[Intro]
Yeah, old head in the game, still mindful, still dangerous
West Philly roots, you know the name, stayed faith in us
Listen close, this is real talk from the block
About the code, the struggle, and the hard stops
[Verse 1]
Walk through the streets where the shadows lurk
Stories of the past, yeah, they deep in the dirt
Steady B, Cool C, remember them? They the legends
Robbed a bank, took a shot, lost a brother, learned lessons
Young boys now don’t respect the code, they just reckless
Forget the history, ain't no respect for the elders
Tryna rewrite what was never broken, nah
Packing heat, murder the beat, we the real OGs, y'know?
[Pre-Chorus]
Choices in the dark, what side to take?
Heckler or AK, Swiss cheese for the break?
Family or the game, what’s the move?
Old head tryna stay alive, stay true
[Chorus]
Is it survival of the fittest or just the system?
Kids don’t understand, we tryna teach ’em
Hear the sirens, feel the pressure, see the pain?
In this life, it’s a gamble, play or stay sane
[Verse 2]
Youngin’, blood thicker than water, but they split
Ops with their own kin, calling shots, got no quit
Brother against brother, father in the mix
What’s an honest man to do when his family’s in the crisis?
Grew up in the struggle, learned the rules real tight
Respect the code, never fold, always fight right
But these streets so cold, hearts turn to ice
Big guns, short lives, pay the price
[Pre-Chorus]
Choices in the dark, what side to take?
Heckler or AK, Swiss cheese for the break?
Family or the game, what’s the move?
Old head tryna stay alive, stay true
[Chorus]
Is it survival of the fittest or just the system?
Kids don’t understand, we tryna teach ’em
Hear the sirens, feel the pressure, see the pain?
In this life, it’s a gamble, play or stay sane
[Bridge]
What’s the future when the game’s so rigged?
Or is it just the streets that never switch?
Cops or young guns, everybody’s caught in the mix
Honest black man, tryna stay out the fix
But the streets don’t give mercy, they just take
Mama cried, daddy lied, it’s a constant ache
We the soldiers, but we fighting our own kind
Trying to see daylight, but we blind
[Outro]
So we stand, old heads with the plan
Passing the torch, doing all we can
In the city where the fallen lay
West Philly streets, we pray every day
[End]