Living This Life

Lord, it's so hard, living this life A constant struggle each and everyday Some wonder why I'd rather die Than to continue living this way Uh, I don't wanna do this no mo' But dis the only thang that I know I keep a pistol in my back and a gauge on the flo' The laws and the jackers wanna kick in my do' I'm a D-boy, didn't graduate But I got Ph.D from Pimp State And I got a Master's Degree in movin' weight And my people dependin' on me but they gon' be straight Uh, I wanna go to service But I ain't been in so long, kinda make me feel nervous 'Cause they be lookin' at me funny Watchin' the plate when I tithe put in my money I don't wanna go back to that hell Rather be dead than doin' life in a jail cell Die young, oh well, I had a good life They rappin' 'bout it but I'm out here payin' the price Lord, it's so hard living this life A constant struggle each and everyday Some wonder why I'd rather die Than to continue living this way I wake up out of bed, right after the crack of dawn And I give myself a stretch up, a mornin' yawn And see, I'm a pawn in this neighborhood chess game Move one step at a time, long as the Lord bless me I know the rest aim high, I'm tryin' to aim it higher Watchin' the lames aspire to street success, mayne They tryin' to flame the fire but that's like wettin' water You either burnt or washed out, so get in order Everyday it's gettin' harder to fuck with the flow I'm tryin' to keep all of my motherfuckin' ducks in a row I gotta see a man 'bout a dog and sell him a cat If you don't know, then you don't know, dat's dat Shit, a dollar outta fifteen cents, I got a dime Tryin' to hustle up my way to a million, I gotta grind Walkin' the line like cash, I'm on my mash Two hundred yards behind in a hundred yard dash Lord, it's so hard, living this life A constant struggle each and everyday Some wonder why I'd rather die Than to continue living this way Lord, I'm sittin' here on bended knee, my hands locked, eyes shut Askin' You to watch over me, no matter what Even though I ain't too well behaved, I'm still a child of You And faith in my Holy Father is all that keep me smilin' Through the bad times and worse times, through it all When my head is hangin' low, You help me to stand tall The only way I'ma ball, the only way I'ma shine Is if You lookin' after me while I'm out here on the grind Uh, I know you bless the child that go get it I'm the product of the ghetto, the flame of the city So I talk the language of the ave' Forgive my dirty mouth, please, I'm whippin' slabs Fifties, quarters and the whole thangs Balance in my life on the fo' beam And I need codeine just to stay sane I'm steady prayin' to You but I don't know Your real name Knahmtalkinbout? But I'm under the impression that if your heart is in the right place Your prayers gon' get heard anyway So some say Jah Jah, some say Allah Some say Jesus, some say Yeshua Ben'ta, knahmalkinbout? Ay man, I just look like this, man, knahmtalkinbout? I ain't get this far bein' no square man You wanna hide some'n from black folks They say you can put it in a book, I don't believe that 'Cause I done read fo' libraries worth of books I got some knowledge y'all need to get up on, mayne But hold a pair of hearts, knahmtalkinbout? For they laws and power, knahmsayin? The art of war The secret societies of America, knahmtalkinbout? Everythang ain't what it look like, man And don't judge every book by its cover, ya dig? Hold up