[Intro/Collision: Sampled & 2Pac]
"Yo, Jackson!" "A 231549"
"Yeah, close four! Comin' down!
My homeboys in Clinton and Rikers Island
All Crichlow! A 5991301
The penitentiaries, Mumia, Mutulu, Geronimo, Sekou
All Close five! Comin' down!"
The political prisoners, San Quentin
“Look at Satan” “I see him”
All the jailhouses, I'm witchu

[Pre-Verse: 2Pac & Tyrone Wrice]
Yeah, one thug, one thug
How do we keep the music playin'?
You're listenin' to the sounds of one thug
One thug, one thug, How do we get ahead?
You're listenin' to the sounds of…

[Verse 1: 2Pac]
I wake up early in the mornin', mind state so military
Suckers fantasizin' pictures of a young brother buried
Was it me, the weed or this life I lead?
If daytime is for suckers then tonight we breathe
Out for all that, knowin' that this world bring drawbacks
Look how they shiver once I deliver these raw raps
Meet me at the cemetery, dressed in black
Tonight we honor the dead, those who won't be back
So, if I die, do the same for me, shed no tears
An outlaw thug livin' in this game for years
Why worry? Hope to God, get me high when I'm buried
Knowin' deep inside only a few love me
Don't rush me to the gates of Heaven
Let me picture for a while, how I lived for my days as a child
I wonder now, how do we outlast?
Always get cash, stay strong if we all mash; hold ya head!
[Chorus: Tyrone Wrice & 2Pac]
How do we keep the music playin'?
Yes, you got to hold ya head!
How do we get ahead? Hold ya head!
Too many young black brothers are dyin'
Yes, you got to hold ya head!
Livin' fast, too fast

[Verse 2: 2Pac]
These felonies be like prophecies
Beggin' me to stop ‘cause these
Lawyers gettin' money every time they knock us
Snatchin' pockets lyrically, suckers flee when they notice
Switched my name to Makaveli, half the rap game ghost
Exposed foes with my hocus-pocus flows, they froze
Now suckers idolize my chosen blows
And mo' money mean litigatin', mo' playa hatin'
Got a cell at the pen' for me waitin'—is this my fate?
Miss me with that misdemeanor thinkin', me fall back?
Never that, too much Tequila drinkin', we all that
Make them understand me? Hell nah, this ain't my posse
Everyone with me is family, ‘cause everybody's got me
Watch me paint a perfect vision, this life we livin'
Got us all meetin' up in prison
Last week I got a letter from my road dog, written in blood
Sayin', "Please show a playa love"—hold ya head! (Hold it!)
[Chorus: Tyrone Wrice & 2Pac]
How do we keep the music playin'?
You got to hold ya head!
How do we get ahead? Come on, hold ya head!
Too many young black brothers are dyin'
Yes, hold ya head!
Livin' fast, too fast
The weed got me tweakin' in my mind, I'm thinkin'…

[Verse 3: 2Pac]
God bless the child that can hold his own
Indeed, enemies bleed when I hold my chrome
Let these words be the last to my unborn seeds
Hope to raise my young nation in this world of greed
Currency means nothin' if you still ain't free
Money breeds jealousy, take the game from me
I hope for better days, trouble comes naturally
Runnin' from authorities 'til they capture me
And my aim is to spread mo' smiles than tears
Utilize lessons learned from my childhood years
Maybe Mama had it all right, rest yo' head
Tradin' conversations all night, bless the dead
To the homies that I used to have that no longer roll
Catch a brother at the crossroads
Plus nobody knows my soul, watchin' time pass
Through the glass of my drop-top Rolls; hold ya head!
[Chorus: Tyrone Wrice & 2Pac]
How do we keep the music playin'?
You got to hold ya head!
How do we get ahead? C'mon, hold ya head!
Too many young black brothers are dyin'
Yes, hold ya head!
Livin' fast, too fast
You got to hold ya head!
How do we keep the music playin'?
Yes, you got to hold ya head!
How do we get ahead?

[Collision: 2Pac]
No matter how hard it get, feel me? (Come on)
Get the weed, drink a drink, read a book
Watch the stars, get some pussy—whatever!