slip品away
I arrived in Minnesota with handcuff bruises
Summer ninety deuce prepared to cut loose shit
Mom wasnt having that f**k being cool
With no discussion stuck me in a suburb school
Now day and night Im on a bus full of fools
Who parents didnt want us ended up in the news
You must be crazy you think any of us appreciate it
How our parents wanna upgrade us
All day long were in a fantasy land
Moms and dads college plans and minivans
But when the sun set you fled the success
To the slum where you rest nothing more nothing less
School they fantasize about gangsta rap records
But these are our lives our families are connected
The Ice Cube summer vacation is taking place
Right around the way from where I stay
The mold from the gold and the rips from L A
Brought snow to the cold for a new place to play
Theres a war going on outside you aint safe from
See if this education might save em
Ive known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Ive known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
And so our little city bus crew used to run together
Eat lunch together girls Double Dutch together
Fellas humbugging next day be friends
The only thing we never did was date from withing
Fellas dated white girls sisters stayed lonely
Used to kiss me on my cheek and say we were homies
Alphonso basement we ran the party
One day on the bus Pumpking stabs Akey
Shit my main man was Ethan
Used to sell sneakers at a store called Friedmans
He had two older cousins that were hustlers
Filas wasnt all he pumping to the customers
He got a check but he got connects
So he got some chicks and he got respect
His boy Ali got hooked up with clothes
One day slap boxing he broke my nose
He almost cried man he had a good heart
The brothers only problem was he wasnt book smart
He dropped out of school but he kept slanging shoes
To keep the kids fed he had to sell base too
Ive known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Ive known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Time to time I used to stop in and check on my dude
Even when we lost touch with the rest of our crew
We both had babies drama with our old ladies
But as time went on our connection only grew
He said 'I just cant seem to leave these streets alone man
Feels like I fell asleep one evening
And woke up the next day suddenly a grown man
In a rut with no idea how to leave it
My parents got too many kids to help me through
I really dont know what the hell else to do
I know you gonna really get it cracking with that rap thing
And when you blow up Im a come and work for you'
Ha thats my man I see you when I see you brother
Keep your head up til the next time we see each other
Rolled out on my first national tour
Back on the block went back to the store
Put my hand on the door Ethan wasnt in though
They said somebody shot em through his front window
Hit em in the head and that he hadnt survived
Matter fact he died fore the ambulance arrived
A man in that life it wasnt no mistake
The cops called it a stray bullet closed the case
So theres no justice and theres no closure
You cant touch this not you no sir
They buried my brother I was on the road
By the time I got home the ground was cold
Got nothing left but a hole in my soul
Shit dude was 23 years old
Ive known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Ive known you your whole life
You drawn to that street life
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away
Slipping away slipping away