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Lesser Restoration (Radio Clean)

by Toussaint Morrison

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1.
Chorus Javelins flyin’ overhead, overhead, overhead Attack of the clones bred from the same venom Defendin’ a throne for an honor lost in it You want me, you can go ahead, go ahead, go ahead I made my peace with the past, lord willin’ But the future, future, future - Coroner, judge, bank and jury It’s all the same to me, it’s all game to me, customer service Loaded hearts, black minds I’m about it I was born into that life Now, how they expect me to be chill when there’s prison blocks they wanna keep filled Handcuffs they been waitin’ to refill and black bodies that they wanna keep still Nah. You wanna advertise butterflies in a glass jar I’d rather lose face, keep my skin and freedom standin’ on Gray Skull Naaaah, you mufuckas don’t know me. Why you wanna act like it? Teach me my history and let me celebrate it like you authorized it Cut off the tragedy and accountability from the timeline and cauterized it Green lightin’ the rewrite you rewrote, but we both know I’m the author of my shit Yeaaaah, a threat to all you know and love Simply by turnin’ oxygen in to C-O-Dub Aire to the throne of Latveria And born on a waiting list of Deathrow America with Chorus I could be sittin’ with Lauryn Hill singin’ “It could all be so simple” Or whisperin’ sweet nothins to girls I ain’t even into But I made a promise to my grandma, that I’d keep it trill So my lane is only for my fans, my people, my work with or without the wheels I push it like bad policies, religion, refinance and revolvin’ doors But pushin’ ain’t a problem even if the wheels ain’t on’em. Hold up! Hoverboard! But see me in my city where disparity thrives and livin’ while black is little more a social crime Rock n roll on life support screamin’, “Life is short”. I’m from where hip-hop goes to die Negative fucks, +1 Shield I walk the day, I run the night, I’m a bonafide stone cold Dunpeal Hit it. Wanna entertain I don’t come real I don’t walk the house, I don’t run the field. Please believe, boy, I run fields! Get it? Hell is relative to where you from Rookies thinkin’ that they got a cure with the holy gun But I see with my Buena vista from Doomstadt It’s still black and white with old money and new traps with Chorus
2.
Chorus Hello, it’s me Again Your hell couldn’t hold me down I’m back And smilin’ for what’s to happen next I think it’s time you call your god. - Been makin’ over night flights across town for several nights now, Pacin’ with light cycles; streaks’a neon off a kite tail I run a nice route, but I feel my heart fadin’ Reminscin’ past rides with Tetsuo and Kanata And before you meet the maker, One of these nights you find out what you’re made of You can fight it ‘til you last breath collapses Or accept this is you and let them fangs out unabashed I’m on. River City to Riverside, look alive I cast shadows in the night from a neon Matin sign Billy and Jimmy Lee watch the 6 back in ‘99 Fight or flight divine, now it’s only fight to fight Delightful spite, swinging lead pipes for a righteous price I ain’t for sale tho, keep the offer Evening extremists can’t be bought into crack’a dawn joggers I write lines between day walkers and midnight marauders Preppin’ hooks like Ruthless Robbie Muthafuckin’ Lawler. Don’t know what y’all heard, the pearl’s a hardened sinner But if she can slow dance on a floor full’a phantasmal killers Then I’ll let her wear my hoodie, come and ride shotgun Silver bullets in the glove compartment, Billy Compton And company come fuck with me Run your keys, fuck your jewels, I seen things you can’t unbelieve Spades a spade, but only mythril’s up my sleeve Just an American Sabrewolf on these London streets Know one thing: Don’t pick a fight With a man who’s died twice and dudn’t believe in the Lord of Light 50/50’s my norm, you don’t wanna see my risky Just tell’em that I’m comin’ and I’m bringin’ hell with me Chorus Nothin’ a full moon can’t heal Standin’ on the city landfill sippin’ Stab & Kill Nursin’ old wounds, catchin’ new feels It’s just another date with a devil in blue heels So, I’m out: Nola, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Shine Town, Metro City- hands up and come out St. Paul, Scotland, Eire Detroit, Argon- put’em in the sky All through the night Where the hype goes to die Danger intravenous to heart While I’m outrunnin’ my ghosts up, off and through the wall Burning down Was always the better between the two next to Fading out I wouldn’t have it any different than what it is right now Just a grin in the dark Now, I hear them talkin’ fire, but revenge is best served cold Yeah, I’m always new to town; Vagabond, Ninja Scroll Now, the Belmont’s on vacation, I think you might wanna leave Cos it’s me, a few dangerous strangers, and Wylie. So run out, run out, run out, run out, run out… Chorus
3.
