When I was you age, I wanted to be a ball player

I would dream about being a ball player, about being a, a race car driver, an astronaut

Kris, Kris, need a way to die? I respect that, I respect that

But what about what you have to live for?

Man, there ain't nothing to live for!

Being 5 and I live and it's makin' me sick

Brother's got me scared to go to school but I can't quit

"Cause if I do, (If you do), I'll be through, (He'll be through)

And plus mine's are beepin' 'til I'm black and blue, (Fool!)

So what I do is take it day by day

Go to school and get a lecture 'bout my pants being the wrong way

Then they try to ban a man for havin' braids

Oh yeah, even though I was keepin' up my grades

But yo, it didn't matter, (Why?), they just wasn't with it

They kept callin' pops tryna give me the "Quit it!"

I got some friends that be treatin' me mean

Jealous 'cause they seein' us on the T.V. screen

They wanna beat us down 'cause we ain't around no more

They wanna beat us down 'cause we ain't around no more

But they gots to understand I'm still down with my crew

I just had some business to attend to

But never will we ever go shame, (shame)

And turn back my hood 'cause my hood is what praise me

Uh, What's funny is that I ain't grown up

But we did something to keep some of our young up here from being town up

And now I'm considered as a role model, (role model,)

So when there's somethin' mo' to life they turn it up an gold bottle, (huh)

I pray and pray that everyday is good

'cause it's rough and tough growin' up as little boys it the hood

If we wasn't doin' this we'd be out the back door

But I was told like I'm telling, you got somehin' to live for!

Break 'em off son

Kris, Kris, need a way to die? I respect that, I respect that

But what about what you have to live for?

Kris, Kris, need a way to die? I respect that, I respect that

But what about what you have to live for?