E-40 - The Way I Was Raised lyrics

[Hook - Mike Marshall:] It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way they raised me It's the way I was raised Put up yo' dukes and put down yo' guns Eatin' soup with a fork, crackers and crumbs Livin' in the ghetto with the hustlers and bums Sellin' dope to my best friend, daddies and moms Life in the slum, in the gutter, and in the sewer In the bottomless pits, where they say we ain't got no future Po-po empty they clips, rifles and Rugers Local law enforcement, FBI, state troopers I was just lookin' at the news Some people ain't got nothin' to lose Then one of my dudes say "God take care of babies and fools" He grew up poor, shoes too little Corns hecka sore, I seen this movie before Keep your faith, say your prayer before you go to sleep Get on yo' knees and thank God you on yo' feet [Hook - Mike Marshall:] It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way they raised me It's the way I was raised My potna's broad been messin' around on him, but I'm scare to tell him Cause he might turn on me, thought we was family Why peoples be takin' they anger out on people that go they back Fallin' out over dumb stuff, somethin' as simple as that Be careful on the phones, they might be hot as heater You never know when they tapin' or got you on the loudspeaker In real life, not a trailer or a teaser This ain't Netflix for no actors right here Who got a beer? I'm stressed out When I was 12 years old, I had a paper route Raised in the soil, you can't be a little hussy Or a powder puff, gotta be thuggy Money on my mind, grew up eatin' swine Never talk or tell, never drop a dime That's what the ave always woke me to I guess the ave never spoke to you [Hook - Mike Marshall:] It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way they raised me It's the way I was raised [Mike Marshall:] I remember in the day I had to walk all the way home from school That's the way I was raised And look here, I recall Sometimes, we had nothing at all to eat And mama worked it out That's the way I was raised Respect your elders, talkin' back will get you took My mama will give you certain looks That's a warning when you going a little overboard Back then, mamas would whoop you with extension cords But I don't hate her for that Cause she the sweetest thing to her grandchildren, and that's a fact And they wanna rap My suggestion is let 'em do that So many mothers lost they sons to the streets It's sad when they get that phone call or knock on the door from the police It's bad when our loved one's deceased We glad when we know they're at peace Ashes to ashes and dust to dust Too many of us be trippin' off small stuff Keep your faith, say your prayer before you go to sleep Get on yo' knees and thank God you on yo' feet [Hook - Mike Marshall:] It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way I was raised It's the way they raised me It's the way I was raised [Mike Marshall:] I remember in the day I had to walk all the way home from school That's the way I was raised And look here, I recall Sometimes, we had nothing at all to eat And mama worked it out That's the way I was raised [Hook - Mike Marshall:] That's the way I was raised That's the way I was raised That's the way I was raised It's the way they raised me