[Chorus: Chris Martin]
Tryin’ hard to speak and
Fightin’ with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When somethin’ is broken
And you try to fix it
Tryin’ to repair it
Anyway you can

[Verse 1: Swizz Beatz]
The time was the late 80's
Every block had a stray dog with rabies
Fiends threw away their crack babies
Arguin’ with my brother to see who pick the mouse up
Walk by, open up the oven door to heat the house up
Everyday, police would swarm
Comin’ home from school, your brains on your uniform
I wish I could fly away on a unicorn
I'm from the ghetto and everyday a human’s born
So who cares if I'm stretched out on the scene?
Surrounded by homicide forensic team
Yellow tape, haters glad that I'm dead
Pedestrians walkin’ by and they just shakin’ their heads saying

[Chorus: Chris Martin]
Tryin’ hard to speak and
Fightin’ with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When somethin’ is broken
And you try to fix it
Tryin’ to repair it
Anyway you can
[Verse 2: Swizz Beatz]
What's hot, what's not, what should, what shouldn't be (Come on)
Come on y'all who to say what couldn't be? (Yeah)
Look at me, I'm nicest not the iciest (Yes)
Sometimes I wake up and ask God, who life this is? (Who life this is, man?)
I look at these eyes, I'm only in this body
If you only could understand the vision that I carry
White actors will be like Puff Daddy when he interned (Diddy)
Men play with fire, men get burned (Oww)
To talk about this, the only thing I earned (Listen)
I can rap, I’m talkin’ about killin’ you like this
Or puttin’ a hole in your head the size of that
But that would be cheatin’ myself and I can't do that, man (Come on)

[Chorus: Chris Martin]
Tryin’ hard to speak and
Fightin’ with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When somethin’ is broken
And you try to fix it
Tryin’ to repair it
Anyway you can

[Verse 3: Swizz Beatz]
Man, it all ends up on a back street (Talk to em')
In abandoned buildings where the crack heads meet
All you hear is and lighters flicking
Busy smoking, baby dead, rat poison in the kitchen (Damn)
They so high, walkin’ by, thinkin’ she sleep (Don't worry bout her)
Don't even put her in the crib, just cover her with a sheet (Just come up)
This is me in the building 17 with the bundles and a gun up on me
And I shoot any n***a run up on me
And for two years, my momma lookin’ for me
Cryin’, runnin’ up on other kids thinkin’ it's me (Kasseem, Kasseem)
By now I ain’t got no heart
N***a, I'm a gang member (Wassup n***a? Wassup?)
Suited up and I’m ready to start (Come on)
[Chorus: Chris Martin]
Tryin’ hard to speak and
Fightin’ with my weak hand
Driven to distraction
So part of the plan
When somethin’ is broken
And you try to fix it
Tryin’ to repair it
Anyway you can