I was an outcast, outsider, troublemaker
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 [bad word] I was down in my luck, my head was so [bad word] 
[bad word]  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 [bad word] 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 [bad word] us
That's just how it is when you live where [bad word] from
Fight, [bad word]  is the model we live by
Get 'em on the gun and stomp 'em out about 10 times [bad word]  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 [bad word] crackin'
Gun wars and [bad word] 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 [bad word] 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 [bad word] 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 [bad word] 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 [bad word] carry me [bad word] carry me [bad word] carry me [bad word] carry me [bad word] carry me away