[Verse 1]
I never had much, ran with a bad bunch
Little skinny kid sneakin' weed in my bag lunch
And all through Junior High, we was just gettin' by
And drive-by's robbed my homies of their young lives
I never did cry, and even though I had pain in my heart
I was hopeless from the start
They couldn't tell me nothin', they all tried to help me
The marijuana had my mind gone, it wasn't healthy
I traveled places, caught cases, what a ill year
I felt the pain and the rain, but I'm still here
Never did like the police
Let the whole world know, now I gets no peace
‘Cause they chasin' me down
And facin' me now, what do I do?
These things that a thug goes through
And still I rise, so keep your head up
And make your mind strong
It's a struggle every day, but you gotta hold on
[Hook]
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on

[Verse 2]
There's never a good day, ‘cause in my hood they
Let they AK's pump strays where the kids play
And every Halloween, check out the murder scene
Can't help but duplicate the violence seen on the screen
My homies dyin' before they get to see they birthdays
These is the worst days, sometimes it hurts to pray
And even God turned his back on the ghetto youth
I know that ain't the truth, sometimes I look for proof
I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto, and if it does
Does it matter if you Blood or you Cuz?
Remember how it was?
The picnics and the parties in the projects
Small time drinkin', gettin' high with them armies
Just another knucklehead kid from the gutter
I'm dealin' with the madness, raised by a single mother
I'm tryin' to tell you when it's on
You gotta keep your head to the sky
And be strong, most of all, hold on
[Hook]
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on

[Outro]
(Hold on, be strong *repeats in background*)
I know them ain't tears comin' down your face
Wipe your eyes
In this world, only the strong survive, you know?
Hehe, I know it's hard out there
Welfare, AIDS, earthquakes, muggings, car-jackings
Yeah, we got problems
But believe me when I tell you things always get better
God don't like ugly, and God don't like no quitters
You know what Billie Holiday said?
Bay-bee, God bless the child that can hold his own
You know? You got to stand strong
And when these bustas try to knock you out your place
You stand there to they face
Tell 'em "Hold on!", and be strong
The game don't stop, huh
This here is black, man
If you don't never learn nothin', learn one thing
It don't stop, 'til the casket drop
Thug for life... feel me?
All my homeboys and my homegirls, stay strong
When things get bad
Especially come the first and the fifteenth
Stay strong, and stay ballin', hold on
I'll catch y'all at the next life, we in traffic