Lauryn Hill › Lyrics › Forgive Them Father

Forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those that trespass against us
Although them again
We will never, never, never trust
Dem noh know weh dem do
Dig out yuh yei while dem stickin' like glue
Fling, skin, grin' while dem plottin' fah you
True, ah who?

Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do

Beware the false motives of others
Be careful of those who pretend to be brothers
And you never suppose, it's those who are closest to you, to you
They say, all the right things to gain their position
Then use your kindness as their ammunition
To shoot you down in the name of ambition, they do

Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do

Why every Indian wanna be the chief?
Feed a man 'til he's full and he still want b***
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 observin' 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 missin'?
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 lookin' for the answers
Then you gotta ask the questions
And when I let go, my voice echoes through the ghetto
Sick of men tryin' to pull strings like geppetto
Why black people always be the ones to settle
March through these streets like soweto?

Like Cain and Abel, Caesar and Brutus, Jesus and Judas
Backstabbers do this

Forgive them father for they know not what they do
Forgive them father for they know not what they do

It took me a little while to discover
Wolves in sheep coats who pretend to be lovers
Men who lack conscience
Will even lie to themselves, to themselves
A friend once said and I found to be true
That everyday people, they lie to God too
So what makes you think, that they won't lie to you

Forgive them father for they know not what they do
(Forgive them, forgive them)

Forgive them father for they know not what they do
(Forgive them, forgive them)

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 must 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