hate the price of fame ‘coz it cost too much yeah boy
and you lame niggas talk too much yeah
i’m ready for whatever somebody better tell ’em yeah boy
i said i’m ready for whatever hey hey
even though my head in the clouds i’m planted on the pavement
how i walk around people starin’ at amazement
and i play a lot of game on where i be and i ain’t playin with it
they so judgmental maybe they don’t understand
if your life was in jeopardy e’ryday is you tellin me
you wouldn’t need weaponry just because of your felony
consider this at least i got e’rybody sweatin me
on the streets is people who won’t rest unless i rest in peace
killed my folk a year ago still in my sleep they threaten me
paranoia stressin me ain’t nobody protectin me
i’m dealin with the pressure from my partner dyin next to me
no one’s arrested they comin for me eventually
this was all the things i was goin through mentally
this could be the reason i ignored the penitentiary
not mentioning new orlean niggas comin in the city
killin all summer long ain’t nobody payin attention
prehook
now is it that hard to understand if you listen
either die or go to jail that’s a hell of a decision
but i’m wrong and i know it my excuses unimportant
i’m just tryna let you know that i ain’t think i had a choice for real
hook
i had straps in my ride gotta go to prison
you waiting on me to die you gon’ be waiting for a minute
ready for whatever somebody better tell ’em
i be here when the smoke clears and everythin settles for real
can’t afford the price of fame ‘coz it cost too much
plus these sucka niggas lame and they talk too much
ready for whatever somebody better tell ’em
i be here when the smoke clears and everythin settles for real
posthook
for real for real ay for real
i say when e’rything settles for real
ay for real ay for real
i say when e’rything settles for real
interlude over posthook
yeah i know what you thinking
first michael vick now this huh
naw not exactly
i tell you how this shit went down for real dog
i’m a man i ain’t perfect i admit it i’m guilty
but understand feel me i was ridin filthy
‘coz niggas out there plottin to rob me and kill me
500 thousand every year spent on security
and my future was bright but now it’s gettin blurry
‘coz niggas in a hurry to find me and bury me
but surely god’ll deliver me up out it
i’m a fighter to the heart i forever be about it
i’m a father to my sons asset to my community
look at all that i done my good outweigh the negativity
mentally i was focused on not lettin history
repeat itself thats why heat was kept in the vicinity
yes officially i broke the law but not maliciously
through all of the publicity was anyone considerin
my position and the logic hid in my decision
but they caught me with it now i’m off to prison period
prehook
but is it that hard to understand if you listen
either die or go to jail that’s a hell of a decision
but i’m wrong and i know it my excuses unimportant
i’m just tryna let you know that i ain’t think i had a choice for real
hook
i had straps in my ride gotta go to prison
you waiting on me to die you gon’ be waiting for a minute
ready for whatever somebody better tell ’em
i be here when the smoke clears and everythin settles for real
can’t afford the price of fame ‘coz it cost too much
plus these sucka niggas lame and they talk too much
ready for whatever somebody better tell ’em
i be here when the smoke clears and everythin settles for real
posthook
for real for real ay for real
i say when e’rything settles for real
ay for real ay for real
i say when e’rything settles for real
spoken
ay i said listen homeboy you can talk all you want mayne you know what i’m saying everybody talk to the king you know what i’m sayin everybody’s entitled to an opinion you know what i’m sayin they like yesterdays everybody got one
but the fact of the matter remains if you ain’t walk a mile in my shoes and you ain’t lived a day in my life you ain’t survive the shit i done survived you ain’t had to deal with the shit i had to deal with homeboyyou can’t muhfuckin’ judge me partner
i mean look at folk like sean taylor you know what they said
they said had he had a strap he’da lived today you know what i’m sayin
now true enough i was dead wrong i broke the law i deserve to be punished i understand that aight cool but listen man i got a house full of kids a mama and an old lady whose life is my responsibility you dig that
now for all of y’all who think i was just ridin’ around on some dumb shit you know i’m smarter than you man you know i’m smarter than you dawg ay if you think i was just being stupid shawty i got some muhfuckin’ oceanfront property in idaho for sale homie if you believe that i got a in brooklyn i wanna sell you partner
ay man real talk in order to understand my train of thoughts you have to put yourself in my position you can’t expect me to think like you ’cause my life ain’t like yours you know what i’m sayin
if you don’t understand that you don’t understand english i’m done talking
Artist: T I
Year: 2008
Decade: 00s
Language: en
Word Count: 522