Inglewood/3

Imagine being born in a hospital whose doors open up right into a cemetery How’s that for metaphor? Living behind the jet strip Where women remove they clothes for tips What was the alternative? How else they feed their kids? A den for men that feel no love From block to block from blood to cuz And when my dad walked through the door I ain’t remember who he was I was seven, watching riots, while the neighbors rolled them tires Down the street with Dayton rims You watched the news, I lived in it Look at the signs, they say “black owned” So we gon' leave that shop alone Burning down the Burger King The ghetto coming back to take the throne Then my brother came home bloody He was trying to keep the peace Now I hear a whole new meaning when they scream “Fuck the Police!” When you’re lost, I’ll find you through twilight in Baldwin Hills When it’s dark, I’ll light you, a promise I will fulfill Nothing’s wasted, moments, graces, still my heart When you’re lost, I’ll find you on the south side of Inglewood I grew up in “A Different World” but had a thing for Latin girls She said “I’m not Hispanic or Latina I’m Mexican and that’s por vida” Her uncle said “Boy, I don’t like ya” So we would meet on Arbor Vitae Because I can’t take you nowhere yet All I got is cancelled welfare checks And I couldn’t cross the Lennox line They’d whoop my ass every time I tried Ambiguous with the light brown skin “See I’m like you” I kept telling them Even if you don’t believe me When the cops come, they still beat me La Cienega and Hill, yeah, that’s where my homeboy got killed In the alley where they tried to shoot my moms, damn First time I ever thought to grab a gun, shit So when y'all was learning violin, see I was learning violence And when all y'all was learning violin, I was learning violence When you’re lost, I’ll find you through twilight in Baldwin Hills When it’s dark, I’ll light you, a promise I will fulfill Nothing’s wasted, moments, graces, still my heart When you’re lost, I’ll find you on the south side of Inglewood Centinela Hospital where I was born to die That is of course as long as it don’t get too gentrified Ain’t gotta waste no gas on travel My corpse will be like ghetto cattle to catapult across the street to that same old cemetery When you’re lost, I’ll find you through twilight in Baldwin Hills When it’s dark, I’ll light you, a promise I will fulfill Nothing’s wasted, moments, graces, still my heart When you’re lost, I’ll find you on the south side of Inglewood Give me one reason to stay and I will, and I will, yes I will I’ll put my fears on display, yes I will, yes I will, yes I will You don’t want the best for me You just want the rest of me How bad, how bad do you want it, want it? How bad? I’ma show you how to get it How bad, how bad do you want it, want it? How bad? I’ma show you how to get it Oh, fuck, oh Run straight to the door Away from everything that you’ve been dying for You really think they’re ever gonna fuck with you? That’s a price you might pay, but you can’t afford All I know, know, we can’t be sure I’m married to the game like it’s mi amor Go on and hurt me once again, my painful truth I might take another L, but I knew the score before You ain’t seen the last of me I just want the world to see You can fucking have it How bad, how bad do you want it, want it? How bad? I’ma show you how to get it How bad, how bad do you want it, want it? How bad? I’ma show you how to get it Motherfucker You want it bad but you don’t really really want the You want it bad but you ain’t really ready for the (Truth) You want it bad but you don’t really really want the You want it bad but you ain’t really ready for the (Truth) You want it bad huh? (Truth) You want it bad huh? (Truth) You want it bad huh? (Truth) How bad do? (Truth) You want it bad huh? (Truth) How bad do? (Truth) How bad do? (Truth) How bad do you really want it? How bad? How bad? How bad? How bad do you really want it? How bad? How bad? How bad? I'ma show you how to get it