The Neighborhood
Come take a look in my neighborhood
Another day up in the ghetto
And grandma cookin' got the
Breakfast in the kettle
Was nothin' like you were picturin'
Ever before revenge is probably probable
They settle the score
Shit, we don't settle for less
We settle for more
We never was ballin' and still
Without the credit we score it's Bob Marley
We just lookin' for redemption
And we find ways to claim
The kids to get exemptions
Uh, then I used to play the cookout
And then I went the book route
Now all you rappers look out
Just a Kid in the Hall, Arsenio
She could give me knowledge, high definition
Vimeo i won't give a penny though
And still the boys all fuego
And what I spit is magic
Like it's Vegas at the trade show
So rollin' late is good
My homies made it good
And this is just another day
Up in my neighborhood
The neighborhood ain't the same no more
Used to ride the bus, now we ride on tour
Used to dress plain, now we on the plane
Used to play games, now we live the game
The neighborhood is just what you find
Used to open up and now we headline
And even though it's crazy, I'll be just fine
And I promise you that I'll
Be comin' back sometime
Come take a look at my neighborhood
See a little girl with the glow
Timidly tellin' momma what momma already know
See momma faced the same situation years ago
Sixteen to seventeen odd years or so
Momma was a pregnant sophomore in ninety-fo'
She worked hard went to school and
Made it out the ghetto
Now momma sittin' in the living room
Trippin' fool wonder how her baby done
Got pregnant skippin' school
Momma just cried, just cursed
Momma lookin' at the sky askin'
Lord am I cursed?
Am I cursed, Lord not my baby
There ain't no charms in the world this crazy
The girl's ain't smart and
The boy's just lazy
And unlike us, they'll never make it
So momma makes the heavy hearted decision
To take her daughter to clinic even
Though she is a Christian
The neighborhood ain't the same no more
Used to ride the bus, now we ride on tour
Used to dress plain, now we on the plane
Used to play games, now we live the game
The neighborhood is just what you find
Used to open up and now we headline
And even though it's crazy, I'll be just fine
And I promise you that I'll
Be comin' back sometime
Come take a look at my neighborhood
Nigerian queen named Geraldine
Made it to the US, she was only eighteen
We ain't have a great scheme, no MBA
And when she came she stayed at the YMCA
Go figure
Magna cum laude they should honor us
Had an only daughter with a man named Donatus
And you better swell, had a second child
Moved to New Jersey
We could turn the sorrow to a smile
Nobody would bet me up, such a juvenile
They say the middle child's
Always a little wild
But I'm only guilty of my innocence
Relate to Wyclef, Memoir Of An Immigrant
From a place where they
Tell you poverty's imminent
Momma's stressed out at work
Now that's legitimate
And they could hate the hood
My family made it good
And this is just another day
Up in my neighborhood
The neighborhood ain't the same no more
Used to ride the bus, now we ride on tour
Used to dress plain, now we on the plane
Used to play games, now we live the game
The neighborhood is just what you find
Used to open up and now we headline
And even though it's crazy, I'll be just fine
And I promise you that I'll
Be comin' back sometime