Hook: Sample
"I don't know much
About this thing called love
But I'm willing to try
I don't know much about it either, baby
But if you're willing
Then so am I" --> 5th Dimension
(Verse 1)
[Sick Jacken]
It all started on the Mexican streets, and ended up
In these L.A. blocks, that's where the love was released
Me and Duke were a product of those immigrant antique
Ways, went man on man on the cowards that back seats
And that's deep
Street education, my dad teached
It ain't the gangs in the hood, but cops that harrassed me
He said money wouldn't last me long
Enjoy family before they get to passin' on
I grew up on the 17th block of Pico Union
A rough life, but good times always keep it movin'
I stayed down with mom and pop
My blood
Big Duke, Richie and Lil' Jake, that's one love
[Cynic]
I never expressed my love with a hug and kiss
More like a
Fuck you and a diss
This life is a gift
Before I looked at it like it wasn't shit
Cause of the way we grew up
Mistreated as kids
We also called it tough love
Well, call it being real with each other
Never cared about them enemies or undercover
The escape for us, the streets
Where all the kids felt like me
Constantly, got in a beef
There's no one to blame
For our mistakes and the pain we went through
And made our folks feel too
So whenever I
Did somethin' wrong, moms, I blamed it on you
Though you had no idea of what your son would do
Chorus:
[Crow] There ain't no city like my city in this world
[Cynic] There ain't nobody like my baby sons and baby girls
[Sick Jacken] I thank God up above for this lifetime
And I got love for my women in the night time
[All] Yeah
[Cynic] And it's still good
I grew up in the ghetto, but I love my hood
[Sick Jacken] Now this is how it is and this is how it's always gone be
[Crow] Me and the fam til we R.I.P.
[Verse 2: Crow]
I wake up
And I'm surprised that I'm breathing
Believing yes, it's another day that I cheated death
Yeah, sometimes, it feels like there's nothing left
To tell your mother wept, giving me your first breath
I was blessed with this life that I lived
Could've died as a kid, all the wild shit we did
Tag my name up
And jumping from a bridge
Smoking and drinking, shit, I don't know what I was thinking
Mom and pops couldn't watch my whole life
All the stress, drugs and fights, probably thought I wasn't right
But in life
Everything comes full circle
Now we raisin' boys and girls that we brought into this world
We were them young boys out there pullin' pistols
No one ever said that your love was right with you
Life is crazy
Thank the family that make me
Cause they raised me with them street smarts that saved me
Repeat Hook
(Verse 3)
[Cynic]
Now that I survived twenty-something years of my life
I can see things much more clear
I can live in the dark and give light to those that need
I remember Jack giving me my first S.D.
Everyday I was making beef
Flew out thee in need
Tryna master this deed to see where it would lead
Like after five years, they gave me my seed
Now I'm praying
Real hard for my family to live in peace
[Sick Jacken]
We learned tough love on these streets
Sometimes assume we never had much
So we broke the Lord just to eat
Now I put my life to a beat
Ain't shit changed, though
That's just how the game go, and I mean deep
Thought if I stayed away from the guns and crime wave
I'll be safe at the end of day
From the drama
But you'll find that this world just ain't nothin' nice
I'll survive on what I learned early on in my life
