Growing up I've seen a lot of shit in my time I've seen hunger, hunger, pleasure, pain, violence and crime I have learned from the mistakes of my friends that have died And from those who have gone down in life that just never Tried Life is just too short I realize that now I'm gonna get my shit together and try to make it some how Cause one thing that I have learned is that you only live once So now I'll take life by the balls and squeeze until they crunch Knowledge of the streets, a valuable tool Type of education you can't get in school Many hard times, losing friends, getting burned Nobody to teach me, I just learned A man like clay molded by his surroundings He starts to take shape of the beating and the pounding Assembly line that I've been through A hard motherfucker with a bad attitude Maybe its just the times we live in Maybe its just urban discipline The ways of urban life are not as they seem Standing up and fighting is what living here means In order to survive you've got to earn your respect The only lessons that you learn are from things that you regret Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens Standing up and fighting is what living here means In order to survive you've got to earn your respect The only lessons that you learn are from things that you regret