[Spoken Word Intro: Brother Ali]
As I grew I would see them my comrades
In corridors, grouped in 2's and 3's and 4's
Sharing a blunt, talking, cursing, fighting
Sometimes weeping, lost
And it seemed to be no way whatsoever
To remove this cloud that stood between them and the sun
Between them and love

[Verse 1: Joell Ortiz]
We all took losses, workers, the hood bosses
9 to 5'ers, drug dealers, the hood warship
Hood Hoopstars that could have went to the league
But they whole game went to the weed
Little girl trapped in the crib off the strength of they seed
Some older n***a had her pimped in a v
She was used to them rebox
But he got them rims that keep spinning when the v stop
So when the v stop, she stop
He got right, took flight, now her little daughter needs socks
And the grandmother need rock
Cause she a victim of these street blocks
The hood is a wall and it's not made of sheet rocks
It's made of project bricks, elevators is full of project piss
Incinerators is the project snitch
That's where you find old ripped checks
And notices from housing cause this malcolm ain't paid the rent yet
[Hook: Joell Ortiz with (sample)]
Damn right I like the life I live
(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)
Cause I went from negative to positive
Damn right I like the life I live
(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)
Cause I went from negative to positive
And it's all what?
And it's all good

[Verse 2: Joell Ortiz]
The first and the third like christmas in the projects
That we use food stamps to buy inedible objects
Man the hood is a trap
Why my man can't read but he good with a mac?
You figure it out
Why my aunt and my cousin had to live on a couch?
Simon came back from the storm, couldn't get in his house
Housing padlocked the door for the pettiness Guap
My cousin dead because of the color of the sweater he rocked
My little homie buying cocaine, 20 a pot
Not to sell but to inhale, damn he ready to drop
My man play ball, remind me of penny a lot
Weed got him in Fedex lifting the heaviest box
All the ladies in that lotto playing numbers, they was dreaming
They playing them so long, when they hit them they break even
Too many of us out in this world that ain't eating
The problems we trying to make excuse is a great reason
[Hook: Joell Ortiz with (sample)]
Damn right I like the life I live
(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)
Cause I went from negative to positive
Damn right I like the life I live
(Well the going it's kinda rough hey)
Cause I went from negative to positive
And it's all what?
And it's all good

[Verse 3: Brother Ali]
The going get mighty rough, doors keep falling shut
Bills you can't ignore them but you know the piling up
Police round us up, authority hard to trust
And they ain't slowing up until you're inside the cuffs
Act us if the human rights don't apply to us
Throw us in front of the judge, load us on a bus
We escape the maze and the poetry that we buss
The rap industry, fucked, ain't nobody signing us
A lot of daddies ain't here to show us how to love
We learning from the radio, of course it's not enough
And listen to the soundtrack of homies growing up
Boys in love with strippers and shawty want a thug
When you know you stuck, running short on love
Oven door open to warm the apartment up
The baby start to fuss, you know when times are rough
The only thing for certain, is you cannot give up
[Verse 4: Joell Ortiz]
When the going got kinda rough, I was moving all kind of stuff
Grinding to find a buck, fiends never could buy enough
Them bills kept piling up, the haters would try their luck
So at night I'd have to fire while running and try to duck
Them Ds inside the truck with my name on them iron cuffs
They want Joell in that cell, They'd love to just line it shut
The Ladies admired us My team was fly as fuck
On roof I would try to pluck
I ain't give a flying fuck man I'm gutter
My daddy left my mother, no sisters no brothers
No inspiration, just calculating it undercover
Patiently waiting, hoping I'd slip up, on a pick up
But me get caught slipping? pause, like a hiccup
But nah, it ain't fun out there serving them bombs
I was grimy i had a duke and was serving his moms
Over this griminess my mans took permanent naps
I feel better in this studio just murdering tracks for real

[Hook: Brother Ali]
Damn right I like the life I live
Times I gotta smile just to hide my tears
Struggle made me wise, beyond my years
I hustle to survive just for my kid
Damn right I like the life I live
Times I gotta smile just to hide my tears
Struggle made me wise, beyond my years
I hustle to survive just for my kid
Well the going it's kinda rough hey