[00:00.300](Poppa Wu) I'm a manchild born in the promised land
[00:02.523]Captain of my destiny, guidin my faith through the turbulence of life
[00:06.698]See, in order to be who you are, you've got to know who you are
[00:10.341]In order to get to where you want to go
[00:11.678]You've got to know from where you came
[00:13.928]Say, it was Malcolm X who said
[00:15.791]"A man who doesn't have nothing to stand up for
[00:17.954]Will fall for any god damn thing!"
[00:18.811](Shyheim) Damn, Woke up again...
[00:20.986]Down my face drop tears, it's like nobody cares
[00:23.829]I swear, life ain't fair, sometimes I wanna disappear
[00:26.812]Only Blahzay Blah', I got mad gray hairs, I'm a young old man
[00:30.556]What part of "**** Iz Real" don't you understand?
[00:32.771]Twin got murdered, caught one to the temple
[00:35.142]You ain't been what I been through, Can It Be All So Simple?
[00:37.610]I got bad nerves, it's absurd, I'm disturbed
[00:40.892]So, I suggest you watch the words that you blurb
[00:43.258]Out your mouth, or it'll be a shoot out
[00:45.813]I leave you stretched out, I'm thugged, inside and out
[00:48.752]And it ain't by choice
[00:50.430]I'm screaming out loud for love (AHHHH!)
[00:53.278]Do anybody hear my voice?
[00:54.596]Pardon the noise, I'm just a black ghetto boy
[00:57.204]Went through the rain and pain, where's the sunshine and joy?
[00:59.896]I can't seem to find it, trapped in the black cloud
[01:02.648]Watching my life go down, to hide the suffering, I smile
[01:06.354](Tekitha)Running these streets can be so
[01:08.770]Trying these trying times
[01:11.857]Manchild in the promised land
[01:14.536]Who of you will understand?
[01:17.233]Running these streets can be so
[01:20.206]Trying these trying times
[01:22.895]Manchild in the promised land, hey-ay...
[01:27.898](Shyheim)My aunt died from AIDS, I watched her deteriorate
[01:30.856]She told me ****ing wit drugs, was her biggest mistake
[01:33.628]Put my moms on to it, sticking needles in her veins
[01:36.263]Being sons of addicts, yo, me and Cane the same
[01:39.228]We packed bags at Pathmark, we both humped Tamika
[01:42.018]We used to go to the pool, just to steal kid's sneakers
[01:44.769]Rocked cut-off beepers, wore old clothes for Easter
[01:47.660]**** was so real, we had to split a slice of pizza
[01:50.313]I was born at six months, damn, premature
[01:53.253]My moms birthed a thug like, Afeni Shakur
[01:55.866]I'm surprised I ain't crazy, from the bug **** I saw
[01:58.965]I caught my mother buying crack on the first floor, before
[02:01.856]I never thought I'd be in a cell, smoking the Newport
[02:04.535]With all sorts of thoughts, running through my mind
[02:07.570]Know I ain't leaving, caught, D.A. talkin jail time
[02:10.055]I glanced at my mom's eyes, she looking like she wanna cry
[02:13.206](Tekitha) Running these streets can be so
[02:16.007]Trying these trying times
[02:18.889]Manchild in the promised land
[02:21.499]Who of you will understand?
[02:24.261]Running these streets can be so
[02:27.301]Trying these trying times
[02:29.965]Manchild in the promised land, hey-ay...
[02:35.256](Shyheim)They say I'm an accident waiting to happen, G
[02:37.968]Miss Ann from the first floor said she gon' pray for me
[02:40.821]She had a bad dream, that they, murdered me
[02:43.500]I said, "Miss, truthfully, I don't believe in dreams"
[02:46.256]Hope is miles away, from where I stay
[02:48.984]Who knows the way? Pssshhh... ****, I'd pay
[02:51.800]For the directions? My whole family's in correction
[02:54.607]Fake friends half-stepping, I'm stressing, answer question
[02:57.557]Can I trust you? Uh-huh, then I love you
[03:00.309]Yea, if not, straight up and down, **** you
[03:02.953]Bottom line, real people do real things
[03:07.033]Play your position... (running these streets can be so...)
[03:08.469]You see, its like this
[03:10.418]You've got to plan your work and work your plan
[03:13.216]Cause seeing who fails the plan, plans the fail
[03:16.148]Execute your strategy and seize your goal
[03:19.321]Cause see, persistence overcomes, resistance, peace
[03:23.298]Trying these trying times
[03:25.790]Manchild in the promised land, hey-ay...
[03:31.702]Running these streets can be so
[03:34.410]Trying these trying times
[03:37.330]Manchild in the promised land
[03:40.268]Who of you will understand?
[03:42.598](fades...)