People always wanna know
The reason for what they consider
Senseless violence in the hood
I'ma break it down for you
This is why we ride

And this is why we ride
And this is why we ride

I gotta say this clear, I gotta say this loud
I should've been dead, don't know how I'm here now
I should've been dead, damn it forty years ago
How the fuck did I survive?
Something that I'll never know
I played the crack game, gang bang, guns
Motherfuckers told me I'd never see twenty one

I come from La, deep in the heart of the hood
Every night the bullets fly, this shit ain't Hollywood
Could be your best friend, mother or brother dead
Cops can't do shit, these streets are blood red
So we leave the block and we load the guns
And we want revenge, until revenge comes

And this is why we ride
And this is why we ride

I made it out the hood, I got a great life
But them bullets fly every motherfucking night
Another kid dies every motherfucking night
Another mother cries every motherfucking night
Ghettoes of deep crack, made to never escape
A place to store the poor, made to never escape
They're all over the world, people go to die
Murders go unsolved, I understand why
They remove hope and then we sell dope
Pain in poverty has us at each other's throat
Families are broken and so we gang bang
A bit form of unity
But most love some of us ever seen

And this is how we die
And this is why we ride

Oh man, coming up and surviving
In the ghetto
The smallest argument goes
From little drama to big drama
Next thing you know, somebody's dead
I don't think you can understand
If you've never been in your streets
And held your best friend in your arms
Your child in your arms and watch them
Breathe their last breath
'Cause somebody shot them dead in the streets
You ain't thinking of calling the police
You want revenge and you want it now
I gotta be honest with you
If somebody were to kill me, shoot me right now
My last words wouldn't be peace
It would be get those motherfuckers

This song is dedicated to all of you
Who has lost somebody to street violence

And this is why we ride
And this is how we die