[INTRO]

[2Pac]
I never had much, ran with a bad bunch
Little skinny kid sneakin' weed in my bag lunch
And all through Junior High, we was just gettin' by
And driveby's robbed my homies of their young lives
I never did cry, and even though I had
Pain in my heart, I was hopeless from the start
They couldn't tell me nothin', they all tried to help to help me
The marijuana had my mind gone it wasn't healthy
I travelled places, caught cases, what a ill year
I felt the pain and the rain but I'm still here
Never did like the police, let the whole world know
Now I gets no peace, cause they chasin' me down
And facing me now, what do I do?
These thangs that a Thug goes through
And still I rise so keep ya head up, and make ya mind strong
It's a [bad word] every day but you gotta hold on

[Hook: repeat 4X]

Hold on, be strong, hold on
Be strong, hold on
When it's on it's on

[2Pac]
There's, never a good day, cause in my hood they
Let they AK's pump strays where the kids play
And every Halloween, check out the murder scene
Can't help but duplicate the violence seen on the screen
My homies dyin 'fore they get to see they birthdays
These is the worst days, sometimes it hurts to pray
And even God turned his back on the ghetto youth
I know that ain't the [bad word]  sometimes I look for proof
I wonder if heaven got a ghetto, and if it does
Does it matter if you blood or you cuz
Remember how it was, the picnics and the parties in the projects
Small time drinkin getting high with them armies
Just another knucklehead kid from the gutter
I'm dealin' with the madness, raised by a single mother
I'm tryin' to tell you when it's on
You gotta keep your head to the sky and be strong, most of all hold on

[Hook]

[Interlude:]

I know them ain't [bad word] down your face
When it's on it's on but wipe your eyes
In this world only the strong survive y'know
Hmm, I know it's hard out there
Welfare, AIDS, earthquakes, muggings, carjackings
Yeah we got problems but believe me when I tell you
Things always get better God don't like ugly
And God don't like no quitters
You know what Billie Holiday said bay-bee
God bless the child that can hold his own
Y'know? You got to stand strong
And when these bustas try to knock you out your place
You stand there to they face tell em hold on, and be strong
The game don't stop, Hmmm
Hold on, and be strong, this here is Black Man

[Outro]
If you don't never leave nothin, learn one thing
It don't stop, til the casket drop
Hold on
Thug, for Life... feel me?
All my homeboys and my homegirls, stay strong
When things get bad, [bad word] the first and the fifteenth
Stay strong, and stay ballin, hold on
I'll catch y'all at the next life, we in traffic