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[00:00.06]I'm a manchild born in the promised land
[00:01.85]Captain of my destiny, guidin my faith through the turbulence of life
[00:06.43]See, in order to be who you are, you've got to know who you are
[00:10.04]In order to get to where you want to go
[00:11.80]You've got to know from where you came
[00:12.78]Say, it was Malcolm X who said
[00:15.54]"A man who doesn't have nothing to stand up for
[00:17.40]Will fall for any god damn thing!"
[00:20.03]Damn, Woke up again...
[00:20.98]Down my face drop tears, it's like nobody cares
[00:23.61]I swear, life ain't fair, sometimes I wanna disappear
[00:26.36]Only Blahzay Blah', I got mad gray hairs, I'm a young old man
[00:29.95]What part of "Shit Iz Real" don't you understand?
[00:31.76]Twin got murdered, caught one to the temple
[00:34.42]You ain't been what I been through, Can It Be All So Simple?
[00:37.25]I got bad nerves, it's absurd, I'm disturbed
[00:39.93]So, I suggest you watch the words that you blurb
[00:42.62]Out your mouth, or it'll be a shoot out
[00:45.34]I leave you stretched out, I'm thugged, inside and out
[00:48.00]And it ain't by choice
[00:49.80]I'm screaming out loud for love (AHHHH!), do anybody hear my voice?
[00:54.31]Pardon the noise, I'm just a black ghetto boy
[00:57.12]Went through the rain and pain, where's the sunshine and joy?
[00:59.83]I can't seem to find it, trapped in the black cloud
[01:02.59]Watching my life go down, to hide the suffering, I smile
[01:05.29]Running these streets can be so
[01:07.98]Trying these trying times
[01:11.56]Manchild in the promised land
[01:13.30]Who of you will understand?
[01:16.03]Running these streets can be so
[01:19.74]Trying these trying times
[01:22.46]Manchild in the promised land, hey-ay...
[01:26.99]My aunt died from AIDS, I watched her deteriorate
[01:30.58]She told me fucking wit drugs, was her biggest mistake
[01:33.20]Put my moms on to it, sticking needles in her veins
[01:36.09]Being sons of addicts, yo, me and Cane the same
[01:38.76]We packed bags at Pathmark, we both humped Tamika
[01:41.44]We used to go to the pool, just to steal kid's sneakers
[01:44.19]Rocked cut-off beepers, wore old clothes for Easter
[01:46.89]Shit was so real, we had to split a slice of pizza
[01:49.53]I was born at six months, damn, premature
[01:53.10]My moms birthed a thug like, Afeni Shakur
[01:55.96]I'm surprised I ain't crazy, from the bug shit I saw
[01:58.69]I caught my mother buying crack on the first floor, before
[02:01.37]I never thought I'd be in a cell, smoking the Newport
[02:04.09]With all sorts of thoughts, running through my mind
[02:06.74]Know I ain't leaving, caught, D.A. talkin jail time
[02:09.40]I glanced at my mom's eyes, she looking like she wanna cry
[02:13.11]They say I'm an accident waiting to happen, G
[02:37.49]Miss Ann from the first floor said she gon' pray for me
[02:40.12]She had a bad dream, that they, murdered me
[02:42.92]I said, "Miss, truthfully, I don't believe in dreams"
[02:45.60]Hope is miles away, from where I stay
[02:48.33]Who knows the way? Pssshhh... shit, I'd pay
[02:51.05]For the directions? My whole family's in correction
[02:54.60]Fake friends half-stepping, I'm stressing, answer question
[02:57.32]Can I trust you? Uh-huh, then I love you
[03:00.02]Yea, if not, straight up and down, fuck you
[03:02.75]Bottom line, real people do real things
[03:06.42]Play your position... (running these streets can be so...)
[03:10.06]You see, its like this
[03:12.70]You've got to plan your work and work your plan
[03:13.69]Cause seeing who fails the plan, plans the fail
[03:15.45]Execute your strategy and seize your goal
[03:19.08]Cause see, persistence overcomes resistance
[03:22.79]Peace
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