[Verse 1:]
Short of a dollar, struggle to pay the rent
Walk with heavy steps, shoes caked in cement
With a dried up wallet when the honesty is spent
A fire in the pocket can burn a mans intent
Two cent pieces, cheap speech free of action
Move these weak knees before they keep crashing
Staggering, hands sliding along the wall
Stall, now I'm back again - gotta keep on the ball
When we fall we bounce back, we show backbone
No backstroke counter-attack waiting for the cash to grow
In the cabbage patch have attatched quickly
Satisfied easily by the simplicity
The industries imagery that'll ram-way the fan base
Watch the stems break down the system
Many have got to hustle before they play the victim
Never let the money start depicting his visions
Even when hungry he made focused decisions
Had faith in himself to help climb a better livin
Knowing at the end of the day nothing is alright, but everything is ok
The only way is to keep kicking through the rough patch
In the end we can't control everything and it's best to accept that
[Chorus/Hook: x2]
Nothing is alright, but everything is ok
[Hook:]
[DJ Premier:] "My poetry's deep I never fell"
"It was dark when I put it to the light, no question"
[Verse 2:]
High on life like the the air we breathe is just weed smoke
Inbetween the sighs, the frowns, the crowd of heath hoes
That roll the dice through the crabs at the casino, see no evil
Learn no tactics but calculate the factors that managed the rough patch
Famish with the cutbacks
Scraps slope energy no remedy, f** that
The sandpaper will scrape the skin, the wounds will heal
So we take it all in, major spins
On this rotating globe locating the won't's, motivating the don't's
Donating some hope in the scope of those
In that less fortunate predicament
Seen angels shut down with stones, and devils build their homes
Sitting in the comfort of their gold-plated kitchen
Soul escaping the vision with a lack of inhibition
A little b**hen is just part of the cause
Pumping fear through television to pardon the war
But this lion here will walk til the vocal cords distort
'Til the short straw offers no hope
And while nothing is alright, everything is ok though
[Chorus/Hook x2]
Nothing is alright, but everything is ok [repeats til fade]