THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Back in the neighborhood, the days ran long
Every heartbeat sounded like a song
Sunrise hitting down cracked concrete
Dreams and danger dance where the young men meet
Mama holding strong through the weary grind
While the rhythm kept the pain behind

Every corner had a name, every fight had a cause
We were searching for pride in the lines we crossed

'Cause the boys in the hood are always hard
You come talking that noise, we disregard
You're nothing in life but to be legit
Don't quote me, boy, I ain't said nothing yet

Some brothers rise, saw some fade away
Chasing shadows that don't stay
But through the pain and the heat of the street
I found my groove where struggle and soul meet

Time rolls on and I still can see
What the hood once taught made a man of me
Turned the noise to rhythm, the fear to flame
And the groove kept whispering my name

Oh, the boys in the hood are always hard
Still playing that truth beneath the stars
You're nothing in life but to be legit
Now I sing those words with a wiser wit

But the boys in the hood, they carry their scars
But every scar turns soul beneath these bars
Now the nights run quiet, the streets grown old
Still a boy in the hood, just with a little more soul