[Intro: Gang Ad-libs]:

“Where you from? Who you know? Check in, fool…

What you ridin'? What you rollin'? Is it blue?

Who your kin? Who you with? Who are you?"

“Don’t slip, don’t trip…”

If you slip

If you trip

You get checked

Lose your footin'

Lose your neck

And you're dead

[Verse 1: Citizen (Lead)]:

How the hell you proud of this life?

You either end up caged in steel or buried under dirt at night.

They call it brotherhood, I call it chains,

Trading freedom for colors, respect built on pain.

You laugh at the ones that stayed in school,

But I see a bunch of kids just playing fool’s rules.

No fathers, no mentors, no guidance, no plan,

Just another lost boy repping letters on his hand.

[Gang voice shouts intermittently]: “Rep it!”,

[Hook: Citizen + Gang Overlap]:

[Citizen]:

This ain’t belonging, this ain’t a family tree,

It’s just a cycle spinning bodies endlessly.

[Gang (overlapping)]:

“Lames don’t get it! Goofy, stay blind!

This set is my bloodline...ain’t yours, it’s mine!”

[Gang voice shouts intermittently]: “Crash out!”

[Verse 2 – Gang (Backing Takes Lead)]:

You call it dumb, I call it ride or die,

Where I’m from, weak hearts don’t survive.

Lames in they houses, safe in they bed,

But out here we respect who bled.

It’s “Who you know? What you bang? What’s your set?”

You don’t check in, then you show disrespect.

You think it’s greed, nah...it’s code, it’s pride,

Better run with a crew than walk alone outside.

[Citizen layered sighs, spoken word echoes]: “It don’t have to be this way… They say that you can't choose the place where you were born

But you can choose where you die”

[Bridge – Citizen (Soft) vs Gang (Harsh)]:

[Citizen]:

But what’s pride worth when your mama cries?

When your homie gets shot and nobody survives?

And it's hell

When you live by the rules

You die by 'em as well

And they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover

If you read the whole thing

Then you know you shouldn't trust 'em

You better lace your shoes

Or it's your face on a t-shirt that your mama used

Cried herself to sleep

Your mama

She confused

Tell me what this for? What you tryin' to prove?

[Gang (cutting over)]:

Mama cry? That’s life! Tears dry in the dirt,

We rock what we rep...either ride or get hurt.

[Hook: Full Clash]:

[Citizen]:

There’s more to this life than a name on a wall,

Better to rise than to stumble and fall.

[Gang]:

“I don't want to be a product of my environment

I want my environment to be a product of me

Civilian don’t know, clown don’t talk,

We bleed for the set, you just walk where we walk.”

[Gang voice shouts intermittently]: “You don’t know!”

[Outro: Dual Layered Fade]:

[Citizen (fading)]:

How the hell you proud of this life

All your life

It's where you live

Not where you from

The neighborhood don't make the man

And brotherhood don't make a family

Would a brother ever take my life?

A cycle’s a cage… you don’t have to play…

[Gang (fading, louder)]:

“Where you from?! Better check in, lame!”

[Gang voice shouts intermittently]: “Civvy!”