Living For The City - Rakim

In the city where life is animated with colors 
Contaminated with aggravated brothers  who knows where the love is? 
Growing up swinging  through my upbringing 
My limits is the sky from the all eye seeing 
Of so called realities filled with technicalities 
I watch my steps  stay on my p's and check my casualties 
Not to get played  equipped with all the tricks of the trade 
I even learned from the mistakes that the next man made 
I know to choose and pick the people I grow up around 
I know to grow and get to know the town up and down 
But there's no instructions, so many directions 
A lot of crooks look to get hooked with connections 
Some thought they knew all adolescence could teach 
They graduated from school but fail life in the streets 
Your pops taught you to strive and stay a live, no ditty 
It's easy to die when you're living for the city 

That's how I'm living (x3) 
Yeah that's how I'm living 
That's how I'm living (x3) 
Yep that's how I'm living 

I grow according to my environmental habitat 
I hang where everything seem to happen at 
I seen it all, and I've been doing that since I was small 
Catch a flashback y'all, if I can recall 
The days on the corner we watched the world go by 
Or nights that wasn't right like when a good friend dies 
I quest for the best for prepare for the worst 
Never scared but I cared if I'm blessed or I'm cursed 
Yes I fear no man but Allah 
I'm Gomar Oras Dubar 
Which is God so It's hard to see Ra 
I do what I gotta do, with or without a clue 
Run through any obstacle including you 
Cause I ain't got to bust you, cause I got the muscle 
A push any clown that tries to slow down my hustle 
I gotta ge