She’s a mystery I don’t wanna understand She’ll make ya question From just a glance And I don’t Dance the fence or Think at all When she says Meet me in my world Meet me in my world Where the light goes to die And drown in the unknown Beneath an unfamiliar city that feels like home And that’s when I saw death Around the corner And she grabbed by the hand and said Walk with me in my world Walk with me in my world Beneath the burnin’ clouds And starless dsky A city that’s always dark You can never tell the night from day Her eyes light up like cars on fire Some say you can see from miles afar Voodoo magic glows through her veins And she says if this is poison… I don’t want the cure If this is darkness… Save me from the light If this is your hell… Then I’ll call it home Cos everything you’ve taken I take back as my own My own
4.
Daisy 03:40
Daisy, The last time your mother hit ya, You flew off the bed, I told her to stop I couldn’t let my silence be complicit And watch her take out her misguided anger on someone so young Said she was goin’ to go to counclin’ for it Manager her emotions and take accountability for’em Eh, that never happened I took the rage as misplaced for lack of bein’ proactive But there was that one night, she yelled so loud I swear to God her eyes turned red, and for a moment I saw hell She’s an angry woman, a liar and a cheater And if the next guy is half the man I am, he’ll stop her before the next time she tries to beat ya I mean it, we’re silly humans, and we think about what we think It’s not important. Daisy, I’ve seen the end. It’s beautiful and only measured by our action. As for me, I’m doin’ better than expected The view of the river from living room is a blessing I know you wanted freedom so many damn times And tried to escape your mother’s place day & night Some mornings if felt simple, Wakin’ up to you starin’ out that window Escapist for life, you made a run for the river Neck and neck with a dream of a life worth livin’ Baby, the equation’s so basic, don’t get it twisted Without respect, there can be none given And Daisy, now that I’m on the other side of the glass My advice the next time you make a run for it: Don’t look back Now, let me tell ya somethin’ ‘bout ya daddy: Mildly the same minus the angry part Never struck ya but still willingly claims the dark. I’m a venerable rebel, my friend. Salam. They wanna see my skin tone get cold in a kennel Welcome to the boss level, full of Irish goodbyes and East Detroit hellos, Lower Eastside stilettos. Mastered the art of lettin’ go Some say it’s gotten quicker than the fists of Kenshiro I just do the work and let the rumors sound off, It’s elevator music while I ascend another mountain New Orleans proud son, Milwaukee town punk Made a soapbox from a gutter, to shout from Daisy, tell me , is it strange it feels weightless Smiles no longer vagrant, veins for train stations Pushin’ pushin’ that sweet venom from artery to hand Don’t hate to break it to ya, I’m a bad bad man I didn’t ask for permission I didn’t ask for forgiveness I didn’t ask for opinions Took what I needed and kept goin’ passed the finish And the next time she hits ya Know it’s meant for someone different And if ya ever make it out that window, Run Daisy Run, do like ya daddy did it Go on ‘til ya can’t go on And I still haven’t stopped Go on ‘til ya can’t go on Until the wheels roll off Go on ‘til ya can’t go on Sun down to sun up Go on ‘til ya can’t go on
5.
She cares for me with cops Looks after me with laws Calls me "nigger" when I'm not around Employs me with a job Kisses me with snow Keeps me alive to make the wheels go 'round And you convince yourself it's ok Because it's all you've known Surrounded by white smiles Waitin' for permission to hope So, she takes me down to the ballot box And let's me pray without the cross Makes my bed and she lays me down - Chorus And she says she loves me She says she loves me She says she loves me And I feel nothing She says she loves me She says she loves me She says she loves me And I feel... - Met her' back in '86 And she ain't been right since I suspect somethin' long's been goin' on I knew she had a past and all And I believed her when she said those days were long gone Until I took a good look at the ground I saw pictures of Mankato Pictures of Duluth The video from Saint Paul The dead spoke the truth They said, "Old habits die hard, but this money's one helluva drug. She's got a dealer named legacy and a drunk step daddy named America. Brother, if you want to fight the good fight Then you'll have to understand that she won't go by fallin' on her own sword You'll have to reconstruct the handle to the blade, so there's a price to pick it up 'Cos we've all heard it before." - Chorus - Well I marched all the way to her front door Demanded to know what the hell is goin' on She drew a smile with those big blue eyes And said, "Why so serious. They named schools and lakes after murderers they called masters They protect my land with murderers they call officers They got a prison cell made for ya and a bullet with your name on it, and every time I made your bed was just to measure out the grave for ya. I wasn't born this way. Could you help me change?" She grabs me by the throat and holds me down - Chorus
6.
