[Verse One]
Just rollin' down the 5 & 10, puffin' a Parliament
Was thinkin' how I could've made my life better, start at this
? city that I parted with, it's obvious
Police, they wanna pull me over, get behind and follow us
Momma it's your rap boy chasin' after big dreams
Never was an actor, don't wanna be on TV
Climbin' out my rap scene, a diamond in the ruff seems
Harder to discover for my brothers at the swap meet
I live in that part of town where bullets tend to fly around
You frontin' like you Hollywood, it's special they will lay you down
Down like any other hood, a struggle out the ghetto could
Be tougher when you started out with nothin', just a neighborhood
I stayed away from g**nin', crack sales, c**aine
Whoops, I've seen some family members fall from the same thang
You would think that I would know better
Focused now I'm headed for that credit I'm deserving while I'm stackin' up these letters
[Hook]
Your big dreams
The rap scene
The T.V
Police be
That c**aine
The same thangs
They don't change
They tear him down
The girlfriends
Your fake friends
You got bills
But no ends
Your family
No plan B
The city
They tear him down
[Verse Two]
My little homie Kevin at 11 start the 'G' life
Had another father made it 16, the streets might
Try to tear him down, I'm on the Greyhound to Oakland
Livin' in a warehouse, he's rappin' hella broke there
I talk him into movin' to the Bay and he was feelin' it
Just movin' outta L.A. just for a minute, independent sh**
His momma recommended him, then right before the summer hit
He's riddled by some bullets while he's chillin' on some other sh**
Wrong place, wrong time
Same thing, black crime
Police ain't really caring it's apparent when they work the case
Investigate, they slow the pace
Checkin' out the world of hate
Rememberin' my boy up in his coffin with his poker face
[Hook]
They tear him down
[Verse Three]
Met a nice girl, dated for awhile and then he moved her in
Couldn't let go of the others he was movin' with
Goin' out on tours and wildin' out when they was keepin' secrets
Holmes, they did it bare back ? so they keep it
Keepin' up the arguments, women got that Spidey sense
They know what y'all be doin' on the under so it made it tense
Since it wasn't based on the truth, the resentment
Just screwin' her heart to the proof that his interest
As she makes her exit, karma is accepted
You regret it, never thought that it could happen till you let it
And I bet it never ever crossed your mind till you're headed down
The life was tough enough and then you had to go and tear it down
[Hook]