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 drivebys 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 facin 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 

 [bad word]  repeat 4X 

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

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 gettin 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