[Dave] It's like, New York without a New York yanks Better yet, New York without the New York franks It's like hot summers without no A.C Or never hitting numbers when you go to A.C It's like six years of your life, go ask Rob I'm like "Yo how is it?" he like "It's like hard" Trying for that queen but you nothing but a man You wanna keep it clean but you can't Why it gotta be, like, that And what the life, see life is like a J shot Shooters son, they got One point one second, you half court I'm feeling the adrenaline like you half court Like pink slips and dipping these ink tips to paper Imagine if we f**k around and lose Hip-hop Imagine if it didn't exist Imagine nothing shining your wrist See, imagining to you is a risk But think about it, like no chrome rims And tims would be construction boots (ill) We probably wouldn't even substitute (ill) For words we use defining our likes I'm coal mining these mics To keep that gold nugget like Dave Megget Giant like a motherf**ker, like Dave said it But ya ain't listening, ya paper gon' stack Why it gotta be like that? That, dadadat, dadat, dadat, dadat, dadat, dadat, dadat, dat Dat, dadadat, dadat, dat, dadadat, dadadat, dat, dat, dadat, dadat [Chorus: Carl Thomas] Just running, running, fast as I can I'm trying to be a person but I gotta be the man If I, can't stand the life that I'm in I gotta keep running cause I'm still gon' win Yes I got to go on (it's like that, it's like that) Yes I got to go on (it's like that, it's like that) [Posdonus] It's like, Slick Rick without the eye patch More like, saying slick shit you won't catch It's like bed time without your PJ's Or no fed timing in out the PJ's It's like, one minute you got it, then you broke Like what I do with it? I copped a few with it Looking like a problem, but you won't get it solved You working but you won't get the job It's like, who would of thought (thought) It you would of bought (bought) Into my religion you'd be more like God But you were steady swimming so you more like cod See these fools is fish scale, converting to ish male See I see it like, A alike, B alike I was taught, if you play alike, be alike How they don't see it for one to go pop And this is how you treat Hip-hop? Imagine if you didn't have that phantom chrome sitting on a curb nigga The word nigga wouldn't be a bit disturbing nigga See them roots are like begging for the rain You entering my kingdom just a begging for the reign Putting shit stain to paper Ink pain feeling like fifty-five licks on a slave niggaz back And not a one of y'all stopping to hate But why it gotta be like that? That, dadadat, dadat, dat, dat, dadat, dat, dadadat, dat, dat Dadadat, dadat, dadadat, dat, dat, dat, dat, dat, dadat, dadat, dat [Chorus] x2