man to man is so unjust. you dont know who to trust. your worst enemy can be your best friend and your best friend your worst enemy..
bob marley who the cap fit
i got an eight inch scar
from the gang war days
lord knows id rather forget
but these devil streets got hold of my heart
and wont give it back just yet
kool tee and lil jessie
they both dead now
heard even they mommas didnt care
brother it dont matter if you right or wrong
foolish pride make a black man take a dare
lil ones running around
actin swolle strapin four pounds
shoot ya quick as you blink
so i sit on my front step sippin a drink
cogitate nah mean i just think
lady talkin trash but whats new
learned long time ago to let her vent
truth be told she been with me
through thick and thin
a true philly queen she ride or die
got more courage than most men
aint got that killer instinct
that i used to have
been too far away from the game
way i see it most cats got 5 solid years
after that the players change
true real be it heron smack
crack or whatever them scientists inventing next
the game been the same since europeans
changed our names
momma always usta tell me believe in god
but in the mean streets only satan remains
man i dont even use words like bitch or ho
dont stick my nose
where another mans poo nah nee grows
im just strugglin to survive
the ghetto undertow
tryin to determine the direction
that the cool wind blows
so i can chill
i got some skeletons that keep rattlin
but maybe i didnt bury em deep enough
probably 60 to 40 i will make it to heaven
on the curve
maybe my old probation officer
will put in a good word
im seeing no love in the eyes
of these young boys
fact is all i see is fear
but believe me bro fear evolves into fearlessness
when you stop counting the wasted years
i cant give them no real advice
because i would do what they do
all over again
aint no addiction be it pussy or politics
that give you the rush of being
man among men
they always asking for me to tell them stories
about the frontier days
back when philly was the den of mob and mayhem
the black mafia..gangwars
and diamond in the backs
i tell them the story of kool tee
and how his lady shot him when he was
chewin on a slab of baby backs
that boy got shot at and shot around
in about 20 wars and didnt even flinch
but aint no man immune to the poon poon
it will make a fool sho nuff believe
but his lady had a habit kool was givin her static
so she switched sides and he was what you call relieved
i tell them all the time
yall too easy to figure out
aint no finesse to yall gansta strut
raps was made about us we didnt make rap
hell most of yall aint never smelled a man
when he is holdin his guts
you see yall aint true gangsta
until nightmares start waking you up
and your lady gotta tell you its okay
thats when you know that you faced the devil down
and the mean streets done had their way
it was time to get out when i froze
had him dead to rights this silly negro
could have left him in the park
food for the crows
guess it was my ladys love i dont know
i suppose
or maybe i just got tired of tryin to predict
which way the wind blows
in these mean ghetto streets