jamal called denise said he d be home late earning money on the side to put food on their plate only trying to provide but it sealed his fate selling bootleg tapes by the subway train when the cops came through in an hour or two they unloaded hot lead through his valid excuse proving black and blue can mean more than a bruise now there s one less seat at a table for two the officers stood trial crippled justice let them walk they ll hide behind a badge that let s them live above the law and it s shots fired in the city streets across the color line shots fired through concealment of the power structures crimes shots fired at the courthouse where corruption wears the crown shots fired when the crooked gavel comes a crashing down  billy s father raised him tough told him be a man with a bible and a rifle for aluminum cans sent him off to fight a war came back lost in his head with a vengeance toward the system that he fought to defend brought a semi automatic to a southern church now the congregations leaving in the back of a hearse then he took his own life cause the truth can hurt when you trust in god and your country first a casualty of liberty with landmine mental health he s daddy s little hero but he couldn t save himself cause it s shots fired on the battlefield what are we fighting for shots fired through the smiles of the profiteers of war shots fired in the classrooms by the twisted poisoned mind shots fired for the answers that we seek but cease to find when omar s face flashed on the tv screen for a massacre the likes of which we d never seen some reporters called him crazy others blamed his beliefs his religion or conflicting sexuality but it doesn t really matter when push comes to shove cause he aimed a loaded weapon at a florida club taking 49 lives hated how they loved left a shadow on a rainbow drenched in blood the politics of ignorance will lie and generalize it spreads the thread of prejudice to widen the divide so it s shots fired at extremists and their blatant bigotry shots fired for communities in fear of the police shots fired at the government s who orchestrate the fight shots fire on the left and then shots fire on the right hear the thunder as it echoes all across the land from the fire arms the trigger happy hold in their hands some will call it patriotic others want them banned and attempt to put the genie back inside the lamp it s a matter of opinion if it s wrong or right it depends cause they can end or they can save a life its the edges of perspective where our views collide or the center of the target where we compromise so think it through this much is true whatever you decide you re bound to find a paradox in every paradigm shots fired throughout history a chapter in decline shots fired at the barricades that block the changing times shots fired for the victims sweating bullets on the run shots fired cause were looking down the barrel of of a gun