another shakedown, the corners crawling with cops,
take your money and your work like its some insider (?)
there ain't no stake now, lost your fork and your plate
I had the bank roll slow but they confiscated
the minor setback, and I'll be back in a week
this money don't come easy, even harder to keep
you got to calculate, and come up with a plan
my man with front my what I need, I get him back when I canBa-ba-but-bah-ba
[repeat 7 times?]You know these bar where built way before my time
those artist with iron bars street with lines (?),
got different neighborhoods, and different rules to abide by,
stay on the sidelines, if you want to slide byuntouched, by all the dirt and grime,
sooner or later you'll be knee deep, open your eyes,
and wade through, just like a US troop
I'm dodging bullets like a matador cape to the bull[musical interlude]another setback, I'm back up grip the street,
I've got some money in my sock, and I need some relief
cop a ten sack, but that ain't gett'n me far,
I put the hammer to the nail, and the nail to my arm
and know I'z way slow, blow the Chinese breeze
that hit me like a ton of brick had me down on my knees
and that's the last time, I trade a dime for a dime
skipping stones, flipp'n coins, out their grinding my time[Chorus]