Intro:

Hold on
Yeah, it's gonna be alright
Don't trip, baby
It'll get better
Aye, do this thug style, man, thug style
When this whole beat drop
We just gon' run it to 'em
Bet, it's all good, uhh

1 Verse (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 drive-bys 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
Thе marijuana had my mind gone, it wasn't healthy
I travelеd 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
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on

2 Verse (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' 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
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
Hold on, be strong!
When it's on, it's on