Some of us have angels -- the kingdom, the power Some of us have angels -- the power, the glory Some of us have demons -- greed, and lust Some of us have demons -- lust, temptation
[Nas] Now this is you, dressed in all black, fatigue hat, ready for combat A good nigga, you don't leave tracks A hood nigga wantin G-stacks, do what you gotta do to get that You feel you need that, where the jooks at? These are your niggaz, creepin they be leavin niggaz sleep witchu Loc' style, quiet no smile, it's the official Sometime they grimy, speakin on they own people They snake you if they have to, raised tattoos Now these are your bitches, phonin lonely homey chickens All the homies stick em, you think you own em man listen She stab you in your sleep with a knife from out the kitchen Put a root on you, next week they find you missin Dead in your Expedition in the forest, fell off the cliff and tumbled til you blew up, Feds told her and she threw up Fake bitches, actresses, wicked witch practices Two sides of us, negative or positive
[Chorus]
[Nas] Now this is your mom, your good luck charm Pushin you to do no wrong, prayin for you that you live long Nobody kill my baby, but she know her baby crazy In and out of jail, mom's screamin, "God take me!" This is your pop, chip off the old block that made him The man of the house, mom and pops seperatin Spittin image of a gangster the way pop walked the way pop talked, got older and you thanked him now This is your hood, poor folks drugs and robberies Turnin into the things moms wanted you not to be Crime followin the wrong dudes who have no values Life's cheap as the dime in the minds of those around you This is the test, the stress, the conflict the ups and downs of niggaz around you make threats They tell you keep it gangster, no matter the predicament Even though your decision won't help you benefit
[Chorus]
[Nas] Now once again this is you, entertainin your desires Bitches money and guns, aimin and you fire Everyday is grief, if it ain't beef, it's feedin your seed Tryin to eat? You form material needs The weed make your brain sizzle, a pistol make it cool off by stickin up niggaz, make them take they jewels off His reputation is, bigger than his whole life span He never planned to fail, he just failed to plan What does it take to realize, Satan's alive, he whispers And any chance he get, he can take niggaz He comes in all shapes and sizes, his best disguise is when he stand beside us, but God is inside us, within me You are your worst enemy - my mom's words echo in my head And if I let go I'm dead Each step my daughter take, motivate my spirit And now the body experience, so now I feel it Lookin at my blessings, the bullets - that missed me coulda hit me Them court cases coulda put me in the penitentiary I never hate, that's just wasted energy The past is gone, the present's a gift, so what's the mystery? The future - and time only reveals, what fear is False expectations, appearin real We only human, love thy neighbor, so I was told and I will til permanently, my eyes are closed