[Intro]
Keepin' it real

[Verse 1]
I take a shot of Hennessy
Now I'm strong enough to face the madness
Nickel bag full of cess weed laced with hash
Phone calls from my n***as on the other side
Two childhood friends just died, I couldn't cry
A damn shame, when will we ever change?
And what remains from a 12-gauge to the brain?
Arguments with my boo, it's true
I spend more time with my n***as than I do with you
But everywhere it's the same thang
That's the game, I'll be damned if a thang changed
Fuck the fame, I'll be hustlin' to make a million
Lord knows ain't no love for us ghetto children
So we cold, Rag-top slowin' down, time to stop for gas
Beep my horn for a hoochie with a proper ass
Uh, it ain't easy, that's my motto
Drinkin' Tanqueray straight out the bottle
Everybody wanna know if I'm insane
My baby mama got a mind full of silly games
And all the drama got me stressin' like I'm hopeless
I can't cope, me and the homies smokin' roaches
'Cause we broke, late night, hangin' out 'til the sunrise
Gettin' high, watchin' the cops roll by
It ain't easy; that's right, it ain't easy
[Hook]
—easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary or will I stay free?

[Verse 2]
I can't sleep, n***as plottin' on me, kill me while I'm dreamin'
Wake up sweaty and screamin'
'Cause I can hear them suckers schemin'
Probably paranoid, problem is them punks be fantasizin'
A brother bite the bullet, open fire and I died
I wonder why, it's just the way it is, even now
Lookin' out for these killa kids 'cause they wild
Bill Clinton, can you recognize a n***a representin'
Doin' twenty to life in San Quentin?
Gettin' calls from my n***a Mike Tyson, ain't nothin' nice
Yo 'Pac, do somethin' righteous with your life
And even though you're innocent you still a n***a
So they figure, rather have you behind bars than triggers
But I'ma hold you down and holla Thug Life
Lickin' shots 'til I see my n***as free on the block
But no, it ain't easy (ha ha ha)
'Til I see my n***as free on the block, uh, it ain't easy
[Hook]
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary—

[Verse 3]
Lately been reminiscin' about Peppermint Schnapps
In Junior High hit the block
Keep an eye on the cops while d-boys slang rocks
Just a project kid without a conscience
I'm havin' dreams of hearin' screams at my concerts
Me and all my childhood peers
Through the years tryin' to stack a little green
I was only seventeen when I started servin' fiends
And I wish there was another way to stack a dolla
Sold my Impala 'cause these hard times make me wanna holla
Will I live to see tomorrow? Am I fallin' off?
I hit the weed and then proceed to say: "Fuck all of y'all!"
Ain't nobody down with me, I'm thuggin'
I can't go home, 'cause muh'fuckers think I'm buggin'
So now I'm in this high-powered cell at the county jail
Punk judge got a grudge, can't post no bail
What do I do in these county blues?
Gettin' battered and bruised by the you-know-who
And these fakes get to shakin' when they face me
Snakes ain't got enough nuts to replace me
Sittin' in this livin' hell, listenin' to n***as yell
Tryin' to torture 'em to tell, I'm gettin' mail
But ain't nobody sayin' much, the same old nuts
Is makin' bucks while these sluts is gettin' fucked
They violated my probation
And it seems I'll be goin' on a long vacation
Meanwhile, it ain't easy—
No, it ain't easy
[Hook]
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary, or will I stay free?
It ain't easy being me
Will I see the penitentiary or will I stay free?