Seasoned

Tragedy.. mmhmm mmhmm.. misery and triumph

Piss poor, you know?

Catastrophic moments

They wanna know why I'm so seasoned, y'know

Welfare recipient - there's a reason why I'm seasoned

My folks out there in the ghetto.. the slums..

The projects.. and the beat down, renovated apartment complexes

Smell me!

Uh, you in a new school whip

Custom painted candy apricot butter

I'm in an antique old school four do'

Muffler draggin beat up duster

With scrapes and scratches, nicks and scars

Y'all get to drink out of wine glasses

we gotta drink out of jelly jars

Down and out like four flat tires no washing machine nor dryer

Just a pillowcase sack and a bunch of clothes wrapped

in a sheet on our way to the laundrymat

Will I ever get paid, can I make a dollar out of fifteen cents?

Y'alls got it made, we broke and starvin barely payin the rent

Sleepless nights, alligator t-uh-tears

Mommy arguin wit my daddy, daddy drunk too many beers

911 Mr. Po-Po, dey ain't happy wit day marriage

Pops tryna beat her down and make her have a miscarriage

My cousin shoots the needle, she be gone for days

She on that da-ah-diesel, she gone end up wit AIDS

I told her I love her I swear I just told her

but you know what she said to me?

Everybody got a gay or at least one dopefiend in they family

You ain't the only one wit a reject in yo' family

That's real

The reasoned the reasoned that we're seasoned

Seasoned and we, feel our paper won't disappear

Ohhh, hey it's been a long time in the bay

with God on our side we have somethin to say

and through the hard times we survive the game

Survive the game

If y'all smell onions - that's my arms potent

The reason I'm musty is cause, we ain't got no mo' deordorant

The laughin stock - patna, we ain't got no cash

Feet stinkin through my shoes in P.E. class

I'm thriznew with biznein briznoke; I'm about to hiznit the griznind

And if I get popped it ain't half no more it's 80% percent of my time

But that's ah cha-ah-chance, that I'ma have to-ah-take

Today my son birthday and I can't even buy a cake

I'm so damn through-a-through, I had a J.O.B.

You want me to cut my perm, oh y'all gone ave to fire me

My fellow just got out da joint, thought he might be okay

But my fellow got out and got stapled 26 times the same damn day

Who wanna get dunked on? In the the flatlands it ain't never too late

Patna all we need is a piece of plywood and a milk carton crate

What about dat shopping basket, you know I'm smart

We can gone take the wheels off that and ma-a-make a go cart

Yo peoples blessed you, I started from a quarter ounce

You came in the dope game wit a silver spoon up in yo' mouth

Why we gotta gamble maine we hurtin, you got all the bucks

In the ghetto we play dominoes for push ups

The reasoned the reasoned that we are seasoned

Seasoned and we, feel our paper won't disappear

Ohhh, it's been a long time in the bay

with God on our side we have somethin to say

and through the hard times we survive the game

Survive the game

You dig? You know

My people just tryin to make a way out of nowhere, you dig?

You know, the trials and tribulations, you dig?

It's hard times out here y'know

Y'know we just tryin to do our thing..

I remember when I was just a young boy

Growin up things was real hard for me

No food on the table, no clothes on my back

Lord have mercy

But my mother told me to stay strong

Hey, it's been a long time, in the Bay

With God on our side we have somethin to say

And through the hard times we survive the game

Survive the game