Growing up I've seen a lot of shit in my time
I've seen hunger, hunger, pleasure, pain,
violence and crime
I have learned from the mistakes of my friends
that have died
And from those who have gone down in life
that just never tried
Life is just too short I realize that now
I'm gonna get my shit together
and I try to make it some how
Cause one thing that I have learned is
that you only live once
So now I'll take life by the balls and squeeze
until they crunch
Knowledge of the streets, a valuable tool
Type of education you can't get in school
Many hard times, losing friends, getting burned
nobody to teach me, I just learned
A man like clay molded by his surroundings
He starts to take shape of the beating and the pounding
Assembly line that I've been through
A hard motherfucker with a bad attitude
Maybe its just the times we live in
Maybe its just urban discipline
The way of urban life are not as they seem
Standing up and fighting is what living here means
In order to survive you've got to earn your respect
The only lessons that you learn are from things
that you regret
Lead
Verse II
Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan,
Staten Island and Queens
Standing up and fighting is what living here means
In order to survive you've got to earn your respect
The only lessons that you learn are from things
that you regret