Brittle Bones Nicky

All rise Brittle Bones Nicky was crafty and tricky And that son of a bitch was gold Yeah, that son of a bitch was gold Wires got crossed when I was about three Dad had bloody heavy hands, used them on me My mama? Bless her heart, 'cause she gave me a start She got killed, bad man, dad stiffed in a scam Grew up in the system, bounced, couple homes This woman Mary, gifted me hand-me-down clothes Shy at the start, 'til this guy named Shifty Who had 100 pounds on me called me "Brittle Bones Nicky" A target aimed straight at my face Big house of kids, cred is cake Rounded up a couple bucks, got it freshly baked Sat down to dinner Put it right in his face Right in his fucking face (in his face!) You're not gonna push me around You can't get me down, down, down (down!) You're not gonna push me around (no!) You can't get me down, down, down (down!) Bounce ahead a couple years, king of my peers We biked the block, cheersin' pretty girls beers Did alright for myself, petty thefts I pulled Dropped outta school, built a circle of bulls Needing more money, covered head to toe Snuck up, sucker, took his stash, and drove The cash stashed, it was pouring in Bulk of it up my nose How dumb I was, 21 And way out of control The cops kicked down the door She did a line right off my (wow!) Said "That's one way to go down" Knew I was hard as rock Knew-I-was-hard-as-rock (hard as rock!) You're not gonna push me around You can't get me down, down, down (down!) You're not gonna push me around (no!) You can't get me down, down, down (down!) Bars, new world, who could I trust? Killers were nice, smugglers were rough Met a man named Ben, quite sharp and witty Gave me books about money and cities Taught me ropes, only years coulda gained Looked out for each other, M.O's the same That night I heard Ben, turning 50 in May Yellin' so loud, two decades we aged Found him cornered, pants down, shanked Didn't even think twice, man I barely blinked (I barely blinked, I barely blinked) If it cost me my life, man, I'd save my only friend That's something I could live with I could take that 'til the end If it cost me my life, man, I'd save my only friend That's something I could live with I could take that 'til the end (hey!) You're not gonna push me around You can't get me down, down, down (down!) You're not gonna push me around (no!) You can't get me down, down, down (down!) Now every morning, coffee, park Walking around the city, deals light or dark I'm straight edge as a punk, well-mannered, and I feel free Tried to do what I thought was best And that's coming to the grave with me As I lay here in my final nights, I try to have a laugh I didn't win the game of life But I'd give myself a pass