[Intro: Carl Thomas]
Yeah, yeah-yeah
Oh, oh-woah

[Verse 1: Dave]
It's like, New York without the New York Yanks
Better yet, New York without the New York franks
It's like hot summers without no AC
Or never hitting numbers when you go to AC
It's like six years of your life, go ask Rob
I'm like, "Yo, how is it?" he like, "It's like hard"
Trying for that queen, but you nothing but a man
You wanna keep it clean but you can't
Why it gotta be (Be) like (Like) that? (That)
And what the life, see life is like a J shot, shoot it, son, they got
One point one second, you half court
I'm feeling the adrenaline like you half-caught
Like pink slips and dipping these ink tips to paper
Imagine if we fuck around and lose hip-hop
Imagine if it didn't exist
Imagine nothing shining your wrist
See, imagining to you is a risk
But think about it, like no chrome rims
And Timbs would be construction boots (Ill)
We probably wouldn't even substitute (Ill)
For words we use defining our likes
I'm coal mining these mics
To keep that gold nugget like Dave Meggett
Giant like a motherfucker, like Dave said it
But y'all ain't listening, ya paper gon' stack
Why it gotta be like that? That (That)
[Chorus: Carl Thomas]
Just running, running fast as I can
I'm trying to be a person, but I gotta be the man
If I can't stand the life that I'm in
I gotta keep running 'cause I'm still gon' win
Yes, I got to go on
It's like that, it's like that, woah
Yes, I got to go on
It's like that, it's like that

[Verse 2: Posdonus & Carl Thomas]
It's like Slick Rick without the eye patch
More like, saying slick shit you won't catch
It's like bed time without your PJs
Or no fed time in out the PJs
Like, one minute you got it, then you broke
Like, what I do with it? I copped a few with it
Looking like a problem, but you won't get it solved
You working, but you won't get the job
It's like, who would of thought (Thought)
If you would've bought (Bought)
Into my religion, you'd be more like God
But you were steady swimming, so you more like cod
See, these fools is fish scale, converting to Ishmael
See, I see it like, A alike, B alike
I was taught, if you play alike, be alike
Hide and go seek if you want to go pop
And this is how you treat hip-hop?
Imagine if you didn't have that Phantom chrome sitting on a curb, n***a
The word "n***a" wouldn't be a bit disturbing, n***a
See, them roots are like begging for the rain
You entering my kingdom just a begging for the reign
Putting shit stain to paper, ink pain feeling like
Fifty-five licks on a slave n***a's back
And not a one of y'all stopping to help (Nah)
But why it gotta be like that? (Why?) That (That)
[Pre-Chorus: Posdonus & Carl Thomas]
That, that, that, that (It's like that, it's like that)
That, that, that, that (It's like that, it's like that)

[Chorus: Carl Thomas]
Just running, running fast as I can
I'm trying to be a person, but I gotta be the man
If I can't stand the life that I'm in
I gotta keep running 'cause I'm still gon' win
Yes, I got to go on
It's like that, it's like that, woah
Yes, I got to go on
It's like that, it's like that
Just running, running fast as I can
I'm trying to be a person, but I gotta be the man
If I can't stand the life that I'm in
I gotta keep running 'cause I'm still gon' win
Yes, I got to go on
It's like that, it's like that, woah
Yes, I got to go on
It's like that, it's like that

[Outro: Carl Thomas]
Yeah, oh, yeah
Oh, it's like that, it's like that
Yeah, it's like that, it's like that
Woah-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Yeah
And De La, I got the soul, yeah, huh
Say why can't I pay my bills? Yeah
It's like that, it's like that, it's like that