The News

When I was younger I remember I wanted a cool job

I wanted to be a cop or a firefighter or a marine

But as I got older I started to notice that every few months

The headline on the news would be 

"Another unarmed black man shot

Another unarmed black man killed

Another unarmed black man murdered"

By the police every few months

I know I don't share their same skin 

And my family doesn't share their past

But it broke a young kid's heart when he learned his heroes

Killed the people around him

I've heard people say that "they make it worse when they run"

But they run from the gun that rests on the hip 

Of the police officer whose finger will slip

And so every few months the headline returns 

The same as before 

"Another unarmed black man shot

Another unarmed black man killed

Another unarmed black man murdered"

By the cops who don't give second thoughts

Or condolences to the dead 

They are conductors orchestrating death with their hands

And they wave their wands without knowing the tune

Point blank in the back of the head on the news

Over and over again

"Another unarmed black man shot

Another unarmed black man killed

Another unarmed black man murdered"

Over and over again

Like a broken record but without an end

If only they could feel the pain they cause 

Then maybe they'd look inside and fix their flaws 

And all of the families who cry alone 

Because there's an empty space within their home

Their hearts could be at rest 'cause now they'd know 

That never again would another unarmed black man be shot 

That never again would another black man be killed 

That never again would another black man be murdered

Because then the cops would give second thoughts

And actually care before they let out their shots