(Yes I did... I made a mistake... yes I did) Huh..ya know living this type a life makes you grow up faster than you'd expect to sometimes... f** around and be in your late twenties... feelin like a old man and sh**... yeah for real son... let em know It's hard to breath and hard to run when your lung's blackened Coughing up blood like what the f** happened Raising my risk of cancer's the answer homie But after drinking something there's nothing like puffing a bogie Now I can blame the same product placement in movies, Or the commercials, or Scarface in a jacuzzi But now I'm living it Damn I should a never took that first cigarette (I made a mistake) I f**ed up, like your girl was riding on top of me I should of took her to trial and never copped a plea But this ain't a Christian nation motherf**a please America never taught me to turn the other cheek Cause I'm from Harlem, the north of Manhattan We knock n***as out and make em bounce like Ricky Hatton But wildin on the corner got me turned back from the Canadian border (I made a mistake) I knew she was a virgin, when I first met her Rockin stockings and poppin out of the catholic school sweater Mom told her she could do better than a criminal Seventeen year-old psychotic, trying to be lyrical I never meant to break her heart or f** up her life But I was careless, instead of treating her right I seen her again at some club strippin and wondered If I could have made her life different (I made a mistake... yes I did...) [Tech talking over the beat:] Damn shortie, you got me on some singin the blues sh**...
but you gotta stop looking backwards and remember to look ahead... this is for all my dudes on patrol in the desert right now... for real (I made a mistake) Yeah..yeah... I joined the army looking for money to go to college But they ain't pay me a quarter of what they f**ing promised Extended my tour, treating me like a s**er That's the reason officers get fragged motherf**er Don't give me speeches on how you respect and you love me But no body armor in a lightly armored humvee?! My family's lonely and you want me to reenlist for 30 grand homie? (I made a mistake) When I was young I got signed to a record label The deal looked so good when it was on the table It paid for my cable, cribs, cars and j**elry The studios, the women there's nothing they wouldn't do for me Except stop screwing me for publishing and royalties How the f** are you my dawg, when there's no loyalty? Word to the street I should've gone independent like Immortal Technique (I made a mistake) Some people learn from mistakes and don't repeat them Others try to block the memories and just delete them But I keep em as a reminder they not k**ing me And I thank God for teaching me humility Son, remember when you fight to be free To see things how they are and not how you like em to be Cause even when the world is falling on top of me Pessimism is an emotion, not a philosophy Knowing what's wrong doesn't imply that you right And its another, when you suffer to apply it in life But I'm no rookie And I'm never gonna make the same mistake twice p**y