[Produced by J Cole & Omen]
[Verse 1: J. Cole]
Yea, this is where the
Yea, this is where the fathers ain't livin'
At least not with us
Might see em round the city and won't even say wa**up
When n***as play tough, won't even smile in mirrors
And we learn to f** hoes off trial and error
Just a small town n***a, big city hustle
Glued to the TV, Jigga, Diddy, Russell
These were our heroes, strictly for them zeros
For that Robert Deniro, n***as reload on them kilo's
Dodgin them people
Mad at myself cause I done seen some things that I'd rather not tell
Shawty smoke crack and her boyfriend too
And sometimes he touch her daughter how the boyfriends do
Pull up to the club where my boys went too
See that yellow tape and the boys in blue
A n***a on a stretcher and though I never met ya
I'm thinkin' God bless ya, the city try and get ya
Man, don't let the city get ya
f** the horoscopes, know the ropes like a wrestler
If them bullets wet you bet your Momma need a tissue
Your face on the front of our shirts, screamin' we miss you
(we miss ya)
[Hook]
Come with me
Run quick see, what do we have here
Now, do you wanna ride or die
La da-da-da, la la la la
X2
[Verse 2: Omen]
Yea, lets see God
I know you only do whats best for me
But is it cool if we negotiate my destiny
They always tellin' me it's temporary
Then why it's feelin' like a cemetery
My dreams ain't got no obituaries
My city hurtin' and none of us were equipped here
You heard me say I was ballin', I probably meant tears
I'm trying to get clear, I'm tryna quit fear
Who wrote the scripts here?
These kids live there whole life just k**ing time
Running the race with no finish line
They tryna noose us with they ropes, but I'm finna climb
I think my foolish pride might become my suicide
But I ain't tryna go, no baby
And through these lines and quotes you gotta find some hope
Cause I ain't dying my words gon' last forever
You can hold the treasure
Look inside you can see a diamond in my mind
Im tired of seeing dope fiends, wiping they nose clean
Is my neighborhood just a smoke screen
I think I'm in the dungeon fam, I see low green
Sons raised by both queens but there's no kings
No kings, no kings
[Hook]
[Verse 3: J. Cole]
It seems like n***as either feel ya or they tryna k** ya
I face the sky and hope to God ain't acting unfamiliar
You play whatever cards he deal no matter how peculiar
They tell me that its God's will, I'm asking God will ya
Heal a n***a from all this pain, Momma smokin' c**aine as it rains out
Am I to blame, try to stay sane so I came outside
Where they rock with them thangs out
To clear my mind at the same time they blew that boy's brains out
But will it change, its like n***as is free but our minds still in the chains
Brothers k**ing each other, the blood spill its a shame
Will it ever slow up?
A lot of n***as getting older but they never grow up
And do they son's like they fathers did and never show up
Don't even cry about it, just another episode of life
Watch the whole season n***a no re-runs
The devil buying souls n***a no refunds
Man, don't let the city get ya
f** the horoscopes know the ropes like a wrestler
If them bullets wet ya bet ya momma need a tissue
Your face on the front of our shirts screaming we miss ya
Another day, another song, a mother prays
Another gone
But still we play like ain't nothing wrong
Like ain't nothing wrong
Cause ain't nothing wrong
Im not as fast, I'm not as tall
But before I pa**
I gotta ball
I gotta ball
I gotta ball
n***a I gotta ball