I tell it like it is, then how it could be

Heaven or hell boy, freedom or jail boy
A Jansport bag full of shit I could sell for
The higher, the low boy, just me and my homeboys
The police kill us so we made up our own laws
Been fighting this long war
there's shells in this shores sand
Still young but a grown man, could tell by my stash
Been stackin' money and problems
as I wait for the rapture
Death never been no threat, I be chillin', relaxin'
Everybody bleed

I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To make it up to heaven, despite the things I've done
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To make my momma proud, feel like her only son
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
With everything I need, with everything I want
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To do it like nobody has ever done

When I was in seventh grade
my grandfather told me don't get caught
Lovin' the streets cause they never gonna love you back
But I feel like it's all we got so it's all we really do love
At the end of the day I feel like the problem
is the people that control
It don't really come from here
so they can't do nothing but look down on us
We look at them, we see somebody
that could help but they look at us
and all they see is a nigga
It don't really matter anyway
we all gon' die one day man, one day

Do doves cry when the black man dies
or do we croak with crows
The young catch gun shots
the old catch the holy ghost
Ho I love not, I never seen no pot of gold
Just ball windows and six fours with no switches
Was broke with no bitches, she love me though
You'll kill me if it make you richer
what you screaming, you my brother for
Heart is where the hatred is, the brain
that stained the love below
And life is what you make it
so I'm makin' money for my folks

I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To make it up to heaven, despite the things I've done
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To make my momma proud, feel like her only son
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
With everything I need, with everything I want
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To do it like nobody has ever done

When most people look at a person who does what I
Do they look at us with these preconceived notions as if
It's a set way for us all to be
but we all people at the end
Of the day so I wonder why
we don't treat each other like it
You're looking at a person telling them
that they story don't
Matter when they're no better than me
walkin' down the streets tryna shoot at somebody
'Cause all we got is these dreams man
and y'all ain't never had to not have nothing
And that's the last thing you want from anybody
Is to not really have nothing

I been through hell and back, I seen my momma cry
Seen my father hit the crack
then hit the set to flip a sack
I done seen my homies die then went on rides
to kill 'em back
So how you say you feel me
when you never had to get through that?
We live for they amusement
like they view us from behind the glass
No matter what we grow into
we never gonna escape our past
So in this cage they made for me
exactly where you find me at
Whether it's my time to leave or not
I never turn my back

I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To make it up to heaven, despite the things I've done
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To make my momma proud, feel like her only son
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
With everything I need, with everything I want
I gotta be, I gotta be, I gotta be the one
To do it like nobody has ever done