This kind of living took different devotion

No quick fix from deficient and broken

Never hung our head defeated

To get everything we needed we was praying wishing and hoping

To get everything we needed we was praying wishing and hoping

I ain't make this environment, just painting the pictures

If you ain't spreading love, you're painting with sickness

With stern face, learned grace, replaced hate with indifference

I do art like a prophet, I make it with interest

Mutual lovemaking, no raping the sisters

Out my mug pour my heart, every statement is riches

Vicious heathen, pissed believing I'm reading straight from the scriptures

I do the gritty witty, all for the sake of the witless

Lo and behold, from days back erratic, now showing control

When you start with no chips, never know when to fold

Help sore times fell short, just throw on my gold

All ready rhythm in my blues and now showing the soul

They sold theirs, in high hallways got cold stares

When partners died, as hard as I tried couldn't hold tears

But never hung our head defeated

To get everything we needed we was praying wishing and hoping

No acts of acquiescence, all we got was resistance

From where corners stirred always heard shots in the distance

Made mad noise, was bad boys before watching the Pistons

They sell it to their pops if it's stoppin' evictions

Had to bleed to succeed, took a lot of tries

It's deplorable in Gomorrah, some got sodomized

Wanna become me, only talk money when it qualifies

Lost G's even after all the crossed T's and dotted I's

Passion once I'm passive, never stomp on a victim

On God, I starve before chomping a chitlin

Every son of my aunt did a romp in the system

Won't be parleys with knowledge, get accomplice in wisdom

This kind of living took different devotion

No quick fix from deficient and broken

Never hung our head defeated

To get everything we needed we was praying wishing and hoping

To get everything we needed we was praying wishing and hoping