[Verse 1: Rick James, Mary Jane Girls]
When I was a young boy
Growing up in the ghetto
Hanging out on corners
Singing with the fellas
Looking for the cute chicks
Tryna find the big fun
Looking for some trouble
Or anyone who'll give me some
I was young and crazy
In the ghetto
Didn't know what my life would be
In the ghetto
I was dumb and oh so lazy
In the ghetto
Something had a spell on me
In the ghetto

[Chorus: Rick James]
You wanna know what I'm talking 'bout?
Talking 'bout ghetto life
Ghetto life
You wanna know what I'm singing 'bout?
Talking 'bout ghetto life
Ghetto life
[Verse 2: Rick James, Mary Jane Girls]
When I was a young man
Kind of free and fancy
Met this little cute girl
She said her name was Nancy
She had pigtails to her shoulders
She couldn't have been much older
She taught me what I had to know
To make a girl not wanna go
She was young and kinky
In the ghetto
She laid her pigtails down on me
In the ghetto
And I was young and oh so sneaky
In the ghetto
I had to see what love could be
In the ghetto
Listen

[Bridge: Rick James, The Temptations]
I knew it all along
That my game was strong
But I was wrong that time
I knew I had to play
And give myself away
Did you think I was man enough?
Yeah
Did you think I was smart enough?
Yeah
Did you think I was strong enough?
Yeah
Did you think that I'd work it out?
For the ghetto life

[Chorus: Rick James, Mary Jane Girls]
Sing it 'til you feel it when you say
Talking 'bout ghetto life
Ghetto life, you got to get on over
Talking 'bout ghetto life
Ghetto life

[Verse 3: Rick James]
When I was a young boy
Tenements, slums and corner bums
Playing tag with winos
The only way to have some fun
One thing 'bout the ghetto
You don't have to hurry
It'll be there tomorrow
So brother don't you worry

[Chorus: Rick James, Mary Jane Girls]
Ghetto life
Talking 'bout ghetto life
Talking 'bout ghetto life
Ghetto life, baby
Talking 'bout ghetto life
[Outro: Rick James, Mary Jane Girls, The Temptations]
Life
Life
Ghetto life
Talking 'bout ghetto life
La, la-la-la-la, life
Life
Shoop-shoop-shoop-shoop, shoo-doop in the ghetto
People, we gotta get over
Shoop-shoop-shoop-shoop, shoo-doop in the ghetto
Talking 'bout the life
Shoop-shoop-shoop-shoop, shoo-doop in the ghetto
Life

Where's the place we funk?
Ghetto land, that's the place we funk
(The place we like to funk)
Ghetto land, that's the place we funk
Say where's the place we funk?
Ghetto land, that's the place we funk
(The place we like to funk)
Ghetto land (Ho!), that's the place we funk
(The place we like to funk)
Ghetto land, that's the place we funk
That's the place we like to funk
(The place we like to funk)
Where's the place we like to funk?
Ghetto land, that's the place we funk
(The place we like to funk)
Ghetto land, that's the place
Where we funk from day to day
Ghetto land, ghetto land
Ghetto land, that's the place
Where we funk from day to day
Ghetto land