“White Lines (Don’t Don’t Do It)” werd om commerciële redenen oorspronkelijk toegeschreven aan Grandmaster Flash, maar die was op het moment dat de song werd opgenomen allang vertrokken bij Sugar Hill Records.
Oorspronkelijk bedoeld als een ironisch commentaar op de cocaine lifestyle, werd het later omgewerkt tot een wat meer expliciete waarschuwing tegen drugsgebruik. Ook het sociale commentaar ontbreekt niet: A street kid gets arrested, gonna do some time/He got out three years from now just to commit more crime/A businessman is caught with 24 kilos/He’s out on bail and out of jail and that’s the way it goes.
Helaas sloegen diverse leden van de groep geen acht op hun eigen waarschuwende woorden. De Grandmaster himself was op weg naar zijn dealer om crack te kopen toen hij de song voor het eerst hoorde en rapper Cowboy zou bezwijken aan de gevolgen van een crackverslaving.
De semi-officiële video is afkomstig van niemand minder dan Spike Lee. In de hoofdrol Laurence Fishburne. Beiden zijn inmiddels grote sterren, maar waren destijds (1988) zo goed als onbekend.
(Ooh White Lines) Vision dreams of passion
(Blowin’ through my mind) And all the while I think of you
(High fry) A very strange reaction
(For us to unwind) The more I see, the more I do
(Something like a phenomenon) Baby!
(Tellin’ your body to come along, but white lines blow away)
Ticket to ride, white line highway
Tell all your friends, that they can go my way
Pay your toll, sell your soul
Pound for pound, costs more than gold
The longer you stay, the more you pay
My white line, go a long way
Either up your nose or through your vein
With nothin’ to gain, except killin’ your brain
(Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
(Blow!)
(Ahhh) Higher, baby
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
And don’t ever come down! (Freebase!)
Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang
Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang
Rang dang diggedy dang di-dang
Diggedy dang di-dang diggedy dang di-dang
(Pipeline) Pure as the driven snow
(Connected to my mind) and now I’m havin’ fun, baby!
(High fry) It’s getting kinda low
(‘Cause it makes you feel so nice) I need some one-on-one, baby!
(Don’t let it blow your mind away) Baby!
(And go into your little hideaway)
(‘Cause white lines blow away)
A million magic crystals, painted pure and white
A multi-million dollars, almost overnight
Twice as sweet as sugar, twice as bitter as salt
And if you get hooked, baby, it’s nobody else’s fault, so don’t do it!
(Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
(Blow!)
(Ahhh) Higher, baby
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
And don’t ever come down! (Freebase!)
(Don’t you get too high) Don’t you get too high baby!
(Turns you on) You really turn me on and on
(When you gonna come down) My temperature is risin’
(When the thrill is gone) No, I don’t want you to go
A street kid gets arrested, gonna do some time
He got out three years from now just to commit more crime
A businessman is caught with 24 kilos
He’s out on bail and out of jail
And that’s the way it goes
Raah!
(Kane! Sugar! Kane!)
Athletes rejected, governors corrected
Gangsters, thugs and smugglers are thoroughly respected
The money gets divided
The women get excited
Now I’m broke and it’s no joke
It’s hard as hell to fight it, don’t buy it!
(Freeze! Haha ha ha! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
Raah! (Blow!)
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby
(Ahhh) Get higher, girl!
(Ahhh) Get higher, baby!
C’mon!
Raah!
(White Lines) Vision dreams of passion
(Blowin’ through my mind) and all the while I think of you
(High Fry) A very strange reaction
(For us to unwind) The more I see, the more I do
(Something like a phenomenon) Baby!
(Tellin’ your body to come along, but white lines blow away)
Little Jack Horner sitting on the corner
With no shoes and clothes
This ain’t funny, but he took his money
And sniffed it up his nose
(Hey man, you wanna cop some blow?)
(Sure, what you got, dust, flakes or rocks?)
(I got China White, Mother of Pearl, Ivory Flake. What you need?)
(Well yeah, well let me check it out man, just let me get a freeze)
(Go ahead man, stuff I got should kill ya!)
(Yeah man th-that’s that’s raw, wuh)
(Freeze! Haha ha ha! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!
Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)
