[Verse 1]
As I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life
and realize there's none left
'Cause I've been brassin'1
and laughin' so long that
even my momma thinks
that my mind is gone
But I ain't never crossed a man
that didn't deserve it
Me be treated like a punk,
you know that's unheard of
You better watch how you talkin',
and where you walkin'
or you and your homies
might be lined in chalk
I really hate to trip
but I gotta lope2
As they croak I see myself
in the pistol smoke, fool
I'm the kinda G that
little homies want to be like
On my knees in the night,
saying prayers in the street light
[Chorus] 4x
They been spending most their lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
[Verse 2]
Look at the situation,
they got me facing
I can't live a normal life,
I was raised by the strip3
So I gotta be down
with the hood team
Too much television watchin'
got me chasing dreams
I'm a educated fool
with money on my mind
Got my ten in my hand
and a gleam in my eye
I'm a loc'd out gangsta,
set trippin' banger
And my homies is down
so don't arouse my anger, fool
Death ain't nothing
but a heart beat away
I'm living life do or die,
what can I say
I'm twenty-three now, but
will I live to see twenty-four?
The way things is going I don't know
[Bridge]
Tell me why are we
so blind to see
That the ones we hurt
are you and me.
[Chorus]
[Verse 3]
Power and the money,
money and the power
Minute after minute,
hour after hour
Everybody's runnin',
but half of them ain't lookin'
what's going on in the kitchen,
but I don't know what's cookin'
They say I've got to learn
but nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand it,
how can they reach me
I guess they can't
I guess they won't
I guess they front
That's why I know my life is out of luck, fool
[Chorus]+[Bridge]
