Empire

Last night the word came down, ten dead in Chinatown Innocent, their only crime was being in the wrong place, at the wrong time Too bad, people say what's wrong with the kids today Tell you right now they've got nothing to lose They're building empire Johnny used to work after school At the cinema show Gotta hustle if he wants an education Yeah he's got a long way to go Now he's out on the street all day Selling crack to the people who pay Got an AK-47 for his best friend Business the American way East side meets west side downtown No time, the walls fall down Can't you feel it coming? (Empire) can't you hear it calling? Black man, trapped again Hold his chain in his hand Brother killing brother for the profit of another, Game point, nobody wins Decline, right on time What happened to the dream sublime? Tear it all down, we'll put it up again Another empire? East side meets west side downtown No time, no line, the walls fall down Can't you feel it coming? (empire) Can't you hear it coming (empire) Can't someone here stop it? In fiscal year nineteen eighty six to eighty seven Local, state and federal governments spent A combined total of sixty point six million dollars on law enforcement Federal law enforcement expenditures ranked last in absolute dollars And accounted for only six percent of all federal spending By way of comparison, the federal government spent twenty-four million more on space exploration And forty-three times more on national defense and international relations than the law enforcement Can't you feel it coming? (empire) can't you hear it calling (empire) Can't someone here stop it (empire)