[Chorus 2x] It's just a way'a life It's just a way'a life It's just a way, just a way, just a way [Verse 1] I'm out on the prowl livin' foul Used to be a saint but now that ain't my style, I'm buckwild Ain't no turnin' back, ‘cause I'm in it too deep Comin' closer to a jack every minute you sleep I keep straps on deck the Wild West mounties Black ski mask and a fresh pair of brownies Smokin' fluid, I knew it would make me bust Call it loop, call it sherm, call it (angel dust) Just a few hits and I'm on some new sh** Spinnin' this beginnin' and get my whole crew blitzed So if the shoe fits, wear it Sorry, but I'm taxin' any hoe wit' a 24-karat Like a parrot you was mockin' me, ‘cause I was younger Now that's what you get for writin' down a bunk number Never once did I wonder was she somebody's wife ‘Cause livin' in these streets, crime is a way'a life [Chorus] [Verse 2] It's another long night in the cold I'm livin' on the streets, servin' heat, watchin' drama unfold Call it home sweet home, but how far will you get When this is the only place you familiar wit' It's hell on earth, from the birth to the d**h Cocaine on the brain, alcohol on the breath Ain't a damn thing for you to look forward to (So beam me up, Scotty) Ain't nobody but the Lord wit' you I take it one day at a time, tryna stay sane Trippin' ‘cause I keep slippin' back down memory lane I feel the pain but at least I'm alive 100 percent hustler, ain't f**in' wit' a nine-to-five Determined to make a name for myself Three strikes and you out? Well, I'm up to my twelfth I know that wealth ain't greatness ‘Cause most rich people helped to create this way'a life [Chorus] [Verse 3] So ain't no peace and quiet, f** silence I'm raised on junk food, s** and violence Just a product of a corrupt environment Where black men cry and went (early retirement) Gunfire sent n***as to an early grave And layin' good never could make a girl behave You could save all that, throwin' me a macho pitch I'mma tell you like she did (I'm not yo' b**h) Switch places, now female s**ism got n***as askin' who ain't cashin' checks Is I'm just too literate? Considerate it payback If you ain't Pat then it's best to not say jack Because they act now how n***as acted then Look where time took us if hookers mack to men And kids do life bids, servin' all day, but hey That's the American way A way'a life [Chorus]