Timeline
[Verse 1: Dem One]
Now time keep runnin' and passin', passin' and runnin'
I remember dem days when I was fastin' and hungry
Flat broke and bummy, hoppin' on the 22 wit
Just a bus pass, I didn't have no money
Transported like a space cadet
JanSport fulla dubbed-over blank cassettes
I wore Dickies, white tee, and a blank expression
Said fuck this world, I spent my time tryin' t'get into the next one
Steady tryin' t'find myself
Sometimes I would remind myself that it was I was the prodigal son
And very soon all my profit would come
For dropping rhymes on top of the drum
But time time time time keeps slippin'
Like sand through the hourglass
It's the test of time where man can seem powerless
Times from the past just rumbled through my conscious
Times keep changin' but change's the only constant

'76, my birth year when I first appeared
'79, my pop's 8-tracks and cheap wine
'81, I first became intrigued with the drum, a love affair that lasted a whole lifetime
'84, fadeaways and hi-top fades
'86, I voted Eric B. for president
'89, Was the number, another summer, took my first step on this non-stop come-up

[Verse 2: Dem One]
I remember the time when hip-hop was still new to us
Success was an afterthought, we could see the future as clearly as day
The birth of my b-boy narrative
A lackadaisical kid hanging with dem derelicts
Took an [?] for the [?], seem tragic
We stuck together even through bad weather
We was family orientated, most creative, most underrated
Damn right, fools stole our light
We got jaded and frustrated
These rap dreams fell by the wayside
Mothers traveled abroad, we remained stateside
I tried to provide, still brimmin' with the talent
Looking at the game and [?] an imbalance
Time time time time keeps slippin' like sand through the hourglass
Constantly moving like the minute and the hour hand
They sayin' due time, well time is due
Our time is now, your time is through

'91, a sophomore tryin' t'be hardcore
'94, the g-funk era full born
'96, I first realized that I was sick, I gotta couple props and I only wanted more
'99, I re-evaluated and redefined
'01, The new world order just begun
Oh shit, now I'm a force to deal wit, my time's arrived, you got to feel this
Timeline x3

[Outro: Dem One]
'76
'79
'81
'84
'86
'89
'91
'94
'96
'99
'01
Oh shit
Timeline x2