Songtext Ghettos of the mind Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

Ghettos of the mind

Ghetto of the mind...

I catch a body at a party, sort of herbal with the verbal
Look above and see the vultures fly around in a circle
Baggin while youre lollygaggin, raggin, tow-taggin
Assassin with the millimeter roars of a dragon

Here stood the black hood, thirsty for the end
And for the love of money, kind of funny, new friends
Public housing, a thousand in a tent
So Im forced to sell hell just to pay the rent

Killin my own people, I put em out of order
Just like the liquor store scene on every corner
Im tryin but the kids keep cryin, and the bullets keep flyin
Look, a boy, hes on the curb just dyin
Finally the cops come dumb to the slum
Pull out a gun and arrest the wrong one
Wax all the puerto ricans and blacks
So they can never relax
I dwell, might as well learn the facts
Pete rock and c.l. can radio a shack up
Sparkin off and have em all callin for backup
Watch another crime and youre gonna do time
All this youll find in the ghettos of the mind

Aint that somethin? ...

Listen to cats and rough rats war under the window
When the ghetto forts flarey, never was a tom and jerry
Livin aint cheap, my survival is deep
In this part of town where the city never sleep
A barney miller roller, you can bet the cars stolen
Or static with your bm, only when you see them
Speakin on your babys mom, a best for the drama
Always tryin to make a movie, little stark-ravin looney
Stressin it, but you know the ghetto keep ya busy
A place that when I die it would never even miss me
Crack phials in the aisles as one pimp smiles
Dope piles workin hookers by the miles
But still my pops got three jobs to stable
A family household and food on the table
So as we pray for all our souls to keep
Somebodys on the project roof, ready to leap
I want to stop the pain or the bad situation
But backwards wisdom I cant afford to give em
Self savior is much braver with the conscious behavior
Designed in the ghettos of the mind

Aint that somethin? cmon...

Its like that yall...

I could never look forward to an early retirement
But still I maintain in a hostile environment
Hustlin the concrete jungle for loot
My parents hated blood money so they gave me the boot
Take a risk cause the peer pressure has the edge
It was a blessin when I saw my life dangle on the ledge
The streets coulda swallowed me whole
But the pain was all gone when I got to see my healthy son born
And now I bring him home to the ghetto,
Only to make a stronger fellow
Maybe do some good for the neighborhood
Its hard playing hero livin less than a zero
Raging bull like deniro, the modern day pharoah
A concentration camp with the section 8
Welfare checks given at a monthly rate
Apply for the get high, or just plain lazy
Many steady collect right around the fifth baby
The hawk is out but the niggaz never pack it
A hundred dollar sneakers with the skimpy-ass jacket
When people are deaf, dumb, and blind they get left behind
Imagine in the ghettos of the mind