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Exodus Pt. II

by Moses Andrews III

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1.
Verse 1 I remember now: The color of the void is the color of my people The color of the clouds, always out of reach From the dirt I look upward I thought the power of the light could satisfy Could erase all the history Spent my whole life showing how safe I was I’d been tearing myself from the arms of love But time after time, line after line Trying to zip my lips so that I can be inclined To ride the coattails of privilege and try to get ahead To show I was a good boy The only thing Black about me was my skin I’d forsaken my family and Blackity Black friends Now I’m reaching out and I'll reach within And try to get back to my Black confidence Chorus You don’t have to prove yourself You don’t have to show your wealth You don’t have to switch it up and lose yourself You don’t have to give up You just have to live it up No matter what they say Keep on being Black, AY! Verse 2 I can’t believe I didn’t see the bigger image in front of me I could’ve sworn that if I died to self I’d be accepted here All that I’d hoped to gain, all that I’d hoped to win Hoping that I’d climb the ladder and matter more to the powers that be. The white saviors. All wanting favors. Dance little monkey. You don’t make enough to be my neighbor. I’ve always known color, ever since I was a baby When was the moment it became unsafe for people like me? Huh? When was the moment when I’d gone from cute to scary? Miles will go through the same thing, just trust me It doesn’t matter your ethnicity, your race, your family history, one drop is all it took But I’m finally proud to be Black. Verse 3 It’s always been around, you just couldn’t see it It’s always been in plain sight, you just won’t believe it You probably don’t even shake when you hear the sirens Even though you did nothing to feel the heat behind you Some would say that I’ve come from a long line of servants Long line of "yes ma’am, no ma’am" just smiling on the surface Get the scraps or get the strap, we’re just surviving Just to work and work again, just to sit and be silent All these parents going to school board meetings to show their privilege To take the story back and rewrite history for their benefit All these years of suffering as the result of slavery The songs that were written were the songs that made me The sound of chains turning into shouts of praise Raising my prayers of lament until my pain’s erased If you can’t understand why we keep pushing through the dark Stop trying to change the narrative or change who we really are 'cause Black is beautiful. Chorus
2.
You remind me of my friend from Pennsylvania You have the same afro hair You have the same gospel-singin’ voice You have the same smile He always talked about hair grease Brother, you’re just alike What are those things in your hair though? Looks like someone cut your hair with a knife Those are Cornrows? Braids? What are those? I just don’t understand I think you need to take them out And cut your hair like a man I absolutely love MLK ‘cause he opposed Communism We got you here at this church now. There’s no such thing as racism No need to talk about what you Black and Brown people need Ain’t no other truth but the Bible that we read There’s no need to share your thoughts because I know I’m right I know every single thing about Black people You got your Gospel music, your hip hop, and your rap There’s only one good Genre out of that I read the Christian Post and they say CRT Is the poison that the “culture” feeds our children everyday You know, CRT and the Gospel don’t go together And we don’t need Equality Black people don’t experience discrimination Because you know what, Moses? You are friends with me! You’re one of the good ones, Moses, I hope you know You are so articulate When I told you to take that post down about your run-in with the cops You took it down like the “good boy” I knew you could be. Every time I think of you, I don’t see no Black Until you tell me that I’m wrong about everything But you’re wrong, you don’t know what you’re talkin’ ‘bout, I have a Doctorate in Ministry, And I’m so many levels smarter than you No need to talk about what you Black and Brown people need Ain’t no other truth but the Bible that we read There’s no need to share your thoughts because I know I’m right I know every single thing about Black people I believe if we tried to just be colorblind We would all see the world differently MLK would’ve have wanted us to all be the same So let’s just forget about race and whatever ethnicity is No need to talk about what you Black and Brown people need Ain’t no other truth but the Bible that we read There’s no need to share your thoughts because I know I’m right I know every single thing about Black people My friend, if you could see that Black don’t mean that much to me But I still know every single thing about Black people
3.
Mosaic 05:34
I remember your voice on the phone Talked ’til the cross came home Snoring all night Just felt right I see the door to your home Covered in lamb’s blood Do they really want me over? Do you want to be over? Do you want my love to pass over you? I still remember that call Yelling, but still so sweet Breaking my heart So I pick up the pieces and glue them back together A love mosaic (I don’t hate it) ‘Cause broken doesn’t mean “you’re not beautiful” Broken’s still beautiful I still feel the memories now I can’t seem to shake them somehow Every jagged edge cuts a few Guess I can’t let go, guess I can’t let go Guess I still hold on to you I open my eyes and forget Until I fall asleep again Then I remember when You say let’s try to be friends Hoping this fling never ends Then I remember again, then I remember again The glue still holding on strong ‘Til another comes along They see the cuts on my fingers From picking all the glass out my hands…. Is the pain worth it, though? This love don’t have to go Call me back when you need some more Back and forth through this revolving door I’ll revolve around you some more Guess that’s what I’m living for
4.
5.
Happy? 02:08
There’s no juice in the refrigerator There’s bugs on the floor There’s tall grass in my front yard and There’s lost time in my head Through all the dark I still can see Through all the smoke I can still breathe Everything is so expensive Everything is temporary You cannot take it you fake it And die Through all the dark I still can see Through all the smoke I can still breathe
6.