Grabbed my bags Brought all my devils with me It’s time to see if this story ends any different in the city My ride’s full Blew a kiss in the cold It’s all I have left to give her to hold Here we are, all alone on the road again Restin’ my fate with the sun, that she’ll point me in The right direction Anywhere but here Ran outta time to give and Feelings to feel, cos I’m - Chorus Cold from the inside Consoled by the midnight They treat ya wrong ‘til ya don’t mind But not me, I raise a fist and look’em forthright - The sun has resigned She’s no longer with us I close my eyes, push the pedal And let go The sky grows dark Along with my convictions I’m a dangerous man Because they told me so What’s your name, dear? Who’s your savior? When trouble comes, you grab your gun Where do you aim it? Excuse the questions Precautions in my veins When you’ve seen worse than death It’ll make ya Chorus
7.
New Orleans 03:32
Chorus New Orleans New Orleans I am your son, risen like the dust I have returned, do with me what you must - Would you take me back, as a broken man With poison in my heart and open hands I am your blood, you are my soul Spent most my life running from those I love, Spent most my life away from your arms In the northern plains, beyond the suns embrace Where blood runs cold and death entertains To smile while you kill and bring evil to grace I’ve done thing time cannot erase, I’ve seen too much and envy the blind some days. Chorus I awoke one morn to a love no more, so I went and drank fire ‘til the world made sense The 8th Devil of Kimon stood at my door And said walk with me and make recompense Side by side, we float beneath the stars Turned from the light, breathing without pules The 8th Devil grinned and let go my hand Alone I was in this hell again Alone I was And so I ran Chorus
8.
Katie, it’ll take more than salvation The world shifted 4 inches but I never felt the wave hit This planet’s swallowin’ itself, we can’t claim it And I’m sure now more than ever it’s not what we take with Let alone who your God thinks you should be datin’ The after-life can wait, right now this world needs savin’ If you didn’t have so many definitions, I’d kiss ya Hard. Until your knees wondered what hit ya. So, Katie, heaven or hell, please tell me my destination Jesus has patients, but he sure isn’t waitin’ We used to watch cops, everyday, regulate their God-complex Walkin’ with Abdullahi and Muhammad around the Plaza But all praises be to Allah, if we get there Talkin’ to my grandfather over his grave, with a warm beer Because Katie, you got more walls than most But it won’t stop me from speakin’ thru’em like mailin’ letters to prisoners post - Chorus For all we know and all we don’t Everything was meant to change Tomorrow’s comin’ round and today is goin’ out It’ll never be the same But I know, I know, I know, I know For me, you will never fade. - Kyle, I dig your hat, I dig your style I’m mildly obsessed and I don’t care to fight it Ever since I saw you at Bon Apetit with Steph He’d introduce you as Cecil and then say you lost the bet And there it was, back then it seemed so species You planted a tree at the extinction of the Cenospecies I watched it grow until I had to graduate And attend a funeral after The Blend dug its own grave I tried talkin’ to Dotty, but she was already pilled up Rantin’ that rap can’t save you, but credits her life to hip-hop Got it Took another Lexapro and she popped it But amongst the metro I too slowly let go Your voice and cadence are few of the things I withhold Long live the tree that blooms all seasons in your garden Long live the hands that give it water, long live the otter Chorus It’s not my place to put your name out in the open But want to say what I couldn’t, during visiting hours at St. Joseph’s Playing Go Fish at the inpatient lounge With enough sedated rage to shake the foundations off the ground The weight in your veins, the colors that came back to your face The truth that saved this page from a eulogy for an early grave To say “I love you” doesn’t come close to the zip code or continent Where my heart lives for your livelihood I wanted to be a monolith, but the ceiling still fell And there we were, playing cards in rehab while we could still feel And I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more, That I couldn’t find the words until I was starin’ at this coffeeshop’s floor Curses, bad luck and adversity lose all currency at your entrance, as your will flexes beyond the permanent I never met your father, but if he’s anything your made of I’d day happy to be half that man. Say love. Chorus
9.
