I was an outcast, outsider, troublemaker A lost soul, out of control, in danger Didn't have a care in the world, my feelings were numb Never showin' emotion is easy for some I don't know how it happened, how I got to this point But I needed a way out, I was stuck in the void I needed another path or I'd self-destruct I was down in my luck, my head was so fucked
A menace runnin' the streets is what I was Holdin' my heat and rollin' with the serious thugs You couldn't tell me a thing, I was like my brother Words went in one ear and out the other Slangin' and bangin' with a chip on my shoulder And insane in the brain, certified street soldier So close to the grave, at an early age Can't tell you the price I paid
Oh the sky overhead's like a canvas of gray I don't know how much time I'll be given to stay From the first break of light 'til the end of the day I'm just livin' my life 'til they come carry me away
I remember the late nights on the block where I came up My pops used to hate when we'd hang with them bangers Dissin' you, one day, that would become us That's just how it is when you live where we come from Fight, don't run, is the model we live by Get 'em on the gun and stomp 'em out about 10 times Shit, we was just kids back then I had no remorse for what we did back then
Six of us, one car, we'd all pack in Hit the strip and go and get this shit crackin' Gun wars and drug deals, I seen 'em happen When I started losin' home boys, I wasn't laughin' I looked all around and seen none of 'em there That's when I figured out that nobody cared If we lived or died, we'd just get high and ride And I wasn't gonna let this happen one more time
Oh the sky overhead's like a canvas of gray I don't know how much time I'll be given to stay From the first break of light 'til the end of the day I'm just livin' my life 'til they come carry me away
My mother was there for me every step of the way She didn't judge me, she told me I'd win some day When I was at my lowest, when I had no focus She pulled me out the gutter, said I wasn't hopeless Every night she prayed for me, I was out in the street Chillin' on the corner with the hand on my heat Eyes open wide for the pigs and foes It's an everyday hazard when you hustle for dough
So many nights I didn't come home, she thought the worst Maybe somebody shot me down without any remorse Maybe I hurt somebody and I was stuck in a cell And I regret all those times that I put her through hell When I reflect back on those days, my heart aches And everybody I lost or let down, I wish I could take it all back And make it better, but I can't So I try to make amends and be there through thick and thin
Oh the sky overhead's like a canvas of gray I don't know how much time I'll be given to stay From the first break of light 'til the end of the day I'm just livin' my life 'til they come carry me away Come carry me away, come carry me away Come carry me away, come carry me away