Green life, it's so much trouble out here
In the Valley of Decision,
out here by the river of Kabar
The place of Livingstone,
we in the concrete jungle y 'all
Oakland is my home
It's hard, I know, that's the way
that this green life
I saw a sister on the
corner turning tricks
Cause she's a bad girl, still her body for
Oh, what a sad world
to be living in
Spending all your dividends that you got
From different men's on some crack
Smoking on the hooter
while your children is in the back
Ain't got no clothes to wear for school
The white woman from the
social service office
Gon' be coming by,
calling you a unfit mother
Cause you trapped up in a maze,
coke smoke got you dazed
Now they trying to take the little brothers
And the two little girls
that you brought into this world
Turning them into another statistic
Of broken homes and
dysfunctional families
Of the ghetto where fair reform
got your money's shoulder
Plus you older youngsters
round the corner for some boulders
They shout you on credit,
look at your life
Think about how you let it slip
between your fingers
As I sit back and let the thought linger
Man Screen live
It's taking our brothers
on a one way ride
Brothers are grinding, mothers are trying
To raise their babies
but their mothers are dying
Oh, hardship an d pain,
that's the struggle of the street life game
It's hard, I know, that's the way
that the street life goes
I walked in my homie's funeral last week
The tears rolled down his mother's cheek
and it made me think I never tripped
when I was gunnin' and funnin'
But the things I did in the past
got me duckin', dodgin', runnin'
And it ain't that I'm scared
But if a food store hits blast,
then it ain't like I'm gon' stand there
See, mom's already lost my brother,
so I keeps my vest on
when I roam in the gutter
But see, we droppin' like flies,
what's goin' on on the east
side can't be denied
Remember when we used to box,
but nowadays we grabbin' AKs
and springin' up the whole block
Kid's gettin' caught up
in the crossfire,
before she reaches her teens,
she's expired 12 years old
and it's a damn shame
Layin' in the middle of the nary slain
Street life
It's takin' our broth
ers on a one -way ride
Brothers are grinding,
mothers are trying
To raise their babies,
but the fathers are dying
Oh, hardship an d pain
That's the struggle of
the street life game
It's hard, I know,
that's the way the street life goes
Look, cusses on the corner,
doing what they do
Dope fiends all toe the hell up,
still coming through
It's the ghetto,
where everybody's out to get it
A lifestyle of a street hustler, man
Partner, can you deal with it?
Only a chosen few gon' make them
Cause in this game, man,
you can't play
Gangsters die every day, it's a cold plot
Man, you gon' learn a lot
You can't be faking the funk
You might get found in the trunk
East Stokely, a cold city on the map
A million stories to be told,
everybody plays a role
Our praise is due to the creator
Cause he controls the show,
the systems corrupt
The ghetto's better,
my hood is gangsta'd out
Just like the rest,
cause everyday I'm taking chances
Catchin' slugs in my chest
Street life, is takin' our
brothers on one ride
Brothers are grinding,
mothers are trying
To raise their babies
but their fathers are dying
Oh, hardship an d pain
That's the struggle of
the street life game
It's hard, I know
That's the way the street life goes
Street life
It's taking our brothers
on a one way ride
Brothers are grinding, mothers are trying
To raise their babies
but their fathers are dying
Oh, heartache an d pain,
that's the struggle of
the street life game
It's hard, I know,
that's the way with the street life
Oh, street life,
it's taking our brothers over the line
Brothers are crying,
mothers are trying to raise their babies
But their mothers are dying
All the tears an d pain
That's the struggle of the street life pain
It's hard, I know
That's the way the street life
goes
to make you successful and make that
what you talk about, success,
you keep them out front.
Yes sir.
And by you keeping them out front,
you carry the other ones
that don't mention it
so that they can be able to make it
because they wouldn't be able
to make it on their own
by putting themselves out front.
That's true.
Yes sir.
Do understand what
Yes sir.
So by us mentioning it in its proper way
is what makes them successful,
what makes the Creator
make them successful.
Oh yes sir.
You understand, if we join them,
then they won't be successful
and neither will we.
That's true, sir.
We will be successful in
showing a successful side
of what you're not there to do.
Yes, sir.
Is that not true?
That's true, sir.
So that's why I'd like to the President
of United States of America
to have the person there, Master J,
that they work through,
they can make things,
they're going to make you
always keep it out front.
Yes, sir.
