Never Surrender - Live, 1982

Keep your circle tight

Trust no one, nobody

Gotta be careful who you trusting

Be aware of your surrounding when you hustling

Them niggas smiling at you ain't your friends, dawg
All the real ones are dead or in the pen y'all
You fuck with dude, he your day one
Almost had it all then the day comes
When they walking through your house with the strap out
Pointing at your head, got the bread then you black out
Bright lights down the hallways
Left his best friend for dead for the small wage
They say that every doors got a day coming
It's like he seen a ghost but he ain't say nothing
Eyes wide shut like you looking at me
Window pain to the soul say nigga's happy
But the pictures ain't say them words and we dry stomach
The homie didn't keep it one hundred
The cops doing roundups, say they got a suspect
Finally got a name now, I'm still thinkin fuck that
For money, niggas murder what they close to
Entire families is mother fuckin' [?]
Smoke you, was it worth what the life was?
Just prepared for the payback because it strikes cuz
Was it worth what that life was?
Prepare for the payback when it strikes cuz

When you need it the most ain't no one ever around
Cold world, cold world

The pain's unbearable, remains unwearable
He fuck around jump of a building if you dare him to
The greats they done already killed him, who you compare him to
Figure out what he said will take a year or two
Family over everything, skills over politics
He don't need the accolades as long as you acknowledge it
Just playing the hand you was dealt, no aces
Betrayal is worse than death in most cases
The world is filled with hypocrites, this so racist
Multiple shots to the face, No chasers
Mad cause you blew up quick and you excited
Your man that you grew up with get you indicted
This was your nigga, yo
For him you let the trigger go
Found out at the trial they got audio and video
Shit don't always happen how you plan it
Get jammed up and really find out who your fam is
You could feel the picture, you don't need to see the canvas
That nigga Jay'll a Hawk you, he don't even play for Kansas
You know when it's someone you love the hurt's pure
You front tryna hold it in, it hurts more
He was right there back-to-back with me, my first war
Even had a crack spot together, the first floor
Used to [?] then meet him right by the first door
That was 'prolly a year before I went on my first tour
Friendship was worth more than a couple of ounces
He was 'sposed to be with me arguing with the bouncers
Instead you ended up somewhere far in the mountains
Talking 'about what we was doing, what we was counting
None but old pictures of old sixes
Old BM's with the kids, old snitches
Two sides, both wishes
Karma is the sister of life, they both bitches

See there's a story in my life
There's a story in my pain
There's a story in my tears
There's a story in me

Yeah, for life
Lord forgive me for my sins, I was chasin' ends
And I'm into makin' money, I ain't in to making friends
Cause these niggas rattin', I ain't finna take a chance
Homie said he 'bout that action they grabbin' me take the stand
Say loyalty make a man, got a homie and he told
I don't even shake his hand, I don't even crack a smile
Knew him since a child, man this game so foul
But niggas made vows to a code I never break
Ridin' in the heavy weight
Thirty-six O's in the bird, call it feather weight
Never on time, when I show up I be ready late
Niggas got fat while we starved they already ate
And I'm trying to get full, masks on clips full
If he got the money we attack him like a pitbull
We sellin' soft, we sellin' hard like it's a brick store
On my dick, nigga, thought that's what your bitch for

My pain ain't never been told
All the success that I'm suffering from
Came from this knowledge I sold
My family fucks with me
And fought the enemy that stood in my way
That's why I don't trust nobody
And I doubt you'll ever see that day
'Fore I surrender to you, surrender to you
Surrender to you, surrender to you
Which I will never do

Cause when you need it the most
Ain't no one ever around (nobody's around)
Cold world, cold world (yes it is)
And the ones that you keep close
Will take you down (only take you down)
Cold world, a cold cold world

'Fore I surrender to you, surrender to you
Surrender to you, surrender to you
Which I will never do

See there's a story in my life (Surrender)
There's a story in my pain (Surrender)
There's a story in my tears (Surrender)
There's a story in me (I won't Surrender)