Don't say nothin', just listen
[Incomprehensible] all the bloodshed
And all the tears and all the homies I done lost
Ain't nothing like the ghetto if I had to do it all again
I probably wouldn't change a thing
I live my life, homie but not for greed
Picture young sisters and brothers planting ghetto seeds
Ain't nothing promised in this ghetto but we lost 'cause we black
Picture 5 kids in the project in a one room shack
I had big dreams of making it big
I caught nightmares of fools splittin' my wig
I couldn't change for the guppies that tried to hate
Picture me a ghetto child with a house by the lake
Ain't nothing promised but we're not to blame
Sinning, to make some change
I wish the society feel my pain
Empty me underneath, we all the same
High construction on penitentiary bars
They main focus is blacks with fancy cars
And they beat us on high interest loans
Repossess our property 'cause we don't think to own
This ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
Now, I was known for walking on the wrong side of the tracks
Slanging, smoking and drinking yack, reminiscing and thinking back
A lot of facts have been changed, we take the innocent and guilty
I played the cards that they dealed me
Went through changes that dealed me
Into a better man but most often I'm misunderstood
Call me a gangsta 'cause I relay consciousness from the hood
But a lot of good comes from what you call negativity
We working with no leverage or incentive G
'Cause their nothing you ever give to me
On television or them history books
Got young black kids thinking, they put on this earth just to be crooks
See, all these mystery looks that's on the face of the boss man
When he can see a young black brother's no longer lost man
He try to break your spirit before you figure out the game
By the time you do, you lost your fame, reputation and your name
But baby, we can do it, take your time do it right
You don't wanna be a superstar overnight, trying to live that ghetto life
This ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I live my life for my son so he can have something
Blessed just to see a new day so I'm trying to grab something
I been on top of the world and at the bottom too
When you up, you got lots of friends and when you down it's few
The way we grew up was wrong, I'm the first to admit
I know God and just drop me here to be going through this
I lost D-Ray last year and it's just not the same
Just at the time in his life when he was trying to change
He told me, "Pimp, I need help, I want up out the game"
I made a promise, I lied 'cause the next night he died
I guess our childhood is over 'cause, man, ain't nothing funny
And everything that I love revolve around sex and money
I wanna have some more kids but in the 90's that's crazy
The woman's polluted so it ain't safe to make babies
And it's a shame 'cause Uncle Sam ain't got no job to pay me
But pay the mightiest 40 G's for every year they enslave me, it's crazy
This ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
This ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'
I said, this ghetto life got us hustlin' and scufflin'
I said, penitentiary chances keep us thuggin' and muggin'