[Intro]
"Your life has been marked by considerable pain..
Do you think you'll ever get to the point where you can live
A normal, happy life?"

No, but.. I.. I'm goin' for it.. I'm tryin' for it
And until then..I have to make the life that I do live
As happy as I can and try to do the best with what I have
Do.. you know, live the best life I can live
Be as happy as I can be.. nothing is perfect for anybody
I don't think

Thug for life, feel me? (that's right)
I know it seems hard sometimes, but..
Remember one thing..
To every dark night, there's a bright day after that
All my homeboys and my homegirls, stay strong
When things get bad, especially come the first and the fifteenth
So no matter how hard it get, stick you chest out, keep your head up..
And handle it!
Hold on..
I'll catch y'all up in the next life
We're in traffic

Ay do this Thug style main, Thug style
When this whole beat drop we just gon' run it to 'em bet
It's all good, uhh
[2Pac]
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 driveby'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 travelled 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 facing me now, what do I do?
These thangs that a Thug goes through
And still I rise so keep ya head up, and make ya mind strong
It's a struggle every day but you gotta hold on

[Chorus]
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night, there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if you hold on
It's a struggle every day, you gotta roll on
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night, there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if you hold on
It's a struggle every day, you gotta roll on
[2Pac]
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' 'fore 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' getting 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

[Chorus]
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night, there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if you hold on
It's a struggle every day, you gotta roll on
I wish I could take the pain away
If you can make it through the night, there's a brighter day
Everything will be alright if you hold on
It's a struggle every day, you gotta roll on
[Interlude:]
I know them ain't tears coming down your face
When it's on it's on but wipe your eyes
In this world only the strong survive y'know
Hmm, I know it's hard out there
Welfare, AIDS, earthquakes, muggings, carjackings
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
Y'know? You got to stand strong
And when these busters 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, Hmmm
Hold on, and be strong, this here is Black Man

[Outro]
If you don't never leave nothin', learn one thing
It don't stop, til the casket drop
Hold on