Packed up the bottle, burned another down It’s time to see if my luck is any better in the next town Scorned my lover, I wouldn’t let her in I got these walls that I built long ago, and they’re thick I’m an exit. Moments flow through me. Nobody’s tool except my heart when it’s pulling I tried to cut it out once, but I couldn’t find a blade Sharp enough to cut through the walls I already made There’s no trouble in the discomfort of the act It’s the comfort in not lettin’ you love me back The fear of givin’ you a world you no longer want A world that celebrates the light as much as the dark My past sits with me most mornings at the breakfast table Next to an empty chair that sits next to Banquo That sits next to the idea you can only dream careful When sittin’ next to your worst fears and people you won’t let go I don’t know who I am Can’t expect you to know better But if ya can, hold my hand While I’m out here tryin’ to get there - Chorus When in doubt, don’t try to figure me out My past’ll make ya momma run for the hills Trust when the gravity hits ya, I’ll be right there to lift ya I can take fire without givin’ hell So long to that stranger ya knew Salam to the new night So long to your red, white and blue Salam to the good fight - Finished the bottle, let another burn Right now, I’m good. I’ll figure out my luck in the next world My lover’s gone. The scorn was too much For her to understand scorn goes hand in hand with love And I’m no yoga in the park I’ll take your ideals out for a good swing dance in the dark Y’see, light’s an illusion: She’s deadly and gorgeous So, now I only take direction from the local blind swordsman If blood can coexist with the poison in my veins Then there’s no wall that can’t be given a door frame I keep it locked, not to keep you out. Momma told me not to let a viper in the house Baby gots venom, I’m still her huckleberry It’s the vanity that makes this samurai wary The jagged parts of my life are the only parts that I got And they’ve made good for buildin’ a city around the heart You wanna be right and get what you want Ya wanna sure thing and a pleasant surprise I can’t promise it all, but I’ll give ya good love And a full heart cos you the Triforce of my eye - Chorus When in doubt, don’t try to figure me out My past’ll make ya daddy grab his pistol Trust when the gravity hits ya, I’ll be right there to lift ya I can take fire without givin’ hell So long to that stranger ya knew Salam to the new night So long to your red, white and blue Salam to the good fight
10.
Oh, I I used to believe In their definition of free I’d go to class And days go by While they taught someone else’s history But when I left For good this time I found my story right here in this street And when I came to tell ya That I found the truth They told me that God awful bad news - Chorus They said a young man was Shot down yester-eve Another number and a non-white face Well, hot damn, what’s come over me My heart is beatin’, but I can’t feel a thing Inside-out, it’s all empty They teach us lies ‘til we dig our own graves But not now, not me Not ‘til I make the city sing your name - It’s tougher to buy your principal’s bullshit than a bullet Discount ammunition at Walmart ain’t hard to sell We both know there’s no part of a 16 year old Bleedin’ from a hole in his chest that can be saved by the bell I’m in it, I’m in it, from standardized lives to colonized minds Who’da thought middle-age from brown males would be the age’a 8 and 9 They called a new principal to save ya school and make a scholar But I wouldn’t trust that slave driver to save a dollar Security and c-o-p’s God-complex’ll make ya holla But hell forbid you teach how the rich stay rich and light a fire for the rest of the class to follow A paper trail, all the way from the bottom to the H.M.I.C., intern to the top of the office Of a school board flunkin’ a demographic to jobless, impoverished, or droppin’ dead Droppin grades, poppin lead and droppin pens I dropped the school and now I’m droppin’ ed. and droppin’ debt Born upon a ledge and all they wanna do is push- push me off of it But don’t get wide eyed and surprised when the precinct lieutenant is callin in Chorus United Crushers, we fight, fly, and die amongst us Collide at lunch rush, a cafeteria of misguided assumptions And the roof we’re under dudn’t do much but give in and catalyze the plunder White principals tryin’ to find a resolution for the racial tension they never had to suffer Books on books on books of A.P. U.S. History, But somehow the syllabus always dodges John Brown and Garvey It’s Malcolm X Day, no class for me. I’m just kickin’ it with Driss and Abdulaziz We were 10, with middle school dreams of becomin’ police, firemen, presidents, controllers Of our destiny until the floor boards gave in and the curtain dropped down and exposed a joke Of a system hegemonizin’ at-risk young minds, inner-city and all over From becomin’ future Assata Shakurs and Billy Powell Chief Osceolas This is money, politics, and race in motion Somebody stop the car, we need to figure out where we’re goin’ No one’s exempt, we’re all in it over, and under Givin’ all of everything just to avoid another… Chorus - Bridge Oh, I I used to believe In their definition of free I’d go to class And days go by While they taught someone else’s history But when I left For good this time I found my story right here in this street And when I came to tell ya That I found the truth They told me that God awful bad news - Chorus It was a young man, like you On any eve Wrong place, wrong time, everything Leads up to this legacy Of little pride and so much shame But right now, you and me Have the chance to steer our fate So, no one dies in vain

