Living This Life

Lord, it's so hard, living this life

A constant struggle each and every day

Some wonder why I'd rather die

Than to continue living this way

Uh, I don't wanna do this no more

But this the only thing that I know

I keep a pistol in my back and a gauge on the flow

The laws and the jackers wanna kick in my door

I'm a D-boy, didn't graduate

But I got a Ph.D. from Pimp State

And I got a Master's Degree in moving weight

And my people depending on me but they gon' be straight

I wanna go to service

But I ain't been in so long, kinda make me feel nervous

'Cause they be looking at me funny

Watching the plate when I tithe, put in my money

I don't wanna go back to that hell

Rather be dead than doing life in a jail cell

Die young, oh well, I had a good life

They rapping 'bout it but I'm out here paying the price

Lord, it's so hard, living this life

A constant struggle each and every day

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 morning yawn and

See I'm a pawn in this neighborhood chess game

Move one step at a time, long as the Lord bless, man

I know the rest aim high, I'm tryna aim it higher

Watching the lames aspire to street success, man

They trying to blame the fire but that's like wetting water

You end up burnt or washed out, so get in order

Every day, it's getting harder to fuck with the flow

I'm tryna keep all of my motherfucking 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, that's that

Shit, a dollar outta fifteen cents? I got a dime

Tryna hustle up my way to a million, I gotta grind

Walking 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 every day

Some wonder why I'd rather die

Than to continue living this way

Lord, I'm sitting here on bended knee, my hands locked, eyes shut

Asking 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 smiling through

The bad times and worse times, through it all

When my head is hanging low, You help me to stand tall

The only way I'ma ball, the only way I'ma shine

Is if You looking 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 whipping slabs

Fifties, quarters, and the whole things

Balancing my life on the four beam

And I need codeine just to stay sane

I'm steady praying to You but I don't know Your real name

Know what I'm talking 'bout?

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, know what I'm talking 'bout?

Hey, man, I just look like this, man, know what I'm talking 'bout?

I ain't get this far being no square, man

You wanna hide something from black folks

They say, you can put it in a book

I don't believe that

'Cause I done read four libraries worth of books

I got some knowledge y'all need to get up on, man

Behold a pale horse, know what I'm talking 'bout?

48 Laws of Power, know what I'm saying? The Art of War

The Secret Societies of America, know what I'm talking 'bout?

Yeah, everything ain't what it look like, man

And don't judge every book by its cover

Ya dig?

Hold up