathers LP 2, 2013
Anything worth having is hard to keep,
I love you like my coffee, so hot and so sweet.
So, let’s stick it out so we never regret it,
I could forgive the past–but I never forget it.
Ghostface Killah, “You Know I’m No Good (Remix),” More Fish, 2006
I don’t understand the difficulty, people;
Love your brother, treat him as an equal.
Heavy D., “Self Destruction,” Stop The Violence All-Stars, 1989
Your whole appearance is a lie and it could never be true.
And if you really loved yourself, then you would try and be you.
Phife, “Butter,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s The Low End Theory, 1991
Don’t sell yourself to fall in love,
With those things you do…
J Dilla, “Fall in Love,” from Slum Village’s Fantastic Vol 2., 2000
If you love someone, you should say it often,
You never know when they’ll be layin’ in a coffin.
Wake up, it’s important that you know that
No one on Earth is promised tomorrow.
MC Lyte, “Poor Georgie,” Act Like You Know, 1991
…About those other Jennys I reckoned with
Lost them all like a homework excuse.
This time the Magic Number is Two,
‘Cause it takes two, not three, to seduce.
Dove, “Eye Know,” from De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising, 1989
How you picture tomorrow with the wrong frame of mind?
How you picture love, if you were blind?
Blu, “My Hoe,” from Statik Selektah’s Extended Play, 2013
It was magic, I felt the bond between us.
She was a jelly to my peanuts, Mars to Venus,
The Earth to my sun, moon and stars,
We added up mathematically…
It’s like I had a bad habit, B!
Ghostface Killah, “The Center of Attraction,” Twelve Reasons to Die, 2013
Peace before everything, God before anything,
Love before anything, real before everything,
Home before any place, shoot before anything,
Style and state radiate, Love Power slay the hate.
Mos Def, “Priority,” The Ecstatic, 2009
Long as I live large, life will be luxury,
Ladies in Lamborghinis…love is like luck to me.
Redman, “Hardcore,” from EPMD’s Business as Usual, 1990
She’s got charm, a firearm to match mine,
Goin to the movies packin his and her nine’s.
Wearin Carhartt and leather, motherfuck the weather,
On Valentine’s Day doin stick-ups together.
No one to blame, no shame in her game,
And when we fuck, she makes me scream out her name.
Apache, “Gangsta Bitch,” Apache Ain’t Shit, 1994
Love and hate, black and white,
Right or wrong, who is right?
Some smoke joints to anoint their brain
To the vanishing point…so they won’t go insane.
Pharoahe Monch, “Walk Into The Sun,” from Organized Konfusion, 1991
Back as kids we used to kiss when we played truth or dare,
Now she’s more sophisticated, highly edu-ma-cated
Not at all over-rated…I think I need a prayer
To get in her boots, and it looks rather dry,
I guess a twinkle in her eye is just a twinkle in her eye.
Although she’s crazy steppin’, I’ll try to stop her stride,
‘Cause I won’t have no more of this passin’ me by.
Slim Kid Tre, “Passin Me By,” from The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, 1992
My limo driver’s white, my attorney black…
‘Show me some love’ like I’m Bernie Mac.
Masta Ace, “Good Ol Love,” Long Hot Summer, 2004
All I want is peace and love on this planet.
Ain’t that how God planned it?
Chuck D., “Fear of a Black Planet,” from Public Enemy’s Fear of a Black Planet, 1990
Love comes in every color, but the fact is…
I never needed 50 Shades of Grey,
Just turn the lights down low and give me every shade of blackness.
Phonte, “Afro Blue (9th Wonder’s Blue Light Basement Remix)”, from Robert Glasper Experiment’s Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP, 2012
Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian,
And now the world around me be gets movin in slow motion
Whenever she happens to walk by, why does the apple of my eye
Overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?
Fat Lip, “Passin’ Me By,” from The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, 1992
Once in awhile, I’mma cheat and get dome,
But best believe that I’mma always come home.
Shorty, I luv you.
Meyhem Lauren, “Let’s Hold Hands,” Respect The Fly Shit, 2012
When you say you love me, it doesn’t matter.
It goes into my head as just chit-chatter.
You may think it’s egotistical or just worry-free,
But what you say, I take none of it seriously.
MC Lyte, “Paper Thin,” Lyte as a Rock, 1988
God works in different ways and it shows…
And everybody knows, love comes and goes.
Ed O.G., “Love Comes and Goes,” from Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs’ Roxbury 02119, 1993
Shorty, let me tell you about my only vice:
It has to do with lots of lovin’, and it ain’t nuttin’ nice.
Q-Tip, “Electric Relaxation,” from A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders, 1993
We speak the love language, they speak from pain and anguish.
Some don’t love theyselves, so they perception is tainted.
Talib Kweli, “Love Language,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000
Ain’t no love lost, cause there was never none there.
Billy Danze, “Hood Music,” from Memphis Bleek’s M.A.D.E., 2003
I’m your Mr., you my Mrs. with hugs and kisses,
Valentine cards and birthday wishes?
Please…be on another level of planning, of understanding
The bond between man and woman and child.
The highest elevation, cause we above
All that romance crap, just show your love.
Method Man, “All I Need (Remix),” from I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need 12", 1995
If you can’t respect that, your whole perspective is wack.
Maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.
Jay-Z, “December 4th,” The Black Album, 2003
Just because love is complex doesn’t mean it has complexion.
Legit, “A Nigger in Northface,” Coloring Outside the Lines, 2011. Video.
When I met you it was magic…
We polar opposites, but attracted like we was magnets.
Talib Kweli, “Beautifully Bad,” from Idle Warship’s Habits of the Heart, 2011
A flower that grow in the ghetto know more about survival than the one from fresh meadows.
Talib Kweli, “Love Language,” from Reflection Eternal’s Train of Thought, 2000
…But when we got a good thing, can’t appreciate it,
Just like the chick I had on my team, was everything on my wish list.
Spendin’ holidays, Valentine’s and Christmas.
Now I’m in the club looking at other broads, like:
“I gave up home-cooked meals for this shit?”
“I gave up all them back rubs for this bitch?”
The whole damn thing is bass ackwards…
Phonte, “Too Late For Us,” Babygrande Presents Beat Down Vol 1, 2010
I got lots of love for my crew, that is;
No love for them other crews and rival kids.
All them out-of-town niggas know what time it is,
And if they don’t? They need to buy a watch, word up.
Prodigy, “Just Step,” from Mobb Deep’s The Infamous, 1995. More from Mobb Deep.
I believe in heaven more than hell, lessons more than jail.
In the ghetto, let love prevail with a story to tell.
My eyes see the glory, and well,
The world waiting for me to yell, “I Have A Dream!”
Common, “A Dream,” from Freedom Writers Soundtrack, 2007
Funny how the love be fake…but I ain’t stressin’.
Thankful for the love that’s genuine…appreciate the blessin’.
Busta Rhymes, “Superstar,” from Ghostface Killah’s Apollo Kids, 2010
There are few things that’s forever, my lady.
We can make war or make babies.
Method Man, “All I Need,” Tical, 1994
O.C. • “Gotta Luv It” • 2014
Life is love, heartache and strain,
Yet the strength to overcome it all keeps me sane.
OC, “Gotta Luv It,” from Ray West and OC’s Ray’s Café, 2014
Slug • “Arthur’s Song” • 2014
Sippin’ on that brown stuff
Got you feeling like you found love,
Or maybe it was just luck.
But honestly…it’s probably none of the above.
– Slug, “Arthur’s Song” from Atmosphere’s Southsiders, 2014.
I will show you all you need to know.
You must hold on to anyone that wants you,
And I will love you through simple and the struggle.
But girl…you got to understand: the modern man must hustle.
Slug, “Modern Man’s Hustle,” from Atmosphere’s God Loves Ugly, 2002. More from Atmosphere…
You know, I used to be a player…flygirl-layer and a heartbreaker,
Lovemaker, backbreaker, but then I made a mistake.
Yes, I fell in love with this ill chick,
Sweatin’ me for money, my name and the dilsnick.
My homeboys told me drop her cause it would be to my benefit;
She used to say I’d better quit hanging with those derelicts.
Guru, “Ex Girl to the Next Girl,” from Gang Starr’s Daily Operation, 1992. More from Guru…
Money is the key to end all your woes,
Your ups, your downs, your highs, and your lows.
Won’t you tell me last time love bought your clothes?
Run, “It’s Like That,” from Run-DMC’s self-titled debut, 1984
Now who in the world do you want to fight?
It’s against the system, we should unite.
Homophobics ain’t alright;
If you learn to love, then you might love life.
Ad Rock, “Alive,” Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science, 1999
In my heart, though, I do believe:
If you put out more love than you receive,
It’s bound to come back around, eventually.
Masta Ace, “Glory,” from Marco Polo’s PA2: The Director’s Cut, 2013. More lyrics from Ace >
Now there she goes again, the dopest Ethiopian,
And now the world around me be gets movin in slow motion
Whenever she happens to walk by, why does the apple of my eye
Overlook and disregard my feelings no matter how much I try?
Fat Lip, “Passin’ Me By,” from The Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, 1992
God works in different ways and it shows,
And everybody knows: love comes and goes.
Ed O.G., “Love Comes and Goes,” from Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs’ Roxbury 02119, 1993
Most people don’t make love no more,
They just fuck and they fight.
What happened to the stay-togethers?
I’m with you, and that means forever.
Big K.R.I.T., “Soul Food,” Cadillactica, 2014
Happiness is temporary, always has been.
I just lost one…but sometimes I win,
I always spread love…but sometimes I sin.
Joey Bada$$, “On & On," B4.DA.$$, 2015
We could fight the fuss till we get like friends,
Or somebody bite the dust and we split like ends.
Even in our wildest moments, girl, I’m on it cause you’re worth it.
Practice makes perfect, so we fightin’ for a purpose.
A$AP Rocky, “Wildest Moments (Remix),” from Jessie Ware’s Devotion, 2013
We knew we’d be together, we didn’t know when,
But long distance love, never thought it would end.
The feelings never changed until the call came…
You were engaged, I was in pain.
It was such a shame: the timing, it just wasn’t right.
So I say, ‘Good luck,’ and then I say, ‘Good night.’
Murs, “Dance With Me,” from Murs & 9th Wonder’s The Final Adventure, 2012. More Murs >