Babygirl, you know this ain't that simple, baby I've been feeling this thing for a while I know we've drifted apart as time as gone Let me ask you, let me ask you this question now Do you still love me, baby? Do you still love me, baby? Do you still love me, baby? Do you still love me? I know we've had some hard time Tell me, baby, can we get back on this road I know you don't feel like making that trip back home Tell me, baby. I got a question, I know it's been a while since you've heard it Do you still love me? Do you still love me? Do you still love me? Do you still love me? Tell me how I've done wrong over and over again I'm on my knees, I'm begging, I'm pleading, let me try to fix this Do you still love me? Do you still love me? Do you still love me? Do you still love me? Maybe we do need some therapy. I'm trying to make it right. Let's get back to where we were.
7.
IOU 08:37
I’m feeling like I owe everybody something? I barely have enough to give Why do I always end up empty? That’s no good way to live Sick and tired of not receiving, I’ve given everything Is this the end Pouring myself out, Lord have mercy I don’t deserve any good The way I’ve lived this life, I’ve given all I could Can you hear me? Are you listening? Well, there’s no use anyway. I’m here for you But not for me I’m only good enough for work I’m not good enough for love Late nights for another week Can’t sleep more than five hours Wake up disappointing everybody (No love, no power) Feel the heat from the embers My dumpster fire Am I an imposter? I feel like an imposter. Pouring myself out, Lord have mercy I don’t deserve any good The way I’ve lived this life I’ve given what I could Can you hear me? Are you listening? Can you hear me calling out to you? I’m here for you But not for me I’m only good enough for work I’m not good enough for love. Can’t get free from this prison Can’t get free from the gaze Work more to prove my worth Work more just to gain more weight The fattened calf getting heavier All this stress just can't be healthy Send me out to pasture and forget my name I’ve given everything I’ve given you everything My culture, my talent, my energy My money, my time, my everything What’s left? What’s left of me but a shell? Pouring myself out, Lord have mercy I don’t deserve any good The way I’ve lived this life, I’ve given what I could Can you hear me? Are you listening? I’m here for you But not for me I’m only good enough for work I’m not good enough for love I’m here for you But not for me I’m only good enough for work I’m not good enough for love
8.
USA, USA There is no better country than the USA Only problem is you can't kneel, can't march, can't speak, but you can stay silent You want us to sit, do nothing, get blown up like other countries want to do us? Because YOUR celebrity president wants to blow up. 'Cause we're the best, right? We elect reality stars while we're living in reality They're living in dream world while we're trying to live our dreams Instead of addressing injustice, they slam on teams Being Black in America's the funniest thing Like, why do we still celebrate division Confederate flags still wave right here in the South While bullets and N-bombs still fly through the air, Dropping people of color like they just don't care Gotta keep on pushing to see another day Gotta build up myself in other ways We got a reason to live, we got more love to share Why do we keep everybody down like we don't care? Talk down to me like I don’t know things, treat me like I can’t feel pain They call me snowflake and call me wussy, appeal to the masses by typing up tweet storms like a hurricane How do we protest? Do we just shut up, sit down, pretend it doesn’t exist? We've been trying that! But we realized how much value a flag or a song had over Black lives, but nevermind that. If all lives matter, why does the list keep getting longer? If the constant battles only serve to make us stronger We shall overcome, we shall overcome, like our fathers did before us After so many years and more, see the state of this world burns me to the core, it just leaves me sore Black and Brown bodies falling to the floor. If life is precious, why aren't we living longer?
9.
Hair down to your shoulders, unibrow and brown eyes Everything you’ll encounter will make you want to hide The voice is something that you learn to use Your mind is something that’ll get abused The endless hands and fingers touching your hair The fearful people, as you walk, they stare That never goes away, that never goes away There’s no amount of switching you can do To make sure people understand you There’s no amount of switching you can do To make sure people aren’t afraid of you Even though you can’t see it, you are enough No amount of broken promises can buy your trust Even though no one will fight for us You keep living, because you are enough. As you keep pushing forward, you’ll be someone’s safe Black friend They still won’t see you as a person that they’ll need to defend Doesn’t matter your accomplishments or ones you’ve loved They’ll still think your heart’s as dark as the color of your face You have nothing to prove to anyone Make sure you’re happy, too Even the “path of least resistance” can lead to darkness Keep being the light you were made to be. Even though you can’t see it, you are enough No amount of broken promises can buy your trust Even though no one will fight for us You keep living, because you are enough. Rejection will become normal for you Being questioned will become normal, too Focus on being loved You’re worth more than you know, or can feel, or can see. You are enough.

about

This album is full of stories that have been held for decades. Throughout Exodus Pt. II, Moses opens up about real life experiences using multiple styles of music. As you listen, prepare to be happy, sad, angry, cringey, confused, and hopeful. Your feelings are valid. Take a walk through the wilderness.

credits

released July 8, 2022

Moses Andrews III - vocals, bass, drums, organ, piano, synth (all tracks)
Cecil Decker - vocals (5), rhythm guitar (5, 7), drum programming (5), synth (7)
Alex Skiro - guitar (3,4,6,7), lead guitar (3,4,6,7)
Sean Thomson - guitar (2), pedal steel (2)

Drum/bass recording (2-4, 6-7, 9) by Zac Thomas at Jam Room Recording Studio.
Mixed by Moses Andrews III.
Mastered by cecilnick at mono no audio (www.mononoaudio.com).

Lyrics by Moses Andrews III (1-9) and Jenny Andrews (8).
Cover art by Moses Andrews III & Cecil Decker.

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Moses Andrews III Irmo, South Carolina

As a live performer and session musician Moses Andrews III is a mainstay in Columbia SC’s music scene, bringing soul and wit to any genre.

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