A Bird In The Hand by Ice Cube

(big bird: sesame street)
Hey look at this! i was cleaning out my nest
And i found a book of my old poetry

(ice cube)
Fresh out of school cause i was a high school grad
Gots to get a job cuz i was a high school dad
Wish i got paid like i was rappin' to the nation
But thats not likely, so here's my application
Pass it to the man at at&t
Cuz when i was in school i got the a. e. e.
But there's no s. e. for this youngsta
I didn't have no money so now i have to hunch the
Back like a slave, thats what be happenin
But whitey says there's no room for the african
Always knew that i would boycott, jeez
But welcome to mcdonalds can i take your order please
Gotta sell ya food that might give you cancer
Cuz my baby doesn't take no for an answer
Now i pay taxes that you never give me back
What about diapers, bottles, and similac
Do i gotta go sell me a whole lotta crack
For decent shelter and clothes on my back?
Or should i just wait for help from bush
Or jesse jackson, and operation push
If you ask me the whole thing needs a douch
A masengel what the hell cracker sale in the neighborhood
To the whorehouse bitches,
Miss porker, little joe or todd bridges
Or anybody that he know
So i got me a bird, better known as a kilo
Now everybody know i went from po' to a nigga that got dough
So now you put the feds against me
Cause i couldn't follow the plan of the presidency
I'm never givin' love again
Cuz blacks are too fuckin broke to be republican
Now i remember i used to be cool
Till i stopped fillin' out my w-2
Now senators are gettin' hired
And your plan against the ghetto backfired
So now you got a pep talk
But sorry, this is our only room to walk
Cause we don't want a drug push
But a bird in the hand is worth more than the bush

Tell the politicians, the hustlers: live and let live (yeah)
Tell the politicians, the hustlers: live and let live (yeah)