They got a nigga shedding tears, reminiscin on my past fears Cause shit was hectic for me last year It appears that I've been marked for death My heartless breath, the underlying cause of my arrest My life is stressed, and no rest forever weary My eyes stay teary for all the brothers that are buried in the cemetery Shit is scary, how black on black crime legendary But at times unnessecary, I'm gettin worried Teardrops and closed caskets, the three strikes law is drastic And certain death for us ghetto bastards What can we do when we're arrested, but open fire Life in the pen ain't for me, cause I'd rather die But don't cry through your despair I wonder if the Lord still cares, for us niggaz on welfare And who cares if we survive The only time they notice a nigga is when he clutchin on a four-five My neighborhood ain't the same Cause all these little babies goin crazy and they sufferin in the game And I swear it's like a trap But I ain't given up on the hood it's all good when I go back Hoes show me love, niggaz give me props Forever hop cause it don't stop... on my block Now shit's constantly hot, on my block, it never fails to be gunshots Can't explain a mother's pain, when her son drops Black male slippin in hail when will we prevail Fearin jail but crack sales got me livin well And the system's sucidal with this Thug's Life Stayin strapped forever strapped in this drug life God help me, cause I'm starvin, can't get a job So I resort to violent robberies, my life is hard Can't sleep cause all the dirt make my heart hurt Put in work and shed tears for my dead peers Mislead from childhood where I went astray Till this day I still pray for a better way Can't help but feel hopeless and heartbroke From the start I felt the racism cause I'm dark Couldn't quit the bullshit make me represent Hit the bar and played the star, everywhere I went In my heart, I felt alone out here on my own I close my eyes and picture home... on my block And I can't help but wonder whhhy, so many young kids had to die Caught strays from AK's and the driveby Swollen pride and homicide, don't coincide Brothers cry for broken lives, mama come inside Cause our block is filled with danger Used to be a close knit community but now we're all cold strangers Time changes us to stone them crack pipes All up and down the block exterminatin black life But I can't blame the dealers My mama's welfare check has brought the next man chrome wheels Shit's real, I know ya feel, my tragedy A single mother with a problem child, daddy free Hangin out pickin up game, sippin cheap liquor Gamin the hoochies hopin I can get to sleep with her It's a man's world, stayin strapped Fantasies of a nigga livin phat, but held back Pipe dreams can make the night seem hopeless Wide eyed and losin focus... on my block And block parties in tha projects lastin way past daylight A young nigga learned to break nine Used to play fight with my homies but they stuck in the pen I send them ends, but it's tough on a friend, in my mind I see the same motherfuckers ballin Alcohol will make a lazy nigga slip and fall, miss his call I know the young niggaz understand this Growing up in this world where everything is scandalous I reminisce on tha fast times, past crimes Tryin to cop a slice of pizza with my last dime Can't explain, just what attracts me to this dirty game Gold chains, some extra change, and the street fame And what's strange is that everybody knows my name, swear they all know me And lots of cash make a nigga change I hit the green just to maintain, feelin pain For all the niggaz that I lost to the game... from my block