People want me to shed my blood
For what I believe.
Since I made out the hood
It’s like no matter how much I change
Society will never see me for me.

But only those who go through the struggle
Can understand my cause.
It aint about gang banging
That’s just the reaction to societies
Answer to poverty…
A war every ghetto has lost.

Not many of us can afford to
Put a smile on our face.
Some parents would dress their kids
In rags
So classmates can make them feel
Out of place.

How can you dream
When all you hear is gunshots at night?
Sometimes you can’t tell the difference
Between the sun
And the blaze from the gun
That is just as bright.

It’s hard to understand why someone
Wants to be your friend.
When you’re on the outside
Looking in
It’s hard to explain where
Your pain really began.
Half of my friends are dead
So I know I don’t want to relive those
Moments again.

No matter what side of the world you live on
There is always someone who
Suffers more than defeats.
That’s why its up to us
To get up on our feet
So we can tell the stories
Of the streets.