Thousand lives ago We were young and we didn't know We were trading our crowns for our souls Made the sacrifice Headed back to the light But be careful don't drown in the gold I know it glows but it's cold
[Sample] I'm from the other side of town Out of bounds To anybody who don't live around I never learned to share or how to care I never had no teachings about being fair
[Verse 1: Common] Have you ever heard of Black Stone around Black Stones? And Four CHs, Vice Lords, Stony Island on Aces The concrete matrix, street organizations They gave violations, hood public relations It was the basics to get big faces Stay away from cases, bad broads, good graces The hustlers was the taste makers and trend setters They the ones that fed us hopin' that the feds don't get us The era of Reagan, the terror of Bush Crack babies, momma's a push, we were the products of Bush I'm wishin' for a Samurai Suzuki and a little Gucci A bad ho to [?] do me, you heard of Flukey Stokes, it was folks and coke and dope Fiends choked off of smoke, herringbones and rope Rare jewels of a generation Diamonds, blinding us of real shit we facin' Forties wasted on 'ceased, Dion makin' the beats When they air it out on at the parties we escapin' the heat I could break it down like whatever you need He squinted his face and rolled the weed
[Interlude] You know they don't see sometimes That in the neighborhood It's the exact same thing It's the same thing over and over again Feel me?
[Verse 2: Lil Herb] Have you ever heard of no limit, three hundred, six hundred? Folly boy, O block, eastside Where it ain't no conversation they just let them heats ride Can't nobody stop the violence, why my city keep lyin'? Niggas throw up peace signs but everybody keep dying Used to post up on that strip, I look like a street sign I've been out there three days and I got shot at three times Felt like every bullet hit me when they flew out each nine I be happy when I wake up and I have a free mind I know haters wanna clap me up, watch the morgue grab me up But they can catch me later, I been cool, chasin' paper Where I come from ain't no hope if you was claimin' that was major Small crib, big fam, mom was workin', granny raised us No food in the refrigerator, I was bangin', pullin' capers, that's real shit Same niggas from day one boy, yeah I'm still with Better watch out for that jump shot cause they will hit Homie take your shorty lunchbox, and won't feel shit I came from a place where it's basic but you won't make it Feds buildin' cases, judges who racist and full of hatred I mean You ain't never seen the shit that I seen
[Outro] Coming inbound Forty six minutes from 355 Jim Bryant's twenty eight out, thirty two in Lake Shore Drive's heavy south North Avenue to Chicago, jammed north through Grant Park Tri State heavy south gulf to the Bensenville Bridge and St. Charles to the Stevenson Ramp