As I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death
I take a look at my life
and realize there's nothing left
Cause I've been blasting
and laughing so long that
Even my momma thinks
that my mind is gone
But I aint never crossed a man
that didn't deserve it
Me be treated like a punk,
you know that's unheard of
You better watch how you talking,
and where you walking
Or you and your homies
might be lined in chalk
I really hate to trip
but I gotta loc
As they croak I see myself
in the pistol smoke ... fool
I'm the kinda that little
homies want to be like
On my knees in the night,
saying prayers in the street light
We’ve been spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We’ve been spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
Look at the situation,
they got me facing
I can't live a normal life,
I was raised by the state
So I gotta be down
with the hood team
Too much television
watching got me chasing dreams
I'm an educated fool
with money on my mind
Got my 10 in my hand
and a gleam in my eye
I'm a locked out gangsta
set trippin banger
And my homies are down
so don’t arouse my anger ... fool
Death aint nothing
but a heart beat away
I'm living life
do or die, what can I say
I'm 23 now will I ever
live to see 24
The way things
is going I don't know
Tell me why are we
so blind to see
That the ones we hurt
are you and me.
We’ve been spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We’ve been spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
Power in the money,
money in the power
Minute after minute,
hour after hour
Everybody's running,
but half of them aint looking
It’s going on in the kitchen,
but I don't know what's cooking
They say I've got to learn
but nobody's here to teach me
If they can't understand it,
how can they reach me
I guess they can't
I guess they won't
I guess they front
That's why I know my life is out of luck ... fool
We’ve been spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We’ve been spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
We keep spending most our lives
living in the gangsta's paradise
Tell me why are we
so blind to see
That the ones we hurt
are you and me.
Tell me why are we
so blind to see
That the ones we hurt
are you and me.