Politics of the Sneaker Pimps

On the outs I lace up, the world I face up
To score on anybody, its war on everybody
The new guys come in blood shot between the eyes
As long as their sellin' that merchandise
And one what goes in don't come back
The color may be green but its also black
And red I know many heads that spent bloodshed
Cursed in converses, dead in Pro Keds
Now every Tom, Dick, Harry or Joe Smith
Skip the spauldings, pony's, and k-swiss
High school and college coaches gettin'
Kickbacks from scholarships and them slave ships

Hey Dr. J where you got those moves
Was it gettin' high in the schools
Can it be the shoes?
Truth is truth, I tear the fuckin' roof off the house
Expose them foes with my mouth
I see corporate hands up in foreign lands
With the man behind the man gettin' paid behind the man
I hold the rocket stop the hand in my pocket
Two hundred a pair but I'm addicted to the gear
They'll make me do things on the court to amaze ya
I heard they make em for a buck 8 in Asia
They came a long way baby since
Clyde Frazier had pumas, pullin' mad consumers
Them Filas I'm feelin' but I can't touch the ceiling
Them New Balance hits a hundred and twenty million
The last thing I need is Adidas terminatin' my contract
For wearing those old pair of wack
Reebok low tops covered up by floppy socks
Gave me a jump shot before I got jumped and shot
Duckin' a word from my sponsor
Trying to end my year like Kwaanza

Been paid since the 8th grade
Eleventh grader, pop the champagne
Twelfth grade start the campaign
Gettin' fame sign my name in the dotted frame
Nike got me pullin' re's and G's
Shit, I can get shot for these
Please god give me twenty more years on these knees
To maintain without this game I gotta do keys
And I don't want to go there because its fuckin' everywhere
Factories want to be me kids want to see me
Behind the wheels and endorsement deals
Its the politics and the tricks behind the kicks