That's the way it begins - 
you try to behave, 
yeah, you try to fit in. 
But when you rise and stand 
you find a lock-step march - 
no room for jazz. 

Born bad- 
with a slight-o-hand 
I go from jam to jam 
with a crash, boom, bam. 

Born bad - 
I dodge a sucker punch 
and drop a bomb, like Liston, 
on an animal hunch. 

I've been down. 
Yeah, I've spent some time downtown. 
I've covered sacred ground, 
soft and slow and round. 

I gave up. 
Yeah, I learned to give it up, 
thinkin' that's the final cut. 
But it turns out I was wrong. 

Born bad - 
that's the way it began, 
stuffed a young pink lung 
down a rank glue bag. 

Born bad - 
this is where it all lands 
for a bull headed, corner hangin' 
problem child man. 

I grew hard. 
Over time my scars toughed up. 
When gettin' even just wasn't enough, 
I had to choke my conscience off. 
 [bad word] far. 
Yeah, I had to travel far. 
Peel through layers sick and raw 
just to taste and touch once more. 

Born bad - 
like a synchro-mesh shift 
that's stuck in third 
just smokes and burns. 

Born bad - 
with a cig-hangin' lip. 
talk-back baby on a 
star-crossed ship.