Lyrics Too $hort – Information

Text:

Information — can you buy it? Can you sell it?
And if you really knew the truth, would you tell it?
Just like History class when you’re in school
You grow up and learn the truth, you’re just a fool

Ask the Native Americans, Mexicans, and Africans
The things you lost, would you rather get ’em back again?
I tried so hard to believe you
But we all know the things that Europeans do
Now what if the Asians, Africans, and Indians
Never taught you nothin’, you would still be primitive
What we all need is self-education
That’s the only way to educate this nation
The good old USA
Built on lies from back in the days
Great Britain, France, and Spain got bold
Destroyed the New World lookin’ for gold

Now, information — can you buy it? Can you sell it?
And if you really knew the truth, would you tell it?
Just like History class when you’re in school
You grow up and learn the truth, you’re just a fool

I need some more info
I don’t really know what happened to my kinfolk
I know we built the nation with our bare hands
Helped you fight your wars just like the Indians
But when he tells you his story, we ain’t in it
Why you stealin’ people’s lands? You can’t admit it, can you?
Tell me why do you lie to little kids
With your one-sided stories? Tell ’em what you did
Better yet, tell ’em what you didn’t do
It wasn’t brains, your gun was your pimpin’, too

That’s how you mastered the slave trade
Shipped from overseas so you could stay paid
Divide and conquer, everywhere you go
But by the time we finish school, we barely know the real truth
Need to stop and take a serious look
Who wrote these government-issued history books?

Man, information — can you buy it? Can you sell it?
And if you really knew the truth, would you tell it?
Just like History class when you’re in school
You grow up and learn the truth, you’re just a fool

The European couldn’t do it by himself, y’all
If the Indians wasn’t here, he woulda left, y’all
But instead, he gave ’em all his diseases
Tried to kill ’em, take the land and seize it
Move into the camps that the Natives built
Named cities and states but do they say who helped?
Hell nah, they say Lincoln freed the slaves
But we ain’t free yet, I still see them days
Racism ain’t goin’ nowhere
Watch movies about the future, niggas ain’t there
Maybe one or two — what happened to the rest?
They tryin’ to keep your self esteem low, it’s just a test
Every man had his own land before the European
I can’t believe what I’m seein’
That’s why your pride is on vacation
Brainwashed a whole nation with the wrong information

Can you buy it? Can you sell it?
And if you really knew the truth, would you tell it?
Just like History class when you’re in school
You grow up and learn the truth, you’re just a fool

Information, bitch
Gotta get the right info, baby
(Gotta get it while the gettin’ is good)
Fuck around, goin’ around talkin’ ’bout some stupid shit, bitch
(Dummy)