[Verse 1]
Life's a confusing search
From birth till you lay in the cold, black earth
And your soul is reunited with the universe
Supreme peace, all a n***a ever knew was hurt
It's like every colored child in the womb is cursed
To be labeled as a fucking criminal or worse
And it pains me to see anguish in me
Explained in a paragraph, laid in a beat
I epitomize a rough life, hoping the judge might
Show compassion, we were moving crushed white
My man got caught with a four that wouldn't bust right
Plus marked money, you could say he had a rough night
Who laws' enforced when you standing in court, remanded
The D's seized a ki and half of that vanished
Life is deeper than you'll ever understand it
Sometimes I wonder how the fuck I ever manage

[Chorus]
This is the other side, often glorified
But never lived, I know what it is to fall and rise

[Verse 2]
Shorty's life was no joke
He never met his father and his mama was on dope
Then she took an overdose and died, you know how it goes
Left shorty alone with no home, stone broke
Now he in the game at fifteen years old
Enduring the winter nights till his feet get cold
Frequently on the phone, his girlfriend was beautiful
With goals, so they argue 'bout his lifestyle as usual
Time goes on and she eventually left
Sick of him going to jail and near brushes with death
She gave him an ultimatum but she knew he would choose
To return to a game with ever-changing rules
And when she stayed in school, now he resting in peace
And the crack is still selling where he bled in the street
[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
My appetite was destructive, I swallowed my pride
When the connect suggested it's best if I just rhyme
Ultimately, we both knew the choice was mine
Coulda hit me with that ki, but he want me to shine
I could see sincereness in his eyes
We both was still here and our man just died
He told me park my V and we went for a ride
Then he said he's yet to hear lyrics realer than mine
His words froze my soul as if suspended in time
My conscience and greed were prepared to collide
He told me if I need currency, he will provide
And he would rather give me money than give me consignment
The choice is mine, I could use my voice to rhyme
Or pursue exploits in crime while trying to e-void time
It's deceiving, meaning it ain't always on your side
Yet the answer came easy when my daughter arrived