[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...)