The Other Side, Welcome

[Intro: Ruby Ibarra]
Fatgums, can you turn up my headphones?
Uh

[Chorus 1: Ruby Ibarra]
The grass is greener on the other side
Forget your dreams, is you down to ride?
The grass is greener on the other side
Come fuck with me, is you down to ride?
The grass is greener on the other side
Follow me, they’ll eat you alive
The grass is greener on the other side
Now I’m feelin' lesser brown inside

[Verse 1: Ruby Ibarra]
It started in the Philippines, Francis M to Killa Beez
‘Til I was thirteen spittin' soliloquies on Dilla beats
Silly me for thinkin' these television imagery
Representin’ me when most these people never looked liked me
Red, white, and blue’s really blonde, white, and blue
I see my people wanna lighten but enlightenment’s in you
Reflection of the hues, deflection of the truth
Attention to the cues, we neck to neck and start to lose
How can we be free and be a POC 'cause what do PO see?
What’s their POV when they see no me?
They see you as a DOB or better yet a DOD
They hopin' that you do OD, statistics of that lottery
They playin' yellow face, the other half are playin' two-face
I feel they ain’t used to my face up in this new place
New dreams to chase, too much baggage like my suitcase
Feeling out of place so we got here on a Tuesday

[Chorus 1: Ruby Ibarra]
The grass is greener on the other side
Forget your dreams, is you down to ride?
The grass is greener on the other side
Come fuck with me, is you down to ride?
The grass is greener on the other side
Follow me, they’ll eat you alive
The grass is greener on the other side
Now I’m feeling lesser brown inside

[Chorus 2: Ruby Ibarra]
They said welcome, welcome, welcome
They said welcome, welcome, welcome
They said welcome, welcome, welcome
They said welcome, welcome, welcome

[Post Chorus: Ruby Ibarra]
I said welcome to the Philippines, mabuhay!
Where we sleep Americana dreams, a new life
Behind the politics and smokey screens, the new lights
So we exploited by regime machines, 'til you die

[Chorus 3: Ruby Ibarra]
They said welcome to the USA
And they said, they said
Welcome to the USA
And they said, they said
Welcome to the USA
And they said, they said
Welcome to the USA

[Verse 2: Ruby Ibarra]
I’m from a country where lightened means you enlightened
But what’s a color when the hue is never brightened?
And what’s your skin if the texture be reptile?
Half these snakes readin' this text be thinkin’ that they less bile
That crab mentality in actuality, reality
Why you mad me when we just look the same to them?
They put Kuya in the pen, so I put life into this pen
So when I write, I'm puttin’ light and I rewrite myself again
Mama, why don't they like me? Comma, they don't look like me
Papa, they ask his ID, ego, it wants to fight me
Ruby, don't take it lightly, just focus on plottin’ nightly
'Cause we know, it’s never likely, If I don’t, then who will write me?
I pray to a white God, prey to this system
Put on a white mask, hating this brown skin
Slave to the green bills, faker than Green Hills
Hoping the fame will make me escape
Red pill or blue pill, a head filled with no real
True feel of self-will, I choose fate or own will?
See, we hopped up on that plane with the nosebleed seats
And if we learn too much English, it’s a “nosebleed me”
Juxtaposed with self hate, this flat nose goes deep
'Cause we know they turn they nose up when they don’t need me
It's always on their terms, any percent you earn
They wanna sell your urn, but melanin don’t burn
Four counts in a bar, four counts behind bars
How you make your voice count when they don’t even count ours?
POC's be gettin' vilified, dreams be gettin' nullified
Kuya with that bullseye target when he walkin’ by
Uh, Ruby Ibarra, first generation immigrant
Tryna make a difference but times I’m feeling’ ignorant myself
How can I lay a verse when I’m just lyin' to myself?
How can I start a movement when I’m frozen
I can’t help but think about the days my mama used to sit and pray
That all our problems go away, they knockin' for that rent today
My sister never learned to say our language 'cause my moms afraid
That she will turn to me someday and struggle to assimilate
My father, he just looks away, I see the lines that changed his face
I wanna tell him face to face, forgive him, and we'll find a way
But anger's always in the way, my heart's consumed by pain and hate
This country told us "Welcome" but never asked if we wanna stay

[Chorus 2]
Welcome, welcome, welcome
They said welcome, welcome, welcome
They said welcome, welcome, welcome
They said welcome, welcome, welcome

[Outro: Ann One]
Welcome to that place you know
A million miles from home
Welcome to this place alone
This is now your home
Welcome to that place you know
A million miles from home
Welcome to this place alone
This is now your home