As I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life and
realize there's nothin' left
Cause I've been blasting
and laughing so long,
That even my mama thinks
that my mind is gone
But I ain't never crossed a
man that didn't deserve it
Me be treated like a punk
you know that's unheard of
You better watch how you're
talking and where you're walking
Or you and your homies
might be lined in chalk
I really hate to trip but I gotta loc
As they croak, I see myself
in the pistol smoke, fool
I'm the kinda G the little
homies wanna be like
On my knees in the night saying
prayers in the streetlight
Been spending most their lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Been spending most their lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Look at the situation they got me facin'
I can't live a normal life,
I was raised by the streets
So I gotta be down with the hood team
Too much television watching
got me chasing dreams
I'm an educated fool
with money on my mind
Got my 10 in my hand
and a gleam in my eye
I'm a loc'd out gangsta
set trippin' banger
And my homies is down so
don't arouse my anger, fool
Death ain't nothing
but a heartbeat away,
I'm living life, do or
die, what can I say
I'm 23 now, but will I live to see 24
The way things are going I don't know
Been spending most their lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Been spending most their lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Keep spending most our lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Keep spending most our lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Tell me why are we so blind to see
That the ones we hurt are you and me?
Power and the money, money and the power
Minute after minute, hour after hour
Everybody's running, but
half of them ain't looking
What's going on in the kitchen,
but I don't know what's cookin'
They say I gotta learn, but
nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand
it, how can they reach me
I guess they can't, I guess they won't
I guess they front, that's why I
know my life is out of luck, fool
Been spending most their lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Been spending most their lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Keep spending most our lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
Keep spending most our lives,
living in the gangsta's paradise
