[T.I. - talking] Ay I'm working here, know what I'm saying Try to put yourself in my shoes for a second Its not personal I'm just sayin though
[Verse 1] Ay look From when the moon came out 'till the sun came up I was supplyin the days with what they flame up Our mamas passing by, trying to explain us Pissing in the bushes like they never house trained us But, try to understand thats how we came up You get to know us, you'll love us but you can't change us (naw) Really we rather be rich and famous But in the mean time were forced to slang dust 'Dro or crack cocaine, Penicillin to Rogaine Ecstacy, Viagra, whatever'll get the dough mayne Im tired of people mis-representing my dough mayne Oh you think we out here killing for nothing, hustling for no gains (picture that)
[Hook (sample playing in the background)] Hey man I'm just doing my job Hey lady, don't mind me I'm just doing my job I don't wanna make your life more harder, I'm just doin my job You live here, I work here I'm doing my job
[Verse 2] I don't know if you don't know, don't care or can't see Every time something up in the hood, it ain't me And I ain't always up to no good and on the creep And ye' ain't always gotta pass through the hood without speaking (how you doing) We ain't out here threatining your lives, raping your children We just out here staying alive, making a lil' bit (you know) Working hard, trying to survive chasing a billion You hear us talking loud, just think of us as chamelions adaptin' to situations, but accusations is still there and robbing your house, now you just hurting my feelings (maaan) We got lives, we wanna live nice too We got moms, dads, wives, kids just like you But our options are fewer, its hell in high school When your helping with the rent lights and the gas bill too So before you go judging us loving us won't hurt if you're under 25, staying alive is hard work
[Hook]
[Verse 3] And for you to see what I'm saying, open eyes would help If you could think about somebody besides yourself Why you pointing fingers at me, analyze yourself Quit all that chastising and try to provide some help Instead of calling the law, and busting my balls With all due respect, we don't even be fucking with y'all (maan) And we can't help it cause it is like this We don't like it no more than you that we live like this Always, stuck in the grind, from summertime to wintertime Cut school, and sell fifty dimes by dinner time See everything we know we learned from the streets Since thirteen I've been hustling and earning my keep