Brother Ali - Only Life I Know

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Produced by Jake One.

Video directed by Dave Wilson. Director of Photography: Dave Wilson & Ryan Thompson.

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LYRICS:
It's my life
Yeah the only one that I'll ever know
Feeling extra low
Please let me go
Oh... Lord... No...

It's my life
Yeah the only one that I'll ever know
And it stress me so
God bless my soul
Oh... Lord... No...

Whether it's the projects or trailer park mess
Raggedy apartment complex
With a stressed out single mom sitting on the steps
Waiting on the mailman looking for a check

Boys on the corner pushing out their chest
Questing for anything that resemble respect
Young girls swing their hip with every step
Looking for affection settling for sex

Bodies decorated with tattoos and chains
Trying to put armor between you and pain
Wood grain steering wheel the bass bang
Loud enough to drown out the hatred in your brain

The only out is smoking out
Get lean get wet get meth get tore down
Cause who the hell would want to stick around
Put me in a haze I ain't never coming down

It's my life
Yeah the only one that I'll ever know
Feeling extra low
Please let me go
Oh... Lord... No...

It's my life
Yeah the only one that I'll ever know
And it stress me so
God bless my soul
Oh... Lord... No...

They just want to get you in the system stick you in a prison
Enlist you in the military ship you to the desert
Gigs don't exist for you to make a decent living
But we got three illegal wars that you can pick from

Keep stressing morals and personal decisions
Tell me what's moral about these conditions
Who decided you don't got enough to teach children
Stay spending billions on stadiums and prisons

How many routes can folks really choose
When you're oppressed only three lead to you
The first one is follow the rules and stay in school
And be the square dude that society approves

Get a little job or a shitty apartment
A subprime mortgage in a failing house market
And after a life of dedication and hardship
You die just as poor as you was when you started

Fuck that what's up with the second option
You can always hit the corner and try to get it popping
Get fast guap when you out robbing and clocking
But chances are that you probably die violent

Best hope that you got it getting knocked
End up with a job in a prison metal shop
They ain't paying nothing but 3 hots and a cot
Don't you know that's the biggest hustle they got

Or door three you could get on that welfare
They ain't trying to help they'll put you through hell there
Give you just enough so you're not going to starve
And constantly harass you while you looking for a job

If you do luck up and someone let you punch a clock
And they find out about then your check is getting docked
Can't win for losing they dehumanize you
You never get caught up you caught up in that cycle

It's my life
Yeah the only one that I'll ever know
Feeling extra low
Please let me go
Oh... Lord... No...

It's my life
Yeah the only one that I'll ever know
And it stress me so
God bless my soul
Oh... Lord... No...