about

Toussaint Morrison had a plan. It was to release 5 mixtapes and then immediately release original (non-sampled) material alongside his producer & adventure capitalist Dr. Wylie. Then, 2015 happened, (several anxiety attacks, the loss of his grandmother, acting alongside Judy Greer and Woody Harrelson in the movie Wilson, etc.) dumping said plans into a vat of floating good intention, heartbreak, and self-sabotage. This pitted Morrison with the challenge of finishing the songs he wanted to put out, or confronting matters at hand and writing the songs he had to. Alas, it was the latter.

Lesser Restoration is a short album consisting of 10-song recollection surrounding Morrison’s past year and handful of months. Littered with lamenting his birthplace of New Orleans, owning several years of belligerence, and speaking to “sittin’ in a room full of white smiles, waiting for permission to hope”, Morrison’s new album speaks to the vulnerability of reconstructing your identity apart from who you selfishly thought you were and exploring whiteness in Minnesota. Lesser Restoration considers the advantages of being heartless rather than heartbroken, unlawful than law-abiding, and dying black & proud rather than living submissive through a forced smile.

Although his considerations may never reach definitive resolutions within the context of the album, Morrison still pressures the legacy of whiteness in America having forged the myth of black skin being an ultimate threat to society. That legacy fully encapsulated in “Minnesota” as Toussaint measures it no further than the largest mass execution in U.S. history taking place in Mankato, MN, the lynchings in Duluth, and the murder of Jamar Clark, Philando Castiile and Terrance Franklin in the Twin Cities- all scenarios where a person of color was deemed unworthy of life at the hands of white authority.

To any mind unbeknownst of role playing games, “Lesser Restoration” sounds to be some form of carpentry or a slick-slight-of-hand maneuver originated by contractors. As cool as we’d sound if it were the latter, it is not- also, confirming the author of this bio is not that cool- “Lesser Restoration” is something to tide over an adventurer who has been wounded. In Morrison’s case, it merely satiates the nerves before bigger things yet to come.

credits

released May 19, 2017

Lyrics & Vocals by Toussaint Morrison
Produced & Mixed by Dr. Wylie

Banjo by Rick Widen
Bass by Colin Motschke
Drums by Jesse Mattila
Piano & Organ by Matt Tierney
Violin by Charlotte Mattis
Guitar by Edward Folly

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Toussaint Morrison Minneapolis, Minnesota

"The Very Best of Ricky & Jane" is Toussaint Morrison's latest drop, scheduled to arrive in July of 2023. A love letter to his separated parents, and their respective separated cities, Morrison details a story of being raised by activists in polar opposite environments. His new body of work highlights the dichotomy of Morrison’s upbringing, celebrating a life of music and damn good trouble. ... more

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