Familiar scene, street corner, tape and sheets
18 put to sleep, talk on the street
Til next week when a different face is another life wasted
Self-hatred is dangerous, the world see him as a thug
But don't understand
That a poor black man, ain't born with a strap in his hand
Was soft like all children at 5 years old
But the cycle and society, turned him cold
Pops fled the scene, left mom's on her own
To feed 3 seeds alone, so she never home
Sweatin' for change, but there's big dough in the game
And he wanna be next to push a range
So we change innocent, to militant ways, Rollin' with the bigger boys, doin whatever they say
But wait these streets ain't got no glory
Man rolled up on him, you know the rest of the story

[Hook:]
Why do we live this way oh lord?
Why do we have to live this way?
Why do we live this way oh lord?
Why do we have to live this way?

Look at what we see and go through
Of course we're thugs, cause of our will to survive
Not cause of drugs
Living in foulest conditions, still breed proudest traditions
We speak, everybody listen
But we still jealous, when one of us shining
Like I'm grindin, why's my man shining?
I ain't criticizing, been known to be whiling
Just tryna give you food for thought when I'm rhyming
Cause I'm tired of youts' them dyin' cause there's no guidance
But I won't have my fam cryin
An eye for an eye? That's your science?
Cool we're the same then, let's get blinded
I'm not in the hype ting-handle ma business
If I feel somethings a threat, then that threats missin
Just know that my heart was good and that I tried
I just had too much pride
[Hook]

No matter how we act, we all got emotion
Just learn to hide it, it hurts to open
The street is a movie, stay in your role
If you let it go, vultures swallow you whole
But it don't fool me bro, I see things clear
Big killers get big years and shed big tears
If not at trial, gradually as the years pass
The guilt set in like a vice on the heart
Reminiscing bout the n***a at your side
Now he's missin' and no wishin could give him back life
That's just life, shit ain't fair
Man scream "street dreams', all I see is the nightmare's
Locked up, years pass seed dun grown
Get murked or hit the pipe, Either way you a ghost
And that's reality even though it's crazy
Got to change, or it's the same fate for our babies...

[